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Need To Drive Down (And Up!) An Olympic White Water Course?
Need To Drive Down (And Up!) An Olympic White Water Course? Get A Jeep Renegade!
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There may be longer 4WD test tracks than the 250 metre Olympic standard white water kayak training course on which the British Olympic team are training, but none have the combination of a ten metre drop, more than four tonnes of water a second and surfaces designed for kayaks to slide on, not tyres to grip, but the Jeep Renegade overcame this unique challenge to become the first car drive around a white water kayak course!
And, not content with going down the course, the Renegade – which has just arrived in New Zealand – went against the flow and drove up the course, something even the most talented kayaker can’t do!
At the wheel was Jeep and Red Bull ambassador, the Olympic snowboarder Aimee Fuller.
“I’d never done anything like this before so when I arrived and saw the power and heard the noise of the water I was nervous,” said 24-year-old Aimee. “But once I had driven into the course and got through the first few rapids the car felt great, really in control, and I started to relax and enjoy it. It’s a pretty cool thing to say I was the first person ever to drive a car down a white water rafting course, not something you do every day!”
Aimee was at the wheel of the same trail-rated Jeep Renegade Trailhawk that is now available in New Zealand. Its unique combination of compact size and Jeep off road ability made it the ideal choice for the unique challenge, enabling Aimee to maintain full control and get around obstacles design to challenge kayakers, not drivers.
“We are proud to say we are the first automotive manufacturer to achieve the feat of driving up and down white water rapids,” says Damien Dally, head of brand, Jeep UK, “and that the stunt truly embodied the spirit of the car; of being renegade!”
The Jeep Renegade Trailhawk is on sale in New Zealand now for $49,990 plus on road costs and is one of range of Jeeps from legendary car maker that lifted New Zealand Jeep sales by 7.4 per cent last year.
ENDS
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