Photo: INEOS
The unbreakable INEOS Grenadier proved its worth once again, winning the Truck/SUV category in a 10-day endurance rally, the Alcan 5000. The competition throws the vehicles on a 5,000-mile route that stretches across the northern US and western Canada.
The 40th Anniversary rally pitted 39 teams, with 17 of them fighting in the Truck/SUV category. And the INEOS Grenadier was among them at its first-ever rally participation within the first year of the 4x4 class. It had to battle snow, frost heaves, and potholes, as well as temperatures as low as -31 degrees Fahrenheit (-35 degrees Celsius). The team also had to endure long drive days of up to 14 hours.
The Grenadier was a stock variant piloted by Andy and navigated by his wife, Mercedes Lilienthal of Portland, Oregon. It will, though, wear aftermarket 265/70 R17 Michelin X-Ice Snow tires.
The two of them will also use the optional accessories offered by INEOS, such as a winch, rear roof-access ladder, and a full-roof platform rack. Andy says that, from his experience, stock is best because the modified parts usually fail first.
The time-speed-distance (TSD) endurance rally brings the participants to public roads and trails, following pre-set routes at precisely prescribed rally-designated speeds. So it is not the kind of 'fastest car wins' kind of competition but a brutal one that centers around precision and following the rules of the game.
Andy and his wife are journalists and have documented every step of the race. He describes the Grenadier as a solid performer in every single condition it had to face. "It was a champ in the deeper snows on the ice slalom competition, too," he says.
The two of them have been through the Alcan rally before. The first time was in 2020 with their 1991 Mitsubishi Pajero 4x4.
The INEOS Grenadier and its 16 competitors covered a route from the far Northwest of the United States and Canada. They started in Kirkland, Washington State, crossed British Columbia in Canada, went above Alaska's Artic Circle, and crossed the finish line in Anchorage, Alaska, the day before the Iditarod Race of mushers and their dog teams began.
The driver and his co-driver counted on the robust structure of their vehicle. The Grenadier is built around a box-section ladder frame chassis with heavy-duty solid beam axles. It features a two-speed transfer case and up to three locking differentials.
Their Grenadier was powered by a BMW-soured 3.0-liter turbocharged inline six-cylinder petrol engine. This means that they had to deal with 282 horsepower (286 metric horsepower) and 332 pound-feet (450 Newton meters) of torque.
Andy and Mercedes piloted the Grenadier sporting the range-topping Trialmaster trim, which brings heated Recaro seats on board, a feature that turned out to be extremely useful in the extreme temperatures of the north.
The Grenadier was a stock variant piloted by Andy and navigated by his wife, Mercedes Lilienthal of Portland, Oregon. It will, though, wear aftermarket 265/70 R17 Michelin X-Ice Snow tires.
The two of them will also use the optional accessories offered by INEOS, such as a winch, rear roof-access ladder, and a full-roof platform rack. Andy says that, from his experience, stock is best because the modified parts usually fail first.
The time-speed-distance (TSD) endurance rally brings the participants to public roads and trails, following pre-set routes at precisely prescribed rally-designated speeds. So it is not the kind of 'fastest car wins' kind of competition but a brutal one that centers around precision and following the rules of the game.
Andy and his wife are journalists and have documented every step of the race. He describes the Grenadier as a solid performer in every single condition it had to face. "It was a champ in the deeper snows on the ice slalom competition, too," he says.
The two of them have been through the Alcan rally before. The first time was in 2020 with their 1991 Mitsubishi Pajero 4x4.
The INEOS Grenadier and its 16 competitors covered a route from the far Northwest of the United States and Canada. They started in Kirkland, Washington State, crossed British Columbia in Canada, went above Alaska's Artic Circle, and crossed the finish line in Anchorage, Alaska, the day before the Iditarod Race of mushers and their dog teams began.
The driver and his co-driver counted on the robust structure of their vehicle. The Grenadier is built around a box-section ladder frame chassis with heavy-duty solid beam axles. It features a two-speed transfer case and up to three locking differentials.
Their Grenadier was powered by a BMW-soured 3.0-liter turbocharged inline six-cylinder petrol engine. This means that they had to deal with 282 horsepower (286 metric horsepower) and 332 pound-feet (450 Newton meters) of torque.
Andy and Mercedes piloted the Grenadier sporting the range-topping Trialmaster trim, which brings heated Recaro seats on board, a feature that turned out to be extremely useful in the extreme temperatures of the north.
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