Land Rover Defender Challenge by Bowler - the Defender goes rallying

The new Defender Challenge by Bowler – and backed by Land Rover – will see the venerable Defender go rallying with Bowler modifications.

The Land Rover Defender goes rallying (pictured) with Bowler modifications

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The venerable Land Rover Defender – now reaching the end of its shelf life – may not seem the perfect rally car.

But a Defender tweaked and fettled with some Bowler Fairy Dust is another matter, and that’s exactly what’s happening with a new, one-make Defender Challenge by Bowler – and backed by Land Rover – which is aiming to put up to fifteen Defenders in to UK forest stage rallies and hill rallies in 2014.

The Defender in question is a Defender 90 Hard Top with the usual 2.2 litre diesel, but sorted by Bowler to deliver 170bhp and 323lb/ft of torque (up from the regular 122bhp/266lb/ft) with a standard six-speed manual ‘box, MSA roll cage, fire extinguisher and Khumo tyres.

Sensibly, the suspension also get fettled with new springs and dampers, roll bars and bushes, a set of 18″ wheels, sill protectors, racing seats and a six-point harness. Despite all the work the rally-prepared Defender remains road-legal.

But if you want to take part you will have to buy your rally Defender from Bowler – at £50,000 +vat – plus an extra £10-14k for the support package to go rallying. And Bowler won’t accept your existing defender as a donor car either.

The Defenders by Bowler will be fully FIA compliant, which means they can be run in overseas rallies and the new series has the backing of the ASO which runs the Dakar Rally.

Xavier Gregory from ASO said:

One of the major obstacles for people from the UK wishing to enter the Dakar has always been obtaining the necessary competition experience and a race licence. With the Defender Challenge by Bowler, there is at last a turnkey solution to that problem.

The provisional calendar for 2014 for the Defender Challenge is:

2nd March
Mid Wales Stages
Newtown, Wales
20th April
Somerset Stages
Minehead, Somerset
7th June
Dukeries Rally
Southwell, Nottinghamshire
19th / 20th July
Welsh Hill Rally
Walters Arena, Swansea
30th August
Woodpecker Stages
Ludlow, Shropshire
24th/ 25th October
Sunseeker Rallye
Poole, Dorset
Mid November
Scottish Hill Rally
Dumfries, Scotland