France wins the first Gold medal at this years Invictus Games in Orlando, USA.

Prince Harry takes part in the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge and awards France the first gold medal at Invictus Games Orlando 2016

• Prince Harry takes part in the final round of the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge and awards first gold medal at Invictus Games 2016
• Wounded ex-servicemen and women drive course in Jaguar XE and Land Rover Discovery Sport
• 11 competing nations kick off the Games in time-trial challenge
• France wins the first gold medal of the Invictus Games Orlando 2016
• Jaguar Land Rover is the presenting partner for the Invictus Games Orlando 2016, May 8-12

Prince Harry showed his support for the 11 competing nations taking part in the Invictus Games Orlando 2016 Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge. Prince Harry, founder of the Invictus Games and patron of the Invictus Games Foundation, awarded the first gold medal to France for their communication, team-work and strategic planning skills in the two time-trials using the Jaguar XE and Land Rover Discovery Sport.

Two team members from each of the 11 competing nations took part in the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge, fulfilling the roles of driver and navigator. Rober Philippe and M. Rebujent Haller secured gold for France, with Estonia and Denmark securing silver and bronze medals respectively.

Before presenting the winners medals, Prince Harry took to the last round of the challenge by joining Estonia on the Land Rover course and Denmark on the Jaguar course to show his support to the teams in the first competitive medal event of the Games.

Jaguar Land Rover is Presenting Partner of the Invictus Games Orlando 2016, and proud sponsors of the US and UK Teams. Building on its sponsorship and support of the inaugural Invictus Games in London 2014, Jaguar Land Rover has increased their commitment to the Armed Forces and Veteran community as details of the new Jaguar Land Rover CALIBRE Partnership were announced last week. 

This collaboration will fund the training and hiring of 180 US Service Members this year across North American retailers, and follows the recruitment of over 200 Transitioning Service Members, Veterans, and currently serving members of the National Guard and Reserve in the UK since 2013.

Jaguar Land Rover CEO, Dr Ralf Speth, said: Today, the Invictus Games were opened by the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge. We were delighted to host 11 nations in their first medal opportunity. The competition was very tough.

I was honoured to meet with the passionate competitors to hear more about their own individual journey to Invictus Games. There is a close alignment of the values and the mind-set of Jaguar Land Rover and the vision of the Games. So, we are extremely proud to be the presenting partner. 

We are all grateful to HRH Prince Harry for founding and championing this visionary idea of the Games. We congratulate him and the organising committee on establishing yet another inspiring  Invictus Games.”

Joint training session for Land Rover BAR and UK Team for Invictus Games Orlando 2016 in Portsmouth.

• Joint training session for Land Rover BAR and UK Team for Invictus Games Orlando 2016 in Portsmouth
• Both team’s quest for glory begins on the same weekend in the US next month
• Invictus Games will take place in Orlando from 8-12 May, and the next stage of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series from 6-8 May in New York

Land Rover BAR hosted members of the UK Team preparing to compete at Invictus Games Orlando 2016, as both teams gear up to chase glory in America on the same weekend next month.

UK Team powerlifters Lucinda Allaway and Vicky Parrett, cyclist Andrew Kelsey and swimmer Zoe Williams, joined Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Ben Williams, Sir Ben Ainslie and the Land Rover BAR sailing team to focus on strength and power at the Portsmouth base. Both teams shared techniques in the gym and discussed tactics, motivation and mental preparation to succeed at top level sport.  

Sir Ben Ainslie, Land Rover BAR Team Principal and Skipper, said: “We are honoured to host members of the UK Team for Invictus Games Orlando 2016 in Portsmouth today.  Like us, the UK Team is in the final stretch of preparation for competition in America and it was really enjoyable mixing our training session to get insight into how they train individually across their own disciplines.

“As a professional athlete you give everything you can physically and mentally to succeed - meeting the Invictus Games UK Team members and hearing their personal stories of overcoming injury and trauma as a result of their services career; you realise that they go above and beyond to deliver on the sporting stage. Invictus Games is hugely inspiring and highlights the true power of sport in giving individuals strength and focus. Everyone at Land Rover BAR wishes the team well in Orlando and we hope to both return to the UK on back of success in the US!”

More than 180 wounded injured and sick military personnel and veterans trialled 10 sports for one of the 110 places available in the UK Team. The rigorous selection process was based on the benefit the Invictus Games will give an individual as part of their recovery, combined with performance and commitment to training.

Invictus Games Orlando 2016 UK Team member for swimming, Zoe Williams, born and raised in Portsmouth, said, “It was great to try out a different training method and talk to the Land Rover BAR team members about how they are approaching the America’s Cup and how that compares to our own training for Invictus Games. 

“Invictus Games has given me an opportunity to train and develop as an athlete but also meet and learn from some really inspiring people. Rehabilitation is very personal but I think all of the UK Team members preparing for the Games are benefitting from that sense of focus and purpose. To have the support of world class athletes like Sir Ben Ainslie and the Land Rover BAR team is fantastic and we are all even more motivated to succeed in Orlando after today. We wish the team the best of luck in New York.”

JLR hosts Invictus Games 2016 training session & selection event with UK Team ahead of the first task.

• Jaguar Land Rover hosts Invictus Games 2016 training session and selection event with UK Team ahead of the first medal opportunity in Orlando in May
• Zara Phillips and Billy Vunipola show their support for the UK Team, announced at Buckingham Palace by Prince Harry earlier this week
• 15 nations will compete for the first medal at Invictus Games 2016 at the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge in May
• Jaguar Land Rover is presenting partner of the Invictus Games which takes place in Orlando on 8-12 May and is proud sponsor of the UK Team

Land Rover Experience Centre at Eastnor Castle recently played host to members of the UK Team that will compete at the 2016 Invictus Games as preparations for the the international adaptive sporting event for Wounded Injured and Sick (WIS) servicemen and women get underway. 

Jaguar Land Rover hosted a full day’s training session and selection event for the Driving Challenge that will take place in Orlando on 7 May and provide all 15 competing nations with their first Invictus Games medal opportunity.

Eight of the UK Team were joined by Land Rover ambassadors and Invictus Games supporters, Zara Phillips and rugby star Billy Vunipola, who helped the competitors hone their skills and compete for the two places on offer to represent the UK in the Driving Challenge next month.

Splitting into navigator and driver pairings, the UK Team members took Range Rover Sports to the hills, tackling near impenetrable woodland and swamp-like conditions to test their communication, team-working and strategic planning skills. In a further test of speed and precision, Jaguar XEs were driven in a slalom-style challenge, negotiating obstacles and exercising vehicle control.

Coaching the teams through the challenge, Olympic Medallist Phillips and Grand Slam winner Vunipola, offered encouragement, advice and support as well as insight into their own preparations and approach to performance and motivation in their respective sports.  Both praised the UK Team competitors, saying that they would be cheering them on come May.

Zara Phillips said: “I really enjoyed supporting the Invictus Games in 2014 so I was delighted to be asked to be involved again this year. I was really pleased to be part of the challenge and announce the two UK Team members that will compete for the first medal in the driving challenge in Orlando in May. 

“Each member of the UK Invictus Games team should inspire us all, so I’m extremely proud to be a supporter of the Games and the Team through Land Rover. I’m looking forward to seeing the UK team in action and hopefully bringing home the first gold medal.”

Billy Vunipola added: “It was fantastic to meet the guys from the UK Team and inspiring to see how they go above and beyond to qualify to compete at the Invictus Games. I’ll be right behind them when it comes to Orlando in May and I am really proud to be supporting them through Land Rover.

“It was a good laugh being in the car with the competitors. Pretty scary at times but the vehicles are built for this and the guys weren’t bad drivers either!”

After a day of hard-fought competition, UK Team members Michael Westwell and Martin Clapton were the challengers to qualify for Orlando.

“We’re going to have the first opportunity at the 2016 Invictus Games to win a gold medal so we’ll have our fingers crossed,” Westwell said. “It’s been fantastic to get out and have a practice run and have the opportunity to meet two world class athletes in Zara Phillips and Billy Vunipola and listen to how they approach their own training and preparation. It’s been great to have the support of Jaguar Land Rover as sponsor of the UK Team and providing the first medal opportunity in Orlando - we’re going to be driving a couple of fantastic vehicles so hopefully we can do them proud and bring back the gold medal for the UK.”

Jaguar Land Rover is continuing its support of Invictus Games in its role as presenting partner and proud sponsor of the UK Team for 2016 following the successful inaugural games in London 2014.  Since 2013, Jaguar Land Rover has hired over 200 former servicemen and servicewomen in the UK, working closely with the Career Transition Partnership, the Ministry of Defence's official provider of Armed Forces resettlement.