WARN BECOMES MAIN SPONSOR OF '98 CAMEL TROPHY!

The Camel Trophy Event, often called the mother of all vehicle-based adventure challenges, kicks off in 1998, with Land Rover Freelander and Defender teams vying for the CAMEL TROPHY AWARD in a 20 day run from Santiago, Chile to Ushuia, Argentina. Once again, Warn winches will be on board over the 4800 kilometer route, steadily and dependably pulling contestants through what are expected to be some of the toughest conditions on earth.

Announcing its participation in the Trophy at SEMA '97, Warn said it joins the 1998 event with two beefy but altogether different winches. On the Defenders: the venerable M8274, a contributor to many wins on the Camel Trophy from 1980 to 1989. The Freelanders will carry Warn;s new M5000 SDP, a first-of-its-kind portable winch specifically designed for the competing Freelanders, but scheduled to be offered publicly for a variety of vehicles in the Spring of 1998.

"We know what the 8274 is made of, and the 5000 looks to be really robust," said Michiel Meijer, director of sponsorships for Global Event Management Ltd which manages the Camel Trophy. "No doubt these winches will handle anything the '98 route throws at the."

At its introduction, Warn's M8274 defined the field of heavy-duty winches. Today it remains the standard in its class. Still the only recreational spur gear winch on the market, the 8274 holds up to 150 ft.. of 5/16" cable, boasts an 8,000 lb. pulling capacity and has the fastest no-load line speed of any recreational-use winch.

With the M5000 SDP, Warn introduces a new class of portable winches designed for medium and light-duty vehicles (e.g., 2.5 ton GVWs), it installs single-handedly on the front or rear receiver hitches, and stows conveniently in rear cargo areas when not in use. While it weighs at just under 50 lb., the M5000 SDP has 5000 lb. of muscle, and low amp draw under high load for extended, safe pulls. It comes with 50 ft. of 5/16" cable, hawse fairlead, remote control units and quick-connect battery cables.

"This year's Tierra del Fuego event would put most winches to the test," said Michael Warn, company president. "For both of ours, we think it will be a walk in the park. We built them for these conditions; we know they'll perform."

Warn Industries designs and markets a full line of off-road equipment and accessories that enhance the performance of 4WD vehicles. For 50 years, whenever durability and dependability mattered, customers have chosen Warn products. From hubs to winches, shocks to suspension systems, the Warn name means performance when it counts.