After many years perfecting the D4_WN1 version of the Desert Warrior at Dakar and many other races, Rally Raid has announced the 2011 version of the Desert Warrior the D4_WN5.

This car is intended for the same class of competitors as the original and benefits from many subtle upgrades and evolutions to produce the toughest production racer. The original design dates back to 1999 and the major update, and most obvious, is the body, styled on the new Range Rover Evoque.

Beam axles ensure excellent dune driving and there is greater cabin space. A very low centre of gravity for stability at all times, high ground clearance especially on the sills for dune crossings, large areas for easy access storage, simple wiring and control systems, off the shelf parts from major manufacturers, and a keen eye on cost control ensure that the vehicle can race off-road in the wide open deserts around the world.

Teisi Jenkins of Dyfed has won TV channel S4C’s ‘Fferm Factor’ reality show and the prize of a brand new Isuzu Rodeo 2.5 Denver pick-up.

The series to find Wales’s best agricultural worker saw 10 farmers go head-to-head in tasks that tested their practical skills as well as their knowledge of the industry. Every week one of the competitors was eliminated, and in the end Teisi, 27, from Newcastle Emlyn, was the last man standing. The prize pick-up, which was supplied by local dealer, Davis Isuzu, featured throughout the series.

Teisi said: “I’m extremely impressed with the Rodeo Denver truck. It’ll be very handy around the farm and when I have to take livestock to market. Fferm Ffactor is a very prestigious award here in Wales and it’s an honour for me to be an ambassador for the industry over the coming year.”

Land Rover, in partnership with the award-wining conservation organisation Biosphere Expeditions, is sending seven competition winners (five from the UK, one from Spain and one from Italy) on a once-in-a-lifetime conservation and adventure expedition to Namibia as the winners of a competition held at a special selection day at Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire.

During the two-week trip, which began this month, the team is learning the skills required to live in the bush and studying and assisting with capturing and collaring big cats so they can be tracked and monitored effectively. As part of a team of researchers and scientists, the team is conducting vital research on the behaviour of big cats, such as leopards and cheetahs. They are also working with local communities to mitigate human-wildlife conflict.

Anyone with the thirst for a real trip of a lifetime may like to head over to Egypt next Easter and join a unique expedition being run by regular 4×4 contributor, Toby Savage, along with fellow 4×4 journalist Sam Watson and ‘flat fender’ Jeep enthusiast, John Carroll.

For two weeks they will re-enact many of the daring escapades of the legendary Long Range Desert Group in a pair of original 1943 World War Two Jeeps. The expedition will drive through the stunning dunes of the Great Sand Sea, explore the Gilfel Kebir, a plateau the size of Switzerland, and offer camping under the stars, a million miles from the nearest town. There is also the opportunity to stand in the Cave of the Swimmers, immortalised in the film, ‘The English Patient’, and you can live for that ‘Ice Cold in Alex’ moment, as the team celebrates the conclusion of the Expedition in Monty’s Bar – the same bar as the Long Range Desert Group frequented 70 years ago. This is no cruise along the Mediterranean coast, but the real thing, involving about 1200 miles of pure desert driving as far south as the Sudanese border. A fully-equipped logistics team will be supporting the trip to make camp, cook, wash up and guide you through some of the most beautiful desert scenery on the planet.

The adventure starts in Cairo on Monday 18th April 2011 and ends in Alexandria on Monday 2nd May 2011.

There are just five places available and the cost, per person, is £5750 and includes all expedition costs in Egypt, but not flights to and from Egypt nor travel insurance. Visit www.tobysavage.co.uk/lrdg for full details.

A member of the public who used his 4×4 vehicle to ferry ambulance staff to and from work during the severe weather earlier this year has received a Chief Executive’s Commendation for his efforts.

Andy Trimmer from Guildford, a marshal with the All Wheel Drive Club, joined ambulance staff at South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust’s, (SECAmb) annual awards ceremony for the west of its region at the Felbridge Hotel in East Grinstead in October.

Andy was nominated by Clinical Operations Manager from Haslemere Ambulance Station Claire Horsfi eld. Andy approached SECAmb to offer his services when the region was hit by heavy snow and freezing temperatures earlier this year. He worked tirelessly through deep snow and abysmal conditions in his Land Rover 110 picking up staff from their homes and returning them afterwards, and was one of a number of members of the public and local organisations that helped SECAmb maintain a safe and responsive service.