Ten candidates have been selected for the US Camel Trophy trials, to be held at the Hollister Hills ORV area in California December 9-10. Over two days, the candidates will be asked to run a six-minute mile, build log bridges, repair a purposely-impaired Land Rover, prepare their own meals and generally survive a non-stop marathon of stress designed to push each to their limits.
Four finalists will advance to the international selection trials, where two will be chosen to compete in the 17th adventure in Borneo.
Needless to say, the candidates are a fit bunch. One was a Navy UDT, two are marathon runners and all have off-road vehicle skills, either in motorcycle endurance races or four wheeling. The candidates are:
Thomas Baynard,27, Chester Springs, PA
Jeffrey Brandner, 31, Chester, NJ
Kenneth Cameron, 26, Vail, CO
Stuart Dahlin, 35, Watertown, SD
Kevin Hines, 35, East Wareham, MA
Fred Hoess, 29, Stanhope, NJ
Jonah Houston, 29, Monterey, CA
James Lyaons, 30, Davis, CA
Gregory Oberst, 36, Seal Beach, CA
Mark Ritter, 33, Marietta, GA
Mark is a member of the Atlanta area Rover club.
- rover@pinn.net (Alexander P. Grice)