Land Rover - Media

Petaling Jaya, Wednesday (July 30, 2008) –
It was a case of better late than never. After several unexpected delays that threatened to derail Land Rover GO60: Sharing Our World Expedition's goal
of completing the 27,653-kilometre overland journey from Solihull to Singapore, the team of eight Land Rover employees and enthusiasts arrived in Kuala Lumpur on July 25, 2008 for a quick overnight stop before departing for their final destination the next day.

The expedition, divided into four legs, was originally undertaken in three Land Rover Discovery 3s and two Land Rover Defenders. However, an accident in China during the third leg which saw a Defender turn flip over but thankfully with no one injured, meant that only four of the vehicles arrived in Kuala Lumpur.

Despite a frustrating fourth leg that included an unexpected five-day delay caused by bureaucratic red tapes at the border crossing between China and Vietnam, sleeping in the vehicles in 36-degree heat in the middle of nowhere in Vietnam and a non-stop 1,300 km drive to Bangkok to make up for lost time, the GO60 team arrived in good spirits.

According to expedition leader Ian Foston, 36, the main objective of the expedition was to raise £250,000 for the British Red Cross.

"There were times when we were contemplating giving up but we then it would have meant letting down so many people who have been working
hard to raise the funds back in the UK. In the end,
we simply had to plod on as this expedition took
two and a half years of planning," he said.

Ian was all praise for the Land Rover Discovery 3s and Defenders that performed remarkably well throughout the amazing journey.

"The cars certainly took quite a bit of abuse, especially on the underdeveloped roads in rural Vietnam. But other than a broken windscreen and steering box, they have been impeccable, which speaks a lot for the Land Rover brand," he said.

The GO60 team arrived safely in Singapore on July 26, 2008 to complete a historic recreation of the amazing First Overland Expedition undertook by six Oxford and Cambridge University students in 1956.

The journey represents the latest in a long line of celebrated expeditions and achievements by Land Rover, a brand renowned for its spirit of adventure and exploration. For more information on the Land Rover GO 60: Sharing Our World expedition, please go to www.go60sharing.co.uk.