Two 2007 Outlander XLS CUVs to tackle the frozen north on a two-week Arctic adventure

Two 2007 Outlander XLS CUVs to tackle the frozen north on a two-week Arctic adventure
PORTLAND, Ore. (February 12, 2008) – Team Mitsubishi Alcan is prepared to take on the Arctic in the world’s most extreme Rally competition - the Alcan 5000 Winter Rally.

The Alcan is a two-week, 5000-mile rally from Seattle, Washington to Tuktoyaktuk, NWT, and back. The event begins Saturday, February 16 in Seattle, and ends on February 27 in Jasper, Alberta.

Along the way teams will travel over frozen rivers, cross mountain ranges and the Arctic Circle, and may experience temperatures as low as -60F. Twenty-four teams have entered the event.

“We’ve been working for months to get everything ready for the trip. Now the event is almost here and we’re ready to give this rally our best shot,” said team driver Gary
Bockman.

The Alcan is an unusual combination of a road rally and ice racing. In the rally portion of the event, participants travel a predetermined route at specified average
speeds. The rally portions of the event wind through Washington and the western provinces of Canada. The team that navigates the correct route closest to the perfect time is the winner.

But there is another challenge presented to the teams. Four times during the event short race courses are set up on frozen lakes and the teams must compete to see who can drive the course in the shortest time.

Team Mitsubishi Alcan includes experienced road racing and rally racing drivers April Smith, Matt Tabor, and Guinness record-holding race driver Gary Bockman for an edge in this competition.

Team Mitsubishi Alcan has entered two 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS crossover utility vehicles in the Alcan rally. “I’m impressed with the way the Outlander handles. Its suspension is just soft enough to absorb the bumps and jumps on the roads but stiff enough to retain control in slick situations,” Smith says. “Using top of the line equipment makes a world of difference.”

One vehicle, driven by Smith and navigated by Marcus Song, is equipped with an advanced Time-Speed-Distance rally computer for maximum accuracy. Together with a second navigator, Kevin Poirier, this team will compete for the overall event victory.

The second Outlander is entered in the stock odometer class, and will be driven by Bockman and navigated by Jeff Zurschmeide and Matt Tabor. Using only a pocket calculator and the car’s stock odometer, the trio hopes to win the stock class.

There is also an award for the best team performance, and Team Mitsubishi Alcan hopes to claim this award as well.

Team Mitsubishi Alcan has established a website to record their adventures. High resolution photos and blog entries will be posted as often as possible (usually daily)
to this website, at: http://www.team-mitsubishi-alcan.com

Original post from: Outlander Online Community