April 17, 2008
Lincoln County and the Nevada Land Rover G4 Challenge

By Dave Maxwell, Staff Writer

20 amateur athletes from around the country have been selected by Land Rover North America and the Nevada Commission on Tourism to compete in the Land Rover G4 Challenge Nevada Passage. The adventure competition will be held May 5-9, 2008 and will serve as the national selection event for Land Rover’s Global Challenge. The competition, which will start and finish in Las Vegas, will travel through the southeastern part of the state, including Lincoln County. The race will be produced as a one-hour television show for syndication in U.S. markets. Viewing dates and times will be announced later.

The 10 men and 10 women athletes, ranging in age from 25 to 47, have been paired into coed teams for the competition. Participants were selected, based on athletic background and off-road driving experience, from a pool of applicants that entered online at www.landroverg4challenge.com.

Each team will battle the Nevada course competing in driving challenges and outdoor adventure activities designed to test teamwork and skills such as 4x4 driving, navigating, trail running, and mountain biking; the 2005 event had teams kayaking on the Truckee River in downtown Reno. The top two teams from this national competition will advance to the international selection event in early 2009, where one team will be selected to represent the United States in the final challenge in Asia.

“Some of the top adventure athletes around the country will compete in Nevada for a chance to represent the United States on a global stage,” Lt. Gov. Brian K. Krolicki, Nevada Commission on Tourism Chair said. “We are looking forward to welcoming them to Nevada and showcasing Nevada’s incredible opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts and adventure seekers of all skill levels.”

The 2007 Nevada Passage Adventure Competition Champions Tim Menoher of Erlanger, KY, and Linda Lindsay of Petaluma, CA, have been invited back to defend their title in this brand new Land Rover G4 Challenge format. In all, this year’s competitors represent 13 states, spanning the country from California to South Carolina. Coming from all walks of life, they include a glass blower, attorney, mental health counselor, and doctor of oriental medicine. Three of the athletes are from Nevada: returning competitors Tom Lyons and Phillip Glen, both of Reno and first-time competitor Sarah McMahan of Incline Village.

“All of these athletes are experienced outdoor adventurers who have competed in a wide range of adventure competitions,” Chris Marchand, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Land Rover North America, said. “We are excited to have these talented competitors represent the United States and the Land Rover brand.”

For the first time in the event’s history, the global Land Rover G4 Challenge will raise funds for two world-class charity organizations: the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The competition will culminate in the donation of a Land Rover on behalf of the winning team to their country’s national Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies.

The roster of confirmed teams, which is subject to change includes: 

• Linda Lindsay, 43, office administrator, Petaluma, CA and Tom Menoher, 37, bank sales director, Erlanger, KY 
• Sage Grossi, 30, college professor, Tempe, AZ and Nathan Brown, 31, hyperbaric technician, Cedarburg, WI 
• Caroline Colonna, 44, doctor of oriental medicine, Taos, NM and Adam Chase, 42, attorney, Boulder, CO 
• Rachel Cieslwicz, 29, personal trainer, Salt Lake City, UT and Scott Fredricksen, 33, sales manager, Greenville, SC
• Sarah McMahon, 36, sales representative, Incline Village, NV and Peter Hanson, 43, sports medicine physician, Reno. NV 
•  Emma Garrard, 36, photojournalist, Truckee, CA and Dean Kruuse, 35, repair shop owner, San Diego, CA 
• Laura Home, 35, elementary school teacher, Santa Rosa, CA and Phillip Glenn, 31, emergency medical technician, Reno, NV 
• Lisa Lieb, 37, property manager, Durango, CO and Tim Lyons, 47, real estate investor, Reno, NV 
• Brandyn Roark Gray, 29, mental health counselor, Sandpoint, ID and James Perkins, 34, construction company sales, Huntington Beach, CA 
• Marne Smiley, 25, director for Michigan MTB Assoc., Ann Arbor, MI and Garrett Wheeler, 27, glass blower, Waitsfield, VT

The Land Rover G4 Challenge is recognized as one of the world’s top off-road driving and adventure events and is held every two years with national selection events taking place in 18 countries around the world. This year marks only the second time the United States has participated in the global competition since the inaugural event in 2003.

The Nevada Passage, first held in 2005, is the Nevada Commission on Tourism’s one-of-a-kind, annual made-for-TV event designed to highlight Nevada’s topography and showcase the vast array of adventure sport opportunities found throughout the state.

The Land Rover Challenge itself has a lasting heritage of adventure, with one of the best known expeditions run in 1970 when two Land Rovers became the first vehicles to complete a land crossing of the Darien Gap swampland that divides North America from South America. The Land Rover G4 Challenge was inaugurated in 2003, when Rudi Thoelen of Belgium emerged victorious from a cliff hanging final in Moab, Utah. The 2006 Challenge was held in the rugged, remote locations of Thailand, Laos, Brazil and Bolivia.

Land Rover is keeping the 2008 Nevada route secret from the public so competitors won’t have the chance to run the course before the Challenge begins.