The Association of Land Rover Clubs is a single marque club whose operation is dedicated to products of Jaguar Land Rover Ltd and its predecessors and operates with its consent.  The Association caters for owners and users of all Land Rover vehicles.

Membership

Any Land Rover club conforming to the rules and conditions governing the Association’s members is eligible to be a member of the Association, i.e. a genuine Land Rover only club agreeing to abide by the rules and conditions on the way the club will act and control its members. (See the chapter on Joining the Association of Land Rover Clubs). Individuals of member clubs are ipso facto members of the Association. Anyone seeking club membership should first contact their local club. (See the chapter listing member clubs).

Members’ Interests

The Association holds Exemption Certificates which allow camping and caravanning from Natural England, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Scottish Government under which permits are issued to member clubs for the purpose of holding rallies.

The Association is an Associate member of LARA, the Motoring Organisations’ Land Access and Recreation Association. Such membership includes policy making and enables the interests of all its members to be represented.

The Association is represented on the Motorsport UK Cross-Country Committee, the specialist committee representing off-road motor sport which advises the Motor Sports Council who make the rules for all British motor sport disciplines which are applied by Motorsport UK.

The Association is listed in the Motor Vehicles (off road events) Regulations 1995 as an authorising body.

The Association fosters support for Regional Motor Sport Meetings.

Government Lobbying

The Association represents member clubs and their individual members’ interests by lobbying government if the proposed legislation is likely to restrict vehicles or their owners in their daily business or recreation. Examples include changes in driver licensing and proposals for continuous licensing of vehicles where ALRC was invited to submit opinion on the proposed changes.

Rights of Way

The Association has a policy of conservation going hand in hand with user rights. The Association fully supports all efforts to keep the network of unsurfaced ‘Green Roads’ throughout England and Wales open to all users. Members are encouraged to participate in local access forums established under the CROW Act 2000 to advise local authorities on the improvement of access to the countryside. The Association has adopted and applies the LARA model code of conduct for ‘green road’ use by our members. The Association wishes to extend friendly links with all countryside users, whether they be ramblers, horse riders, other vehicle users or landowners.

Motor Sport

The Association is a member of the Motorsport UK Association Ltd (Motorsport UK) and is a club able to hold events in its own name. We insist that all motor sport competitions are run to the exacting standards of both Motorsport UK and our own ALRC regulations. ALRC vehicle and event regulations ensure fairness in competition, the highest levels of safety and that the sport remains an amateur one. Neither the Association nor any member Land Rover club awards cash or valuable prizes and as a result, whilst competition is fierce, it remains friendly and it is not unusual to see rivals on the field helping each other with repairs.

Members may own any vehicle produced by the Land Rover Group but as there is a predominance of Land Rover owning members within the ALRC, most Clubs and Registers organise events suitable for Land Rover, Range Rover, Discovery and Freelander vehicles. The Land Rover Register 1948-1953 covers the historical development and restoration of early Land Rovers.

Club events held for Land Rover products include Cross Country Vehicle trials, Road Taxed Vehicle trials, Tyro trials, Competitive Safaris, various recovery events, vehicle gymkhanas, concours d’élégance and scenic drives. Many of these events are associated with a caravan rally, which allows a social element to combine with a friendly vehicle competition staged over a weekend.

It should be noted that all cross country events take place on private land and never on public roads or rights of way. 4 x 4 vehicle competition is governed by regulations made by Motorsport UK and by the ALRC. Clubs negotiate with landowners for the use of suitable venues for all their events.

Besides events held by individual Clubs and Registers, there are various inter-Club events held during each year. There is also an annual International Rally, hosted on behalf of the Association by one of its member Clubs, which is open to members of all ALRC Clubs and Registers. This prestigious annual gathering is the high point in the calendar and is attended by many hundreds of Club members and their families, it also attracts participants from Overseas Clubs. This event has a large social element as well as competitions with many annual trophies available for the older vehicle in the Concours d’E’egance or Non Concours d’Elegance.

Since the 50th Anniversary of the Land Rover, which was celebrated in 1998, the ALRC has both supported and assisted the Heritage Motor Centre with its heritage run, a 100 vehicle cavalcade, from the factory at Lode Lane to the Heritage Centre at Gaydon.

Competition Scrutineering

The Association does not employ any professionals to carry out or assist in what is generally considered to be one of the most onerous appointments within motor sport eventing. Furthermore there are none of the verifications which other branches of motor sport take for granted, such as weighing the vehicle or dismantling an engine to confirm it is to the manufacturer’s specification. Trust is placed on the competitor to comply with the spirit of the regulations.

Additional Membership Benefits

There are many benefits for a member Land Rover club and these include the knowledge that Land Rover Ltd. grant us official recognition and authorise us to use their trade names and logos for non-commercial purposes. The unauthorised use of the trade name ‘Land Rover’ in a non-member club’s title can be construed as a breach of copyright.

The vehicle regulations allow some events to be entered without the need for vehicle modifications to suit the requirements of individual clubs.

The Association’s individual membership policy means that the clubs, if they have applied for event insurance and Motorsport UK permit under the ALRC title, can have members of ALRC clubs other than their own competing at events hosted by them. Land Rover main dealer parts outlets look favourably on approaches by member clubs for their members to receive trade discounts.

Clubs are encouraged to exchange newsletters to transfer information, ideas and event details.

One of the least perceived benefits is the use of ALRC meetings as a forum to exchange ideas, news and information. Clubs learn a great deal from each other to the mutual benefit of all members.

Sponsorship

The Association of Land Rover Clubs welcomes sponsorship from any related business. It is not within the spirit of club membership and its level of motor sport for individuals to pursue or receive cash sponsorship. Sponsorship should be directed to clubs or events as a whole or to the Association. Sponsorship directed at individuals, whether from outside assistance or from the entrant himself is one of the main ways that the amateur level of our motor sport club operations will be destroyed. It is the Association of Land Rover Club’s belief that without the total commitment of competitors in trying to keep to the spirit of the rules, they will not help either organisers or competitors or in the long term, the sport itself.