Camel Trophy


The Camel Trophy was a vehicle-oriented competition that was held annually between 1980 and 2000, and it was best known for its use of Land Rover vehicles over challenging terrain. The event took its name from its main sponsor, the Camel cigarette brand.

Vehicles

The Camel Trophy originated in 1980 with three Jeep-equipped German teams exploring the Amazon Basin. After that first event, the organisers turned to Land Rover for support and over the course of the next twenty years, all of the Land Rover vehicle range were used. Range Rover, Land Rover Series III, Land Rover Defender, Land Rover Discovery, and Freelander vehicles all appeared in the distinctive "sandglow" colour scheme.
The vehicles were heavily modified by Land Rover Special Vehicles with a range of expedition, recovery, and safety equipment, including:
Generally speaking, except for support and specialist vehicles, the Land Rovers were only used for one event. Some competitors purchased their vehicles and many remained in the host country. Consequently, those vehicles that returned to the United Kingdom were highly sought after as they were low mileage - but they were "Camel Trophy miles".
They were stripped of most of their equipment by Land Rover before they were released and restoring the vehicles to their original condition is expensive and time-consuming.

List of events and vehicles used

Event results

Over the 18-year period in which the Camel Trophy featured Land Rover vehicles, Italian teams ultimately won the Camel Trophy three times - in 1982, 1984, and 1987. Teams from the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Turkey all won the Camel Trophy twice.
YearCamel Trophy WinnersWinning Competitors' NamesTeam Spirit AwardSpecial Tasks AwardLand Rover Award
1980N/AKlaus Karttna-Dircks and Uwe MachelN/AN/AN/A
1981West GermanyChristian Swoboda and Knuth MentelN/AN/AN/A
1982ItalyCasare Geraudo and Giuliano GiongoN/AN/AN/A
1983The NetherlandsHenk Bont and Frans HeijN/AN/AN/A
1984ItalyMaurizo Levi and Alfredo RedaelliN/AN/AN/A
1985GermanyHeinz Kallin and Bernd StrohdachBrazilN/AN/A
1986FranceJaques Mambre and Michel CourvalletAustraliaN/AN/A
1987ItalyMauro Miele and Vincenzo TotaSpainN/AN/A
1988TurkeyGalip Gurel and Ali DeveciUKN/AN/A
1989UKBob Ives and Joe IvesBelgiumN/AN/A
1990The NetherlandsRob Kamps and Stijn LuyxCanary IslandsN/AN/A
1991TurkeyMenderes Utku and Bulent OzlerTurkeyAustriaN/A
1992SwitzerlandAlwin Arnold and Urs BruggisserUSAFranceN/A
1993USATim Hensley and Michael HusseyCanary IslandsFranceN/A
1994SpainCarlos Martinez and Jorge CorellaSouth AfricaSpainN/A
1995Czech RepublicZdenek Nemec and Marek RocejdlRussiaCzech RepublicN/A
1996GreeceMiltos Farmakis and Nikos SolirchosSouth AfricaRussiaGreece
1997AustriaStefan Auer and Albnecht ThousingSwedenN/AMihai Mares and Manu Cornel, Romania.
1998FranceWilliam Michael and Marc ChallamelSouth AfricaN/ASpain

Camel Trophy's successor: the "G4 Challenge"

In 2003, competitors representing sixteen nations helped Land Rover fill the gap left after the demise of Camel Trophy. Surprisingly, the inaugural Land Rover G4 Challenge contained many of the elements of Camel Trophy 1998, which Land Rover had reportedly been disappointed with. The "ultimate global adventure" was a test of skill, stamina, and mental agility in four separate stages, each in a different time zone. The prize was a top-of-the-range Freelander or Range Rover. The winner Rudi Thoelen declined a Range Rover, and opted for two Defenders instead.
The 2006 Land Rover G4 Challenge promised to be tougher than the inaugural event and delivered a more vehicle-based focus. The competitors, working in bi-national teams faced thousands of miles of vehicle-based activity in Thailand, Laos, Brazil, and Bolivia.
The 2008-9 G4 Challenge, supporting the Red Cross and based in Mongolia, was cancelled in December 2008 in the middle of the selection stages due to the current global economic downturn. Land Rover were forced to end the event as a cost saving-measure to allow them to focus on product launches in 2009.

Odyssey: Driving Around the World TV series and Land Rover CPO

By incorporating their Certified Pre-Owned Brand into Camel Trophy spirited events, Land Rover sponsored an around the world expedition and television series in 2005. It was produced into a travel adventure television series titled "" which first aired on the National Geographic Adventure Channel worldwide. Seven people drove 41,000 miles through 26 countries for over a year. The expedition was a fundraiser for Parkinson's Disease and also raised money for several organizations along the route. It followed the Land Rover tradition of keeping modifications to the vehicles at a minimum. These vehicles are sought after in the Land Rover community as there were only four in the series.