Day two of the G4 Challenge was little more than a drive from Thailand into Laos, but it was followed by a major upset for UK representative Brian Reynolds. There were six competitions - involving driving, navigating, running, climbing, kayaking and abseiling - but Reynolds (pictured right) and his German team-mate Robert Schweiger completed just two of them.

The chain on Reynolds’s mountain bike was wrecked when a branch flicked up and got caught in a tyre. He abandoned the bike, but later discovered he had to bring it back, which involved a three-mile run. He also cut his leg after slipping in a cave, and battled unnecessarily through dense jungle for 45 minutes after missing a marker point.

As you sink in to the car’s sedate interior you could be forgiven for mistaking it for an elegant drawing room on a country estate. Happily, you don’t need to be an aristocrat to buy this luxurious 4×4 vehicle.

Today, the Range Rover’s popularity encompasses not only the English landed gentry, the European equine experts and VIPs but other connoisseurs of fine vehicles. Now we see the Range Rover time and again on trendy MTV cribs. Realizing the potential in the market niche, some predominantly German automobile firms have stepped up the competition. In response, Range Rover launched the new Range Rover Sport which satisfies recent market demand.

Land Rover has launched a the New York Auto Show a new broadband TV channel using Narrowstep’s Television Operating System (telvOS). The ‘Land Rover Go Beyond’ channel will be dedicated to the spirit of adventure and features Land Rover ‘VIPs’ such as Maria Sharapova, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, England rugby player Lawrence Dallaglio and the photographer Richard Young.

“Go Beyond is about going beyond personal boundaries and experiencing adventure in its many forms. It amplifies the core brand promise of Land Rover to ‘Go Beyond.’ It will also enhance our dealer environments, and work in tandem with our landrover.com website to drive sales and further improve customer loyalty,” says Phil Popham, Managing Director of Land Rover.

Gaydon, Warwickshire - On Sunday, 23 April, in the thriving metropolis of Bangkok, 18 competitors will eagerly await the signal announcing the start of the 2006 Land Rover G4 Challenge. The Challenge, which lasts 28 days, will see the 16 men and two women climb, kayak, abseil, bike, drive off-road and navigate their way over 4000 km of varied terrain in four countries, across two continents.

The urban competition kicks off the Land Rover G4 Challenge in Bangkok. Then, the competition ventures north into Laos for two-weeks of remote activity within the steamy mountains and valleys around the Mekong River where the jungle, mud, water and river crossings will provide an exciting array of 4×4 driving and multi-sport challenges.