LANDROVERmax!
by Tim Barnes-Clay, the man behind the wheel.
Date: 12 August 2010
THE HELP FOR HEROES RALLY will be seeking fresh recruits at this year’s LANDROVERmax! for its next event in 2011.
Participants from the 2010 inaugural event will be at Stoneleigh Park throughout the show, held from 28th to 30th August.
The UK’s leading Land Rover show sees the rally bringing together the best in British off-roaders with support for the UK’s military forces, currently seeing service throughout the world.
Earlier this year 45 four-wheel drive vehicles took part in the initial 10-day, 2000-mile journey, which mixes travelling with military history. Those taking part raised £110,000 for the Help for Heroes charity, and in 2011 the organisers are hoping to top that figure.
Next year’s adventure, which starts at Salisbury Plain on 18 June, takes in French, Belgian, Dutch and German military sites and mixes fast road routes with off-roading, treasure hunts and challenges that demand mental agility as well as driving skills.
Notes, issued twice a day, guide participants to their next destination and the Rally is aimed at families, not just off-road enthusiasts or military historians.
Famous Battlegrounds Revisited!
Among the sites visited are those of the September 1944’s Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge, which began in December 1944 and finished in January 1945, during one of Europe’s coldest-ever winters.
“We want to make this a family event, not one for highly-modified vehicles,” says organizer Keith Bowen. “After using byways on Salisbury Plain we will all go to Portsmouth to embark on the ferry over to France. It will be a 2000 mile expedition and will travel through six countries in 11 days; concluding in Bavaria, Germany. It’s all about telling a story.”
The team is also hoping to offer passenger rides on the LANDROVERmax! off road course in exchange for donations to the worthwhile charity.
Information
Land Rover Max is open from 9am until 5.30pm. Day Tickets are available £10 for adults in advance and £14 on the day. Entry for children is free. Weekend tickets (covering the three show days but no camping) are £25 and available in advance only.
Car parking is free and all show visitors receive a free show programme.
Call the ticket and camping hotline on 020 7907 6329
Visit the website www.landrovermax.com for further updates.
For more details on the Help for Heroes Rally, visit h4hrally.co.uk
