Land Rover Defender Challenge: Time For Tea?

The 2014 Defender Challenge season starts spectacularly!

By Matt Bird / Thursday, 20 March 2014 / Loading comments

Yup, it's looks just as good as expected. Today's Time For Tea? is a short highlights reel from the first round of the Land Rover

Defender Challenge

from the Mid Wales Stages Rally. Once over the shock of seeing rallying Defenders (that don't look like mad Bowlers), it's a great spectacle; water splashes, mud splatters and gravel flies as the car tackles the stages adeptly.

Welsh water splashes not normal!

The first round of the Defender Challenge by Bowler featured five cars, with hopes to get 15 starters by the end of the year. It was won by Edd Cobley and co-drive Allan Jackson, their 66:16.5 across the five stages nearly 12 minutes ahead of Damien and Simon Taft's 78:13.5. The inaugural Challenge podium was completed by Andrew Wicklow and Simon Armstrong.

Of his win, Edd Cobley said: "Today was absolutely fantastic... There were a few interesting moments on some of the hairpins but we had a really good day. In these wet conditions the Defender was in its element".

Ah yes, the rain. As it was Wales in March, there was plenty of precipitation. It caught out Richard Hayward and Matt Lister, who slid off the road on Stage 4 and, though they continued, didn't make it to the next stage within the allocated time.

With some drivers having already competed desert rallies and others on their first stage event, there's a wide array of experience on show with the Defender Challenge. There are six more rallies to follow in the 2014 season, with the Somerset Stages next on April 12. Next stop Dakar, right?

See here.