Motor Club competition-winning Land Rover using Cooper tyres in domestic rally

A Land Rover Defender shod with standard 255/55R18 Cooper 4XS tyres has topped the Kirkby Lonsdale Motor Club drivers and co-drivers competition at the start of the UK’s domestic rally season. Mike Dawn and Jane Clarke, from Windermere, chose the biodiesel-powered 4×4 to compete in a series of national rally events during the 2011 season. In their first rally on the North West Stages, they completed 24 stages and 75 competitive miles of asphalt routes to finish 41st out of 105 competitors.

Clarke said: “Kankku uses the Defender in its off-road activities because it’s got the maximum capability available in tough terrain. It’s good to push boundaries in other ways, though, and rallying gives an opportunity to develop the Land Rover into a hybrid with off-road ability and on-road speed. We chose the Cooper 4XS as it’s a road tyre that provides exceptional grip and sure-footedness, especially in wet and slippery conditions. Just like the Cooper Discoverers we use in Kankku’s off-road activity, it gives us exactly the performance we’re looking for.”

The rugged 4×4 vehicle sports the familiar bright orange livery of the Windermere-based Kankku off-road driving fleet – all of which run on Cooper tyres and offer unique Lake District driving experiences for individuals and corporate guests. The next rally outing for Team Kankku was the Malcolm Wilson Rally on March 5 in the Cumbrian Forests of Winlatter, Greystoke and Grizedale. As the event was based on gravel surfaces, the team switched to the more rugged 205/80R16 Cooper Discoverer S/T rubber and finished 83rd overall.