Text: Jeffrey Aronson. Photos: Arthur Patsouris & Taylor Congleton

Members of Gen X, Gen Y and the Millennial generations consider Woodstock ancient history; the Rover Owners Association of Virginia is only 6 years younger. It has aged much better than many Boomers, and ROAV’s Mid Atlantic Rally, held in October 2009, remains one of the east coast’s most popular weekend gatherings.

Rovers North staffers fight tooth and nail over who gets to attend each year. The battle this year grew even more ferocious when the transportation was to be the Rovers North 2009 Defender 110 fleet export edition. Arthur Patsouris, sales manager, and Taylor Congleton, the field tech for fleet systems, won this year’s scrum. Arthur called the 11 hour, 600 mile drive south, “Everything you envision that is great about a Defender, multiplied by 10. The TD4 Puma diesel is so strong — after driving that, who needs a V-8? The new dash and ventilation systems really help make the car more usable on the road. There were no detriments to driving this car.”

Airy Hill Farm, located outside of Bowling Green, VA, in Caroline County, served as the new venue for the Rally. It’s a 6,000 acre working farm, mostly soybeans and corn. The 7 miles of trails took over some 700 acres. The trails ranged from scenic green lanes over work roads, to some very challenging hill sections. For the first time in many years, the rains held off to add to the comfort and entertainment level. However, the clay soils of Virginia need only a little prompting from off-road tires to churn up the hidden moisture beneath and create plenty of challenging mud. Arthur Patsouris called the Defender “fantastic” on the off-road trails.

When not enjoying the off-loading, Arthur and Taylor set up the Rovers North tent and said, “It was a pleasure to meet — again — so many enthusiasts.” A Scotch and rum tasting event imbedded itself in Arthur’s memory, although, “Unfortunately, no one carded me.” Arthur remembers his first MAR, in 1995, and noted that annual events like the auction and dinner remained very entertaining.

The MAR always seems welcoming to new enthusiasts who bring their LR3’s and new style Range Rovers to the event. Defenders seem to be the most popular vehicles, but MAR always draws a big Series contingent, too, along with the usual  contingent of Discoverys and Range Rover Classics. Two years ago, when the New York Times wanted to explore the Land Rover enthusiast scene, it sent a correspondent to MAR. If you want to experience a remarkable Land Rover event, mark your calendars now for the first weekend in October, 2010.

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