Land Rover TReK 2021
Defender Adventures at the Biltmore
As the fog was lifting early in the morning, I found myself running through a damp forest with two teammates I’d just met, all of us with a map, compass and GPS unit in hand. We were in search of our “chariot” for the day—a fully decked-out 2021 Land Rover Defender 110 for Land Rover TReK 2021.
Provided with some fuzzy navigation data, we managed to find our vehicle at the exact same time as another team arrived … from a totally different direction. We were in the lead pack, and the rest of the day was spent staying there.
No, we weren’t in the jungles of Borneo in the Camel Trophy. Instead, we were in the lush, rolling hills of the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina at the Land Rover TReK 2021 competition. Our team, comprising Jeff Glucker of Hooniverse, Tommy Mica of The Fast Lane (TFL) and me, were competing in the media wave against five other teams of journalists.
One particular team was the one to beat. It had a stacked, capable team and an entire Outside TV crew chasing its members throughout the event. That team was made up of Olympic skier and Land Rover ambassador Lindsey Vonn, high-altitude ski mountaineer Hilaree Nelson, as well as ESPN journalist and experienced navigation rally competitor Alyssa Roenigk.
Land Rover TReK
You might be asking yourself exactly what a TReK is. Well, it’s an event for Land Rover dealer personnel to compete against one another and learn and live the off-road adventure lifestyle that’s the heart and soul of the brand.
In Land Rover’s words, “TReK allows them [retail staff] to experience the guts of Camel Trophy, the adventure of a genuine expedition, the freedom of exploring the unknown, the individualism of pushing oneself to the limit, the supremacy of competition and the authenticity of the Best 4X4 X Far.”
The gorgeous Biltmore Estate is a truly impressive and special place to hold this competition.
The Land Rover TReK competition has happened only a handful of times before. It started back in 1996 in the United States, but it has gone international. The most recent competition was held just before the pandemic began. The 2021 installment of TReK saw the largest turnout ever, with 70 teams from retailers across North America competing.
The most challenging driving task of the day was “Punch Your Ticket,” which involved accurate driving in uneven, slippery terrain.
“We’re thrilled to be able to bring the TReK competition back this year for all of our Land Rover retail staff across the United States and to give them the opportunity to not only learn, but to experience firsthand what the Land Rover brand represents and utilize the New Defender to its fullest capabilities,” said Joe Eberhardt, president and CEO of Jaguar Land Rover North America.
TReK puts teams of three through a variety of skill challenges in off-road driving, recovery, navigation, Land Rover knowledge and team collaboration. You have to be physically fit, mentally sharp and work well with others to come out on top at TReK.
Adventure Is Calling
When I got the invitation to participate in TReK 2021, my heart skipped a few beats. I’m a longtime Land Rover enthusiast and have dreamed of Camel Trophy adventure and glory. I’ve piloted Defenders on multiple continents on remote off-road adventures, worked in sales at Land Rover Honolulu and have even been on the winning team of the VT Overland Trophy with Team Lucky8 Offroad in a fully built LR3. The “green oval” passion runs deep for me.
Team “S2K” completes the physically challenging build a bridge/Land Rover logo puzzle challenge.
The TReK adventure truly begins when you arrive at base camp in the middle of the vast Biltmore estate. Special TReK edition tents were already all set up in little pods for our teams. A tent for large events was also set up for hosting the group meals and the event briefings. These shelters were needed, skies broke loose with heavy rains that night in typical East Coast autumn weather fashion.
Team “No Time To Cry” uses teamwork to figure out the navigation to the Defender at the beginning.
Let the Games Begin
After a briefing on the basic rules and our map of challenges, our team stayed up late into the night. We were strategizing and getting acquainted with the custom-outfitted Defender, along with an ancient Garmin etrex 10 handheld GPS and brushing up on some basic map and compass skills. Much was still shrouded in secrecy, so we knew we’d have to continually adapt as things changed when we woke up early the next morning and the event unfolded.
“We had to show off our trailering skills, tire-changing skills, off-road driving skills and so much more.”
These special edition Land Rover Defenders got a workout during the TReK competition. All had some muddy adventures.
Our strategy of going for big points early—at the opposite end of the map from where we figured most teams would start—worked out perfectly. We quickly gelled as a team and, after a solid run of a few miles to find our vehicle, we rolled on and started checking off as many challenges as we could.
We had to show off our trailering skills, tire-changing skills, off-road driving skills and so much more. Our brains were taxed with navigation and Land Rover history challenges, and our bodies were taxed by super-physically demanding challenges.
The Land Rover roof rack was loaded with a spare tire, shovel, Hi-Lift, two jerry cans and Tred Pros.
The two challenges that beat up our bodies the most were the ones involving a build-a-puzzle bridge out of heavy oak lumber and the use of a Hi-Lift as a come-along in order to move the Defender two car lengths up a steep slope. Both required great communication, teamwork, serious manual labor and some basic critical thinking.
My team did amazingly well at nearly every challenge we attempted … but one just beat us. It was called the “Rat Trap.”
The center shift console is surrounded by a custom numbered TReK plaque.
The idea was to drive the Defender forward into an octagon with vertical pylons all around it and then drive forward out of the octagon without hitting any pylons. The whole thing was maybe 2 feet longer than the Defender. It was a total Austin Powers-type scenario that required a bazillion-point turn. We just couldn’t make it happen and ended up with one attempt each and only one completion … with a ton of penalty points.
Even the mud flaps have TReK accents.
Normally, the steel wheels on the new Defender are white, but these have been painted black for the 2021 TReK edition trucks.
Because we were all required to be back at base camp by 1:30—or accrue big point penalties for every minute we were late—the last challenge we attempted for the day was a multi-team challenge.
We coordinated with another team to meet up at a certain time and tackle it together. It was a winching challenge that required precise communication among multiple team members from both teams in order to be successful. It took us a few minutes to “find our groove,” but we worked amazingly well together, figured out a few little tricks quickly and got maximum points on our first attempt. Once again, teamwork and critical thinking in the middle of the action led to success.
Land Rover TReK 2021 Winners
With some cunning strategy, impressively easy teamwork, diverse Land Rover knowledge and some serious physical effort, my team, “Team No Time To Cry” (a James Bond reference), managed to pull off the win for the media wave of TReK 2021. The point spread for the teams ranged from our 221 points down to 83 points. The second-place team was “Team Rocky Road” (the team with Lindsey Vonn), which we managed to beat by 57 points.
“The Land Rover TReK competition has happened only a handful of times before. It started back in 1996 in the United States, but it has gone international … The 2021 installment of TReK saw the largest turnout ever, with 70 teams from retailers across North America competing.”
Overall TReK 2021 Winners: Land Rover Rochester
Lindsey Vonn’s team “Rocky Road” had a massive film crew from Outside TV chasing its members for the entire competition.
The competition was stiff, but I’m most proud of the amazing camaraderie within my team, as well as across teams. This was a truly fun off-road adventure competition that pushed all of us in so many ways.
Land Rover Experience Instructors familiarize competitors with the hardware added to the 2021 edition Defender the night before the competition.
Bryon Dorr, took home the media wave win with his team “No Time To Cry” for Land Rover TReK 2021.
The real winners of TReK 2021 were the Land Rover Rochester team, which beat 70 other retailer teams. The finals presented a tight competition: Land Rover Riverside in Second place and Land Rover Buckhead in Third.
Limited Edition TReK Defender 110 P300
The limited edition (70 2021 trucks) TReK Defender 110 P300 is fully kitted-out with off-road accessories and custom touches.
The 2.0L i4 under the hood puts out 296 hp and is good fun to drive. Land Rover says it went with the base engine to keep the overall price down, because the accessories add up.
Top-tier partners were enlisted to bring the special edition Defenders to life—Lucky 8 Offroad, Goodyear Tires and WARN Industries, to name but a few. Each truck was outfitted inside with a full recovery kit, on-board air compressor, dog barrier and seat covers.
On the outside, there are front light guards, a hidden winch mount, WARN Zeon winch with Factor55 Ultrahook, a Baja Designs light bar and Proud Rhino limb-risers up front. On the roof, there’s a Proud Rhino light rack, four Baja Designs LP9 lights and a fully loaded roof rack. The roof rack comprises a shovel, Hi-Lift, Tred Pros, a second spare tire and two jerry cans. A Proud Rhino rear ladder, custom spare tire cover and a side-mounted water Rotopax are included out back.
There’s no mistaking this Defender for anything but a TReK edition. The loud-orange wrap with TReK graphics is the first giveaway. There are special touches, such as black, 18-inch steel wheels and unique badging. Everything from logoed mud flaps to a rear-door, old-school Defender badge and a special hologram on the B-pillar. There are custom numbered badges around the center console shifter, under the hood and a signature behind the glove box. And, even the rear built-in air compressor is vinyl wrapped in a custom orange TReK graphic.
Each of the 70 dealerships that competed purchased one of these special trucks for its team to compete with. These trucks are now on display at dealerships across the country. These trucks will, no doubt, be sought-after for years to come.
