PRESS RELEASE: Drive Around the World Hits the Road on Global Quest To Combat Parkinson's Disease

[Murray Charters <mcharters@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Drive Around the World Hits the Road on Global Quest To Combat Parkinson's 
Disease
Monday November 3, 10:22 pm ET
Land Rover North America Certified Pre-Owned Hosts Official Send-Off For 
Nine-Month, 32,000-mile LONGITUDE Expedition

IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Loading into their four, 2003 certified 
pre-owned Land Rover Discovery vehicles,
the nine-person LONGITUDE Expedition team set out today from Land Rover North 
America's Irvine headquarters on a nine-
month 32,000-mile journey to combat Parkinson's Disease.

The not-for-profit exploration group, Drive Around the World, is undertaking 
the unprecedented trek, scheduled to take
the team through 34 countries in as many weeks, in vehicles provided by Land 
Rover Certified Pre-Owned (CPO). The aim
of the Expedition is to raise funds for Parkinson's disease research while 
promoting geography awareness and scientific
research projects among school children.

For LONGITUDE Expedition member Nancy Olson, the global journey is more than 
simply a test of endurance and personal
fortitude. A former US Marine Corp officer and competitor in the inaugural Land 
Rover G4 Challenge conducted earlier
this year, Ms. Olson noted, "Having dealt with the effects of my grandfather's 
fight against Parkinson's for 15 years,
this trek allows me the chance to educate others about this debilitating 
disease and raise money necessary for seeking
a cure."

After departing Irvine, the expedition team heads to the southern-most tip of 
South America -- Ushuaia in Tierra del
Fuego. From there, the vehicles will be shipped to Perth, Australia where the 
team will drive across the 900-mile "gun
barrel" highway, before traveling to the Indonesian island of Flores and a 
northbound leg through Asia and Siberia.

Island hopping across Asia, the team will depart from Singapore and drive up 
the Thai peninsula heading for India. From
India, the expedition will drive the highest road in the world -- at 19,000 
feet -- and cross the Himalayas in Tibet,
before they cover the deserts of China and Kazakhstan and move into Russia and 
eastern Siberia. Finally, the expedition
ships to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska for a home stretch drive down the Dalton and Alcan 
highways, back to San Francisco.

"As a company dedicated to providing individuals with the ultimate driving 
adventure, LONGITUDE represents the latest
effort in our 55-year history of sponsoring educational, conservational and 
philanthropic expeditions," said Pat Ward,
National Remarketing Manager, Land Rover North America. "With nine months of 
nearly constant on and off-road use ahead,
the LONGITUDE Expedition will be the ultimate test for our vehicles and I am 
confident that they will return as if they
had simply traveled to the corner store."

The standard Discoverys have been fitted with a heavy-duty roof rack that will 
carry extra fuel, water and serve as
homes thanks to the pop-up tent sleeping accommodations that will house the 
team for nearly the entire journey. The
vehicles' sophisticated four-wheel-drive system and Land Rover's patented Hill 
Descent Control (HDC) system will
provide the off-road capability and control necessary for an exploratory 
venture such as this. In addition, Discovery's
standard 4.6 L V8 engine will ensure there's plenty of power and torque for any 
situation the team may encounter.

During the course of the nine-month expedition, five pre-selected pairs of 
teachers in the U.S. will use an additional
vehicle to visit schools and local events in an effort to promote the free, 
online educational website at
 . By accessing the site, students can 
connect with the expedition team as they make
their way around the world. The locations to be visited include United Nations 
Worldwide Heritage Sites and the Royal
Geographical Society Worldwide Register of Field Research Centers, as well as 
several Parkinson's research centers,
museums, schools, farms and local families.

Participants in this year's LONGITUDE Expedition were selected from dozens of 
applicants. Those chosen include Adam
Burgess, 31, a native of the UK; Neil Dana, of Moss Beach, Calif.; Justin 
Mounts, 29, of San Jose, Calif. and Ms.
Olson, 30, of Arlington, VA. They join Drive Around the World directors Nick 
and Chanda Baggarly of Los Gatos, Calif.;
Colin McAuliffe, of New Paltz, NY; Todd Borgie, a Berkeley, Calif. resident and 
travel author Rolf Potts, of Wichita,
KS, who currently resides in Thailand.

Commenting on behalf of the expedition team, Nick Baggarly stated, "With the 
addition of Land Rover CPO as an official
sponsor and their help in broadening our educational program, we believe the 
LONGITUDE Expedition will far surpass our
goals of promoting cross-border understanding and goodwill among students while 
raising awareness and funds for
Parkinson's disease."

For information about Drive Around the World -- LONGITUDE Expedition and Land 
Rover Certified Pre-Owned vehicles, see
 and 

Land Rover North America is part of Aston Martin Jaguar Land Rover with 
headquarters in Irvine, California. Land Rover
established operations in the US in 1986, and now imports and distributes Range 
Rover, Discovery, and Freelander
vehicles manufactured by Land Rover in Solihull, England. Land Rover's 
worldwide operations are wholly owned by Ford
Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan. For more information about the Land Rover 
retailer nearest you, call 800-FINE-4WD or
log on to  .

Vehicle specifications and features are subject to change. For the latest Land 
Rover pricing and product information,
contact Land Rover North America Corporate Communications at (949) 341-6800. 
Land Rover-related press releases and
electronic photos of the company's products are available on-line in the Land 
Rover section of Ford Motor Company's
news media website (  ).

Source: Land Rover North America

SOURCE: PRNewswire / Yahoo News (press release)


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