Cars, Character, and Camaraderie: Inside the Asia Pacific Defender Trophy Qualification Challenge

Kaohsiung—Adventurers, nature lovers, fitness enthusiasts, and content creators who are all three turned a lush field in the outskirts of this city in southern Taiwan into a competition arena for the Asia Pacific qualifying round of the Defender Trophy one weekend in March. The British carmaker invited 24 participants from across the region to a series of grueling physical and mental challenges designed to push them to their limits.

Organizers said the Defender Trophy draws inspiration from the nameplate’s legacy of endurance and exploration, challenging participants to demonstrate “intellectual agility, resilience, and teamwork through a series of demanding tasks.”

Four of the participants are from the Philippines: Neil Begasa, who is a hiker and content creator known for sharing practical trips on trekking and navigating the wilderness; Joshua Chua, a travel filmmaker who has a built a name for himself with his drone cinematography and content that helps promote local tourism; Matthew Tongco, a filmmaker and outdoors enthusiast who regularly shares his adventures in trekking and mountain climbing on social media; and Les Gimeno, who juggles his day job in corporate finance with regular hiking expeditions, trail adventures and running events around the country.

All four competed against men and women with similar backgrounds from Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, and New Zealand—which is how Defender groups its Asia Pacific market—in varying driving and survival skills challenges over two days.

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The Defender, of course, is Land Rover’s rugged, all-terrain SUV that embodies the concept of “tough luxury.” Nearly 80 years old, the nameplate comes in three body sizes (90, 110, and 130) and is known for its exceptional off-road capabilities. The Defender Trophy Challenge, meanwhile, is inspired by the Camel Trophy and Challenge events of the 80s and 90s, which was a prestigious off-roading adventure competition that was even called the “Olympics of 4x4.” These events were held in locations such as the Amazon, Borneo, and Madagascar and focused on teamwork, endurance and driving skills.

The new version of the Defender Trophy challenge expands on the ideals of its predecessor with new elements that test participants’ physical stamina, intellectual agility, and technical driving skills. These include conquering a specially designed obstacle course, constructing rope bridges, night driving, tire changing, transporting heavy equipment across a mud pit, and navigation-oriented tasks. In addition, the Defender Trophy has partnered with conservation group Tusk, an organization that operates in remote terrains to protect Africa’s wildlife.

For the Filipino participants, the invitation to travel to Taiwan to compete was an opportunity they couldn’t pass up.

“Basically, this program, you don't have to apply; you’re handpicked by the organizers,” Gimeno told Esquire Philippines. “They messaged me through Instagram, asked me if I could drive abroad, and then if I have a driver's license. I was actually going to go hiking (this weekend). But I said yes to this, without any hesitation.”

“They sent the email last year, but I only replied around February this year,” Chua said. “Kasi I wasn’t sure if I was fit enough to compete. And I kept asking why I was chosen. Kasi iniisip ko baka mapahiya ko lang yung Philippines. Yung Instagram ko kasi mostly travel, climbing mountains, pero ako lagi yung nasa huli sa trail (laughs).

“May question dun sa survey: ‘Can you swim 50 meters unaided?’ Tinanong ko pa sila if it was freshwater or saltwater or may pressure or current ba. But ayun, eventually I confirmed.”  

“Ako din, initially, hesitant,” Begasa said. “Kasi I don’t really drive. Wala pa kong license. But when I saw that the whole idea of the event is ‘adventure with purpose,’ aligned naman sa values ko, so I said yes na din.”

“My first thought was, wow, this must be super comprehensive and elaborate for an international brand like Defender to reach out not just to Filipino creators, but I had a feeling they were going to invite participants from other countries as well,” said Tongco. “That’s when I realized that this was going to be big. And, I guess, in the most Gen Z fashion, I said yes agad. And I said I’ll just figure it out as I go.

“I do have basic mountaineering experience,” he added. “And I do have experience driving off-road, but not in a 4x4. My background is, similar kay Neil, more on hiking, outdoors, more on the cinematic side and color-graded storytelling.”

For all four Filipino competitors, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that made them see a new perspective not just of off-roading but of the whole physical and survival elements of the event.

“We feel very privileged that we were chosen,” Gimeno said. “There are so many content creators out there, and we’re ones here actually competing and representing the Philippines.”

“Everything is a win if the goal is just to experience,” Tongco said. “So just us being here, going through these challenges, learning more about each other, and learning more about the outdoors and the Defender. I learned so much.”

In the end, two competitors were named the winners of the competition. They were Ron Ng, a Singapore-based creator and ambassador of the indoor fitness racing sport Hyrox, and Charlie Murray, a skier, mountain biker, and adrenaline junkie from New Zealand’s South Island. Both proved themselves a cut above the rest with how they performed both on team challenges as well as individual events.

“If I was a judge in the competition, I would want someone in Africa who I can rely on,” said Murray during a group interview after they were named winners. “I’d want someone who was calm under pressure, someone who can problem solve. We all have different skills and we definitely don’t know everything, so you’re always gonna have to learn. That’s what I was trying to embrace.”

“For me, when they sent the questionnaire for this event, there was a question about what type of personality am I. And I think I answered something like, ‘the fun guy.’ And it was true, I honestly just wanted to have fun; making friends, teling jokes, and when things get tough, I think that’s when the fun really stats to help lighten up the mood. That’s something I apply in my own life. My purpose in life is I want to live a happy life.”