Ever since the movie The Bucket List came out, everyone’s crafted their own, and I am no exception. Most of mine are automobile related, as you can imagine. On the weekend of June 29th, 2014, I got to cross two items off my list; legitimately off-roading, and driving on a race track. In Part 1, I’ll go through the off-road section of my day with the crew at Summit Point Motorsports Park and Rosenthal Jaguar/Land Rover. Part 2 will detail my seat time on the track in a Jaguar F-Type S convertible, and wrap up the day’s fun.
It all started Saturday night, June 28th. I got a call from a good friend of mine, who is a salesman at Rosenthal Jaguar/Land Rover, in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia. He explained that he had a couple of open slots for an event the next day at Summit Point Motorsports Park, in West Virginia. Not exactly around the corner, but he’d piqued my interest.
He explained that the event would feature the new Jaguar F-Type, in both coupe and convertible guise, as well as three different Range Rovers – the LR4, the Sport, and the full-size Range Rover. Moreover, the Jaguars would be driven on the Jefferson Circuit race track, while the Range Rovers would do off-road duty on a near-by mud/rock/sand loop.
After learning the details, I said I’d be there bright and early, at 7:30am the following day. I was almost too excited to sleep – I was actually going to be driving a sports car on a race track! And off-roading in some of the world’s best off-road vehicles!
I arrived the next morning, right on time, and was greeted with a line of Jaguar F-Types on one side, and a line of Range Rovers on the other. After finding my friend Mike Blackburn, I was introduced to a few of his other customers and friends, and shown into a room with fresh coffee and pastries. What a nice touch, and very welcoming.
Once everyone had arrived for what I found out was the first of three sessions that day, Mike explained how the next few hours were expected to go, and we broke into two groups. Our group was first to hit the trails in the Range Rovers, and for this we’d pair up, two drivers and an instructor for each of the five Range Rovers on hand. My partner for this excursion would be Colin, another automotive enthusiast friend of Mike’s.
Colin and I hopped into a Range Rover Sport, the new aluminum-bodied one. It’s been getting good reviews, so I was eager to see what it was made of. The most high-tech of the three that we drove, it was festooned with all sorts of buttons, switches, knobs, and dials, enough to confuse even the most tech-savvy. Luckily, our instructor narrowed it down to only the controls we’d need to get through our off-road laps, pointing out what the fancy computers would do to keep us from getting stuck or falling off the side of a hill, and even keeping us from digging down to the axles in sand.
The Range Rover Sport raised itself on its air-ride suspension, lending us much-needed extra ground clearance. We proceeded to go up a hill that I’d have trouble walking up in anything less than hiking boots. The Sport, meanwhile, was shod in street tires, and still had no issues at all, crawling its way up to the top. The hill on the other side appeared even more daunting, presenting any driver whose vehicle doesn’t have a good approach angle, an expensive bill. The hill plunged down at the same rate it went up, but at the bottom it turned into a ditch, going back up a second time. The approach angle of the Sport, with its air-ride in fully-up mode, meant we cleared the ditch, thankfully.
Next up was a sand pit, which we were told was 2.5 feet deep – plenty deep to bury most vehicles to the point where they’d have to be towed out. The Sport’s Terrain Response System (TRS) was put in “Sand” mode, and even at a slow roll, was able to keep itself afloat and safely out at the other end. Then came another rocky hill, followed by an articulation section, where offset mud holes forced the independent suspension to work through its entire available length of travel. While the body of the truck didn’t move a whole lot, you could feel the bottom scraping on the dirt and the wheels moving up and down a great bit – a truly impressive fleet by something that’s street legal and also features air-conditioned seats and the other luxury amenities Land Rover has been known for.
Finally, there was a rut section, which really showed how well the Range Rovers were set up to not get stuck. Despite my best efforts, the Sport kept moving along, sliding left and right as the trail tilted. It was simply amazing that these vehicles could tackle obstacles like these on street tires, and with complete novices behind the wheel. The only thing missing from this off-road track was a fording area where we could’ve tested the vehicles’ ability to trudge through water up to almost 3 feet deep.
All throughout the driving loop, the instructors were giving quick, concise directions, which helped us with a second set of eyes, and kept us out of trouble – although it didn’t work for everyone. A driver in another group managed to pop a tire on the Range Rover he was driving, but after a quick tire change, it was no worse for wear. That was the only casualty of the day, so my hat is off to the instructors for keeping us safe!
Of all the techno-wizardry going on underneath the hood, the Hill Descent Control (HDC) was my favorite. You engage the mode, and then let off the gas and brake pedals, and the truck just coasts down hill, keeping its speed and traction in check the whole way. It was amazing to crest a hill, hit a button, sit back, steer, and relax. A close second was the whole four-wheel-drive setup as a whole. The amount of traction it extracted from each of the four street tires was simply amazing, the most so on the LR4. The most “authentic” Range Rover, its spartan but luxurious interior ties its rugged farmhand roots to the luxury seen in its bigger brethren. It had a semi-loud whir to it, owing to the ultra-short gearing used by the 4-wheel-low mode of transfer case. The extra noise lent an air of authenticity to what was otherwise a spartan, but luxurious place to be.
After making a loop in each vehicle, we switched to another, and I ended up driving all three. Out of the three, I wasn’t surprised as to which order I’d place the Range Rovers in, from best to worst. The LR4, with its shortest wheel base and most mechanical setup, was the best at traversing the aforementioned obstacles. Its electronic helpers were also the easiest to use. Next up was the Range Rover Sport, with its tech-laden cabin and very good off-road prowess. Finally was the regular Range Rover. On a longer, or at least larger, course, the big Range Rover would have no issues, but here in the pretty tight confines, it seemed overly large and least-equipped to deal with the nasty stuff. Of course, if push came to shove, any of the three felt like it would be able to get you out of danger in a hurry, and all impressed.
Look out in a day or so for Part 2 of this event, and the conclusion. Scroll down to see some of the many pictures I took that day.
by John Suit
Special thanks to Mike Blackburn of Rosenthal Jaguar/Land Rover, General Manager Roger Wildermuth for putting on the event, as well as the rest of the Rosenthal and Summit Point Motorsports Staff that worked hard to ensure that everyone had a fun, safe time!