Tour 2008/2009
XWORLD von HANSA-FLEX feiert erfolgreichen Abschluss
„Und plötzlich steckt man mitten in einem Abenteuer“ – So lautete der Slogan der XWORLD von HANSA-FLEX. Einer Off-Road Tour die in 20 Monaten durch 34 Länder in Europa und Asien führte. Nach über 120.000 Kilometern erreichten die sechs Geländewagen mittlerweile den Ausgangspunkt Bremen. Am Samstag, den 7. November 2009 feierte die HANSA-FLEX Hydraulik GmbH mit Teilnehmern und Organisatoren den erfolgreichen Abschluss der XWORLD im Bremer Überseemuseum.
Auf der XWORLD, die am 8. März 2008 an der Bremer Firmenzentrale der Unternehmensgruppe startete, war der Slogan tatsächlich Programm. In kleinen Gruppen von höchstens zehn Teilnehmern pro Etappe, erreichte der Tross Orte, die großen Reisegruppen normalerweise verwehrt bleiben. XWORLD durchquerte die Transnistrische Moldauische Republik, fuhr auf den höchsten Gebirgspässen des Himalayas durch Nepal und besuchte das indonesische Dorf Suak Nie. Hier hatte HANSA-FLEX nach der verheerenden Tsunami-Katastrophe 2004 mit Spendengeldern dabei geholfen, das komplett zerstörte Dorf wieder aufzubauen.
Hautnah dabei
Das Besondere an der XWORLD: Beim Start der Etappen erhielt jeder Teilnehmer „sein“ Fahrzeug, für das er während der gesamten Etappe zuständig war. Die Teilnehmer steuerten die Geländewagen selber und konnten so das volle Off-Road-Gefühl erleben. Mit den erfahrenen Tourguides wurde jede Tagesetappe abgestimmt – so wurden die Teilnehmer aktiv in die Tourenplanung eingebunden. Übernachtet wurde entweder in Hotels oder in Zelten. Eine komplette Campingausrüstung war natürlich mit an Bord. Für so manchen Teilnehmer waren die Zeltübernachtungen in der mongolischen Steppe das Highlight ihres Abenteuers.
Intention der XWORLD
„Menschen zusammenführen, das Verständnis füreinander fördern und andere Kulturen kennen lernen“, so beschrieb HANSA-FLEX Geschäftsführer Uwe Buschmann die Intention der Tour beim Start der ersten Etappe in Bremen.
Fazit
Mit der XWORLD unterstrich HANSA-FLEX seine Philosophie mit einem globalen Niederlassungsnetz lokal vor Ort zu sein und steigerte die öffentliche Wahrnehmung der Unternehmensgruppe. „XWORLD hat in den letzten 20 Monaten eine große Resonanz von der internationalen Presse erfahren. Wo immer wir mit unserem Konvoi aufgetaucht sind, gab es einen großen Menschenauflauf. Auch die hohe Zahl der Buchungen von branchenfremden Interessenten, zeigt, dass wir unsere Ziele erreicht haben“, resümierte Projektleiter Enrico Kieschnick den Verlauf der Tour.
XWORLD is coming home early
Swine flu has put an end to everything
It's been so much fun. For the last year-and-a-half, XWORLD has been travelling through Europe and Asia. Participants have encountered everything: Camping under the stars and luxury hotels, the Mongolian steppe and teeming metropolises, Chinese bureaucracy and overwhelming generosity. In a word: Taking part in XWORLD was a real adventure, and for HANSA-FLEX it was an enormous, satisfying challenge to oversee the project. But despite all the taste for adventure and its immense success, we will be skipping the last three stages and on September 20, 2009, we will drive from Helsinki directly to Bremen. This difficult decision has been prompted by a number of good reasons:
The planned route of the tour would take the participants on the 41st stage from Helsinki back to St. Petersburg. Our experiences in recent months have taught us how fraught with obstacles it can be for the entire convoy to go back into Russia (vehicles, supplies, guides, etc.). Of course, this consideration on alone is not a reason for ending the tour early. We have reluctantly been forced to take this step by the wretched spectre of swine flu. Because of the time of year – autumn is approaching, the weather is worsening, flu season is lying in wait – and the undeniable hype in the media, many participants have cancelled their bookings for the last few stages. And of course HANSA-FLEX has no wish to expose the travelers to possible health risks for no good reason. Besides which, the spirit of cameraderie is a fundamental element of the tour, and this could hardly survive the many cancellations.
When these considerations are all taken together, and in view of the condition of the global economy, there can be only one reasonable decision. Rather than drive the successful XWORLD tour on to the bitter end regardless of the consequences, HANSA-FLEX must demonstrate its own courage by omitting the last three stages. We know where our responsibilities lie. And knowing where one's responsibilities lie means acting responsibly.
But of course we are looking to the future: We are currently reviewing the possibility of organising an XWORLD tour on the American continent. Whether an "XWORLD Panamericana" will take place, and if so when, will be decided by the end of the year. But before then the Offroad Tour of Europe and Asia must celebrate fittingly with the organisers and participants. So HANSA-FLEX will host a grand reception followed by a party in the Überseemuseum Bremen on November 7, 2009.
HANSA-FLEX we are aware of our responsibility!
XWORLD, Stage 22: celebrating the half-way stage in Indonesia
For the XWORLD Tour, Stage 22 meant we were at the half-way stage: ten months of
exciting adventures behind us, another gripping ten months still ahead of future
participants. The latest off-road adventure was a prime example of this in many
different ways. During this stage, the travellers experienced the hustle and bustle
of big cities, receptions with politicians, idyllic palm-fringed beaches and jungle camps
with wild animals ranging from alligators to poisonous snakes. The very
start of this adventure was unusually wild - as shown by their
tour report.
XWORLD, Stage 19: from metropolis to metropolis
Stage 19 took its total of seven participants in the XWORLD tour 2008/2009
from Hong Kong to Bangkok. But between the big cities, quite different
adventures were waiting … they took the Chinese driving
test, crossed the jungle, visited a mountain tribe and received a reprimand
during a Chinese traffic check.
+++++ Dear friends of the XWORLD Adventure Tour 2008/2009 +++++
breathtaking high mountain passes, wonderful river landscapes, the
Great Wall of China, the "Forbidden City" and the Olympic
Games - we invested a great deal of time in planning our coming stages through China
and have selected the very best routes through the "Central
Empire”. It was therefore a great shock for us, and those
who were looking forward to their XWORLD stages: China has
suddenly refused us entry.
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XWORLD at DSF
Next broadcast: Wednesday, 23 July, 20:15
Part 218 - Subjects include: With XWORLD through Mongolia, further information under
JUMBO also on board Stage 08
JUMBO Schreiner, the man with the superlatives from the successful PRO7 series "Wunderwelt Wissen" (Wonderful World of Knowledge), together with his colleague Meci from DSF MotorVision is with us on the XWORLD stage 08, discovering Mongolia from the Altai Mountains to the Gobi Desert.
More information on the documentary and the broadcast date soon!
OFF ROAD Mega-Festival 2008
The OFF ROAD Mega-Festival 2008 was held on 28/29 June 2008, during the 14th Amateur Dresden-Breslau Rally.
In the adjoining area of the Dresden Exhibition grounds there were presentations by vehicle and car accessory manufacturers.
Toyota Deutschland integrated the two XWORLD reserve vehicles remaining in Germany into its exhibition stand (immediately next to the competition's prologue stage).
Visitors were greatly interested in information on the project and the previous stages.
22. – 25. May 2008: ABENTEUER und ALLRAD
As “Europe's largest off-road exhibition”, "ABENTEUER & ALLRAD" has now been the trendsetter for the international off-road scene for 10 years. From 22 to 25 May 2008, more than 200 exhibitors from all over the world presented innovations and highlights from the sector on an over 110,000m2 outdoor area above Bad Kissingen. More than 50,000 visitors flocked to this year's exhibition. In cooperation with Buschtaxi (Germany's largest platform for Toyota off-road vehicles) and the off-road manufacturer Hamburg, HANSA-FLEX used this opportunity to exhibit the two reserve vehicles at the exhibition and provided information about the project.
Starter’s gun fired, off-road fun here we come - XWORLD is away!
It started punctually at 10.30 on 9th March 2008. Five Toyota Land Cruisers with striking styling and the Toyota Hilux vehicle accompanying the XWORLD tour left the HANSA-FLEX Group’s head office in Bremen. Many members of staff, friends and partners of the company gathered in mild early spring weather to wave the teams off on their adventure. Together, they created a great atmosphere to launch the tour, their enthusiasm a symbol of the motivation behind XWORLD: “to bring people together, promote understanding of one another and become familiar with other cultures” –the words used by Managing Directors Uwe Buschmann and Diether Horst Seidler to send participants off on the first stage to Istanbul. In the coming 20 months, the convoy will cover 43 exciting stages in 34 countries and two continents. The XWORLD tour is away – why not join in? Book now...
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