Twelve Finalists From 10 000 Hopefuls

Pretoria: Twelve finalists have been selected to participate in the South African national finals of the Defender Trophy, which will take place in March. They were selected from a group of 48 contestants who took part in the first round of the selection stage at the end of 2025.

The twelve finalists, consisting of three females alongside nine male contestants, are Lance Kime, Gerrit Pieterse, Robert le Brun, Simon Fraser, Bernd Rohrmuller, Mike Hewan, Clinton Mackintosh, Isabel Roux, Nicholaas Louw, Jackie Moore, Anastatia Esterhuizen and Henry Liebenberg.

The Defender Trophy is a new kind of epic adventure with a greater purpose that marks the original adventure brand’s return to global challenge events. The event seeks to find people with an unstoppable spirit of adventure to take on the challenge in a new kind of competition inspired by Trophy and Challenge events of the past. Globally, more than 10,000 entries were received, with training and selection events taking place in seven countries.

Janico Dannhauser, Defender Brand Manager, JLR South Africa, said: “The call for entries for Defender Trophy emphasised the kind of participants we were looking for – those who embrace the impossible, with a passion for conservation. All the participants who made it into the selection round met this requirement and embodied the spirit of Defender. The 12 finalists, however, excelled in the various challenges and showed greater determination in pushing themselves both physically and mentally.”

Mark Collins, Defender Trophy organiser and adventure racer, said: “The standard of competition in the selection round was truly world-class, which made choosing the 12 finalists very difficult. As expected, the challenges were a gruelling test of endurance. However, brute strength alone is not all that propelled the top competitors into the finals. To stand out, participants had to excel in several areas, including teamwork, navigation, vehicle handling, and physical resilience. The top 12 candidates did this with aplomb. We congratulate them for making it this far into the competition and wish them well for the next stage.”

The two winners of the South African national finals will represent South Africa at the global Defender Trophy event taking place in Africa later this year. They will join the winners from the six other participating countries for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The Defender Trophy Collection

To express their spirit of adventure, Defender Trophy fans and brand enthusiasts can buy official branded Defender Trophy merchandise, with a range of specially-designed items that capture the essence of the Defender Trophy experience – including items that will be used in the global finals.

The collection includes a range of apparel, including waterproof, lightweight insulated and hybrid jackets; hybrid gilets; long- and short-sleeve T-shirts; a snood; beanie hat and caps.