More than 300 people joined the local Land Rover Experience Tour Peru 2017 qualification event here last week.
Participants who make the grade will drive Land Rover’s all-new Discovery on a six-day, off-road expedition through the Peruvian mountains, jungles and desert.
Qualification events are being held across the Asia-Pacific region, and hopefuls do not need off-road driving experience.
They registered for the competition on the Land Rover website or by calling their local dealerships for the event schedules.
The participants were subjected to a series of driving and non-driving challenges designed by Land Rover instructors.
The driving challenges comprised the Ring Fence and Autotest. For the Ring Fence, participants were required to drive the Discovery head first into a circular area with cones, and exit with the vehicle facing forward.
As for the Autotest, participants had to drive into a very tight L-shape right-turning course, reach the checkpoint (at the end of the L course), then reverse back to where they started.
Both challenges were timed and those fastest would be a step closer to the Peru odyssey.
The non-driving challenge tested the participants’ knowledge in Land Rover parts and installing them on the luxury SUV.
The participant with the highest score from each country will win a trip for two to the regional finals in Laos at the end of this month.
Competing in teams of two, the finalists will embark on a three-day driving adventure that will take them across various landscapes and terrains.
A series of real driving challenges and tasks await participants as they pit their skills against the terrain.
During the regional finals, emphasis will be placed on vehicle handling on tight and technical courses. Points will be awarded according to speed and accuracy across a range of activities, and the top two pairs of finalists from each rotation will win a spot in the Land Rover Experience Tour Peru 2017.
The four winners, along with their partners, will join the Land Rover Experience Tour Peru 2017 from Nov 4 to Nov 9.
The tour starts from the town of Huancayo, covering almost 644km to Pisco.
Participants will drive the new Discovery on a variety of terrains, including sand dunes, rocky riverbeds and mountainous roads, as they experience the Peruvian desert and jungle, spectacular coastal tracks and local villages.
Accommodation will include a mix of natural campsites and local lodges.