..
Transcript of two long voicemail messages received from Tent No 72 just outside Khovd
Hello all ... not sure what Day I last reported on ... but I'll go back only as far as Day 7 ... because that morning was so cold (-3C) that I can't remember anything before it.
Day 7 was not very exciting ... almost nothing happened. We started out from a place in the middle of nowhere ... we drove for hours and hours through the middle of nowhere ... and we stopped that evening in the middle of nowhere.
Day 8 was still in the ****end of nowhere ... still unbearably cold ... the camping was very grim ... but the day's drive was a lot more exciting.
The corrugations on the roads have to be seen to be believed .... it seems that the big trucks remove the surface layer ... and then the wind does its work and coats everything in fine sand. But whatever causes it, the corrugations shake everything apart ... even the door-handles fell off today. I have photos to prove it ... but you'll have to wait until I get to an internet connection to see the evidence.
Day 9 was a continuation of Day 8 in that more pieces broke ... and general disintegration continued. The main problem was that the gear lever snapped off ... leaving a 3 inch stub. This made gear-changing quite awkward ... which was especially annoying because we had to drive across a lot of soft sand.
Fortunately a Frenchman called Michel (Car No 84) had brought an arc-welder ... as you do!! ... and when hooked up to a generator at the campsite ... we were able to reattach the broken part of the gearlever.
Day 10 was fantastic. We hit a top of 108 kph across the flat open plains ... that was as fast as Fugly would go. Naturally the mechanical disintegration continued ... the gearbox started to whine badly ... the gears become more and more difficult to select ... the horns stopped working ... and the wheels started to wobble badly ... the kingpins are worn.
Hungarian Bob ... one of the camp mechanics and a top bloke ... suggested that we pull out the gearbox and take it apart. He said it would take just 25 minutes ... and was only a matter of a few bolts. Sure enough, 25 minutes later ... Bob had the gearbox lying all over the tent ... and declared that the spigot bush had fallen out. Apparently that's something that never happens ... but it did ... anyway Bob hammered, pushed, shoved and glued it back into place. The gearbox no longer has a whine ... but as a result the clutch is now slightly out of alignment.
The non-working air-horns resulted from 2 problems ... firstly they had been mounted upside-down ... do they filled up with water on one of the crossings ... and secondly the fuse for the RH fuel pump was wired to the horns ... which we discovered purely by accident. So we bought and fitted new air-horns and rewired the fuses.
As I mentioned in an earlier despatch, the radiator mounts have broken twice and are now quite loose ... but this looseness seems to be beneficial ... because there are no rigid mounts to break.
Through all of this, the engine has continued to run beautifully ....
As you may have seen, we set 4th and 5th fastest times yesterday on the timed stages ... this was despite the firm resolution to stick to our new goal ... of just making it to Paris rather than trying to win. What we have discovered is that by slowing down, we go faster ... and in addition, the navigation is easier.
Today, Day 11, is a rest day ... but despite having had showers, we still look a complete mess ... well, at least I do ... and my voice is croaky ... but we're still having the time of our life.
CD and Ces
(Clive is using a little known converse of Einstein's Theory of General Relativity. As you recall, Einstein theorised that the faster you travel, the slower time passes. Having disproved the usefulness of Einstein's theory by rattling the Chevy apart at very high speeds, Clive is swapping over to the little-used converse of the Theory ... The slower you drive, the faster the times. ... Peter)
Monday, 20 September 2010
Sunday, 19 September 2010
Day 9 & 10 - No news is good news!!
If any of you followers has a project meeting or a sales conference in Mongolia this week, could you pop across westward a little (toward the Russian and Kazak borders) and ask Clive and Ces what's going on. Probably a good idea to bring some home comforts as well, because Clive and his beloved tent will be together for another 2-3 days, so his teeth might be shown to any visitors.
If you need directions, here they are:
As I mentioned in the last update, I was sure that the resolution to cruise to the finish was just exhaustion speaking. This remote diagnosis was confirmed in today's official classifications ... Car 72 was 4th and 5th fastest outright in today's two timed stages. Wait until he disconnects the cruise control.
Because of their energetic cruising, Clive and Ces are continuing to climb up the leadership board. And with 22 competitive days to go, they can overhall both the bright yellow Fangio Coupe and that 78-year-old Aussie in the Holden. Yes, I know that I said he was 72 last time, but precision is not the strong point of a ghost, even one living in Switzerland.
Also, sorry about the lack of an update yesterday. Apart from having neither news from Clive nor a change in classifications (because it was a day without time penalties), I arrived home from the Dolomites to find that I had no internet myself. Of course, if the ghost had any empathy, he would have set up tent in the garden, but instead he and Mrs Ghost had a bottle of wine and went to bed.
Tomorrow is a rest day for the P2P at Khovd. So I'm expecting pages and pages of updates from our fearless C&C in their '38 FCC.
If you need directions, here they are:
 |
| Easy ... remember that the 1907 crews had no maps ... cos there were no roads! |
As I mentioned in the last update, I was sure that the resolution to cruise to the finish was just exhaustion speaking. This remote diagnosis was confirmed in today's official classifications ... Car 72 was 4th and 5th fastest outright in today's two timed stages. Wait until he disconnects the cruise control.
Because of their energetic cruising, Clive and Ces are continuing to climb up the leadership board. And with 22 competitive days to go, they can overhall both the bright yellow Fangio Coupe and that 78-year-old Aussie in the Holden. Yes, I know that I said he was 72 last time, but precision is not the strong point of a ghost, even one living in Switzerland.
Also, sorry about the lack of an update yesterday. Apart from having neither news from Clive nor a change in classifications (because it was a day without time penalties), I arrived home from the Dolomites to find that I had no internet myself. Of course, if the ghost had any empathy, he would have set up tent in the garden, but instead he and Mrs Ghost had a bottle of wine and went to bed.
Tomorrow is a rest day for the P2P at Khovd. So I'm expecting pages and pages of updates from our fearless C&C in their '38 FCC.
Friday, 17 September 2010
Day 8 - Clive has a big moment!
How quickly the benefits of a rest day evaporate. Exhaustion is setting in again. And mechanical mishaps are undermining the best laid plans.
All crews are sleeping in tents again tonight .... regular tents, rather than the luxurious yurts ... so communication media are limited. Despite today´s ordeal and the post-arrival exhaustion, Clive managed to send a dispatch by SMS. It arrived late in my afternoon, so quite late in his night. And if the written word could slur from tiredness, his SMS would have slurred. If the written word could tremble from apprehension, his SMS would have trembled.
After 12 hours of driving, over the worst roads that Clive had ever seen, he and Ces arrived at Uliastay (still in Mongolia) with the top and bottom radiator mounts re-smashed. While I gather that the outdoor shower at the riverbank campsite was better than expected, Clive was struggling to put the image of a large Mongolian truck out of his mind. Earlier in the day, they narrowly avoided a head-on collision with the truck which was completely on Clive and Ces´ side of the road.
Clive´s message ended very uncharacteristically ... by saying that his new goal was to cruise to Paris. I have no medical background, but my guess is that exhaustion was speaking. I´m sure that Car 72 will be back in competitive mode after a good night´s sleep. Mind you, that good night´s sleep might not materialise until they next sleep in a real hotel. And the next hotel is not scheduled until Wednesday 22nd when they spend a single night in Russia.
In the overall standings, Clive and Ces have moved quite a bit up the leadership board. Balancing Clive´s update against the official report, my guess is that attrition had more impact today than raw speed. So when Ces takes the crew of Car 72 through her checklist tomorrow (including a check of the leadership board) the Dunsters will be inspired to something more than cruising tomorrow.
Sleep well, Clive and Ces ....
All crews are sleeping in tents again tonight .... regular tents, rather than the luxurious yurts ... so communication media are limited. Despite today´s ordeal and the post-arrival exhaustion, Clive managed to send a dispatch by SMS. It arrived late in my afternoon, so quite late in his night. And if the written word could slur from tiredness, his SMS would have slurred. If the written word could tremble from apprehension, his SMS would have trembled.
After 12 hours of driving, over the worst roads that Clive had ever seen, he and Ces arrived at Uliastay (still in Mongolia) with the top and bottom radiator mounts re-smashed. While I gather that the outdoor shower at the riverbank campsite was better than expected, Clive was struggling to put the image of a large Mongolian truck out of his mind. Earlier in the day, they narrowly avoided a head-on collision with the truck which was completely on Clive and Ces´ side of the road.
Clive´s message ended very uncharacteristically ... by saying that his new goal was to cruise to Paris. I have no medical background, but my guess is that exhaustion was speaking. I´m sure that Car 72 will be back in competitive mode after a good night´s sleep. Mind you, that good night´s sleep might not materialise until they next sleep in a real hotel. And the next hotel is not scheduled until Wednesday 22nd when they spend a single night in Russia.
In the overall standings, Clive and Ces have moved quite a bit up the leadership board. Balancing Clive´s update against the official report, my guess is that attrition had more impact today than raw speed. So when Ces takes the crew of Car 72 through her checklist tomorrow (including a check of the leadership board) the Dunsters will be inspired to something more than cruising tomorrow.
Sleep well, Clive and Ces ....
 |
| The reality of tonight´s sleep |
 |
| Clive´s mind as sleep completes its repair job ... |
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Day 7 - Dear Nuala, your generosity knows no bounds ....
I had a phone call from Clive via the satellite phone the night before last ... and an SMS at 3:00am this morning ... promising an update on proceedings. Yeah, I know that today was another back-breaking day ... and I know that they´re sleeping in a yurt again tonight ... but a ghost has commitments and deadlines as well!!!
The call on the satellite call was a hoot ... partly because of the time delay between speaking and receiving ... partly because I could hear Ces doing the washing in the background ... but mostly because Clive was so excited. He explained that the P2P is the best thing he has ever done in his life ... but also the hardest ... and he tried to persuade me to take part in the next P2P ... which is in 2013. I´d better start buying those lottery tickets.
He said that it´s quite dangerous ... and seriously scary when you have trouble out in the middle of the desert with no people, houses or cars to be seen anywhere in any direction. It´s not like the Paris-Dakar (or whatever it´s called these days) where there always seem to be helicopters just a rotor-blade away. The most amusing anecdote was of the system for collecting broken-down cars ... they put your car in (not on) the back of a truck ... and you have to stay strapped into the seats of your rally car ... while the said truck bumps and grinds its way over rutted roads for as many hours as are necessary to reach something.
He also said that the yurt tents were very "snug and cosy", but I think he might have been smoking yak-dung at the time.
On the good side, Clive and Ces are still clawing their way back up the leader-board, according to the official results, and with 5 weeks to go, stamina and a maniac competitive streak are on their side.
Finally, for those of you who do not understand the "Dear Nuala" reference in the heading, I can explain. Each time, I write "Day 1", "Day 2", etc, I can´t help but think of the Frank Kelly hilarious remake of the old Christmas song. When Karen and I did our Alps to Arctic run in June, we would hum the tune each morning (not in public obviously). In case you´ve never heard it before, sit back and be entertained ...
Hmmm .... as penalty for not getting blog posts to you all on time, I think we should require Clive and Ces to write and record a 12 Days of P2P.
The call on the satellite call was a hoot ... partly because of the time delay between speaking and receiving ... partly because I could hear Ces doing the washing in the background ... but mostly because Clive was so excited. He explained that the P2P is the best thing he has ever done in his life ... but also the hardest ... and he tried to persuade me to take part in the next P2P ... which is in 2013. I´d better start buying those lottery tickets.
He said that it´s quite dangerous ... and seriously scary when you have trouble out in the middle of the desert with no people, houses or cars to be seen anywhere in any direction. It´s not like the Paris-Dakar (or whatever it´s called these days) where there always seem to be helicopters just a rotor-blade away. The most amusing anecdote was of the system for collecting broken-down cars ... they put your car in (not on) the back of a truck ... and you have to stay strapped into the seats of your rally car ... while the said truck bumps and grinds its way over rutted roads for as many hours as are necessary to reach something.
He also said that the yurt tents were very "snug and cosy", but I think he might have been smoking yak-dung at the time.
On the good side, Clive and Ces are still clawing their way back up the leader-board, according to the official results, and with 5 weeks to go, stamina and a maniac competitive streak are on their side.
Finally, for those of you who do not understand the "Dear Nuala" reference in the heading, I can explain. Each time, I write "Day 1", "Day 2", etc, I can´t help but think of the Frank Kelly hilarious remake of the old Christmas song. When Karen and I did our Alps to Arctic run in June, we would hum the tune each morning (not in public obviously). In case you´ve never heard it before, sit back and be entertained ...
Hmmm .... as penalty for not getting blog posts to you all on time, I think we should require Clive and Ces to write and record a 12 Days of P2P.
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Day 6 - Clive and Ces are catching up time rapidly
´evening all
Your worst nightmares have been realised .... no, no ... Clive and Ces are fine .... but the GhostPostWriter is back ...
... and all because not a squeak has been heard today from our hardy pair of rallyists. It´s already midnight in Mongolia, so we can assume that no blog update is going to arrive today.
But I can assure you all that no news is good news. Clive and Ces are fine. In fact, if my interpretation of the official reports is correct, Clive and Ces were 4th fastest in today´s Timed Stage. and 2nd fastest in their class. Even better news is that they were faster than their nemisis in the identical Fangio Chevy. The not-so-good news is that the fastest time was set by a 72-year-old Aussie driving a Holden!
So you would think that Clive would have been really eager to get an update to us. And I´m sure that he was. But he and Ces are staying in a Yurt tent tonight, so Wifi may not be one of the features of their accommodation!!
To give you a sense of the situation, may I quote Syd Stelvio who creates the official reports (I must ask Clive if Syd Stelvio is his real name ... especially since I´ve just come from the Stelvio Pass ... maybe Syd´s another ghost!!!) ...
Tonight, we are all in Yurts, the white round portable cabins made of thick layers of horsehair and cashmere carpeting which is wrapped around a basket-weave construction, we all have little log-stoves in the centre and a chimney with a generous hole in the roof. As darkness falls across this vast open plain at Bayanuur, a chilly air is rolling down the hillsides that flank this remarkable valley, and most of us are digging out our sleeping bags for extra covering on the camp beds.
We have dined out on bowls of chicken stew, lamb stew, rice, chips, bean salad, and a choice of two soups for starters. A lack of tables and chairs meant a crowded dining hall, with several crews sitting on the floor… the atmosphere is remarkably good humoured and rarely does any rally experience such a united sense of camaraderie as this.
To give you a sense of what a Yurt tent looks like ... it´s somewhere between these two ....
and this one ...
We all look forward to hearing the real story from Clive ... just as soon as he gets an enterprising Mongolian to weld up a sturdy internet connection.
On behalf of the C-couple.
PS: The next rest day is only 6 days away.
Your worst nightmares have been realised .... no, no ... Clive and Ces are fine .... but the GhostPostWriter is back ...
But I can assure you all that no news is good news. Clive and Ces are fine. In fact, if my interpretation of the official reports is correct, Clive and Ces were 4th fastest in today´s Timed Stage. and 2nd fastest in their class. Even better news is that they were faster than their nemisis in the identical Fangio Chevy. The not-so-good news is that the fastest time was set by a 72-year-old Aussie driving a Holden!
So you would think that Clive would have been really eager to get an update to us. And I´m sure that he was. But he and Ces are staying in a Yurt tent tonight, so Wifi may not be one of the features of their accommodation!!
To give you a sense of the situation, may I quote Syd Stelvio who creates the official reports (I must ask Clive if Syd Stelvio is his real name ... especially since I´ve just come from the Stelvio Pass ... maybe Syd´s another ghost!!!) ...
Tonight, we are all in Yurts, the white round portable cabins made of thick layers of horsehair and cashmere carpeting which is wrapped around a basket-weave construction, we all have little log-stoves in the centre and a chimney with a generous hole in the roof. As darkness falls across this vast open plain at Bayanuur, a chilly air is rolling down the hillsides that flank this remarkable valley, and most of us are digging out our sleeping bags for extra covering on the camp beds.
We have dined out on bowls of chicken stew, lamb stew, rice, chips, bean salad, and a choice of two soups for starters. A lack of tables and chairs meant a crowded dining hall, with several crews sitting on the floor… the atmosphere is remarkably good humoured and rarely does any rally experience such a united sense of camaraderie as this.
To give you a sense of what a Yurt tent looks like ... it´s somewhere between these two ....
 |
| might look like this if you booked through a reliable agency |
and this one ...
 |
| might look like this if you are on a DIY holiday |
We all look forward to hearing the real story from Clive ... just as soon as he gets an enterprising Mongolian to weld up a sturdy internet connection.
On behalf of the C-couple.
PS: The next rest day is only 6 days away.
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
Day 5 - Rest Day @ Chinggis Khan Hotel ... somewhere abroad?
So, we woke this morning after a bit of a lie in ... all the way to 7.30am. We had a leisurely breakfast and then made our way to check out the leader board. On Day 3, when the ignition coils had failed, we ended the day´s rally in 46th place overall and 28th in class. At the end of Day 4, we were 35th overall and 12th in class. This is a LONG hard rally and I am committed to putting in my best possible result ..... so watch this space! After devouring the yummy comestibles of breakfast, I looked long and hard at Fugly and found the following issues: 1. Radiator Mountings have broken away top and bottom. Only the cable ties are preventing the huge radiator going into the razor-sharp metal cooling fan. (did cable ties exist in 1938? ... Peter) 2. Fuel filters look like they´re full of crap. The fuel pump on the main tank is noisy and hunting for fuel, even though the tank is half-full. 3. Replacement ignition coils need to be fitted. 4. New 16" tyres need to appear! As I mentioned before (remember the jack), Ces is very organised and has a daily check-list that she marks off on a laminated sheet using a chinograph pencil. This list includes greasing the nipples, so I always like to ask if she'd like a hand-greasing for her nipples? I usually get the kind of look that says not. So whilst Ces greased her nipples and checked tyre pressures, oil and water levels, checked wheel bearings, cleaned all the glass and checked lights etc, her female counterparts on other teams went shopping or visited the spa! The chap next to me in his Rolls-Royce explained to his wife in some detail what would happen if she went ahead with the proposed purchase of a lovely rug she'd seen. So, instead, she returned with an enormous wicker picnic basket. My nipple-greasing team-mate is definitely the best! When I started removing the radiator, the most important repair of all, yet another local appeared and said that he could get it all re-welded within 20 minutes. So together we removed the rad and off he went. To be honest, if the tyre/wheel repair man from the previous night failed to re-appear with the 16" tyre, I could still start the rally, but without the 1938 Chevrolet radiator, my race would be well and truly over. To take my mind off this worry, I again offered Ces help with her nipples, but having been rejected yet again, I cleaned the fuel filters and flushed the fuel pumps through, tidied up all round and then noticed that the 11am due time for my wheel/tyre had passed. He was still not back by noon, but worse, my radiator man was also nowhere to be seen either. Then I was told that one of the recovery trucks from the previous day´s timed stages had also disappeared, together with the 3 broken rally cars on its back. Anyway, trusting in human nature as I always do (I´m sure that I just heard a thunder clap ... Peter), I assumed that they'll be back ... while at the same time seeking out the translator and the telephone number of the local police!
Almost at the same time, the wheel/tyre and 2 coils arrived as did my radiator man. Total cost? - Radiator totally re-soldered top and bottom and new brackets welded ... USD100 - New 16" 8-ply tyre (you can't get those), plus 2 new coils ... USD300 - Not having to call the police ... priceless! With the much appreciated help of Simon Ayris, we re-fitted the radiator, drilling the mouting holes larger to reduce the strain on the rad. We also added some rubber blocks to enable some flex on the rough stages, and I extended the top hose to give more flex. Then we fitted the new Russian coils. This was not a problem, except that neither terminal had positive or negative symbols. Instead they had some Russian cyrillic writing. After some guesswork, I fitted both coils and turned the ignition .... to be met with a huge blue flash from the fuse box and the smell of burning. I killed the ignition and immediatley swapped the connections over, replaced the fuse and tried again .... to be met, yet again, with a huge blue flash etc etc .... To cut a long story short, if any of you would like 2 free Russian coils please let me know ... there are 2 nestled comfortably in the bin beside me! (Clive, "positive" in Russian is положительный and "negative" is отрицательный ... but I guess it´s too little too late ... as it didn´t seen to work whichever way you attached them ... Peter) So, as I type ,we've spent 10 hours of our rest-day fixing the car in the freezing cold (how can weather change so quickly?). But now Fugly runs great and sounds great. And with the new radiator mounts, we can push and push ... and then push some more ... without fear of the putting the fan through the radiator. Tomorrow ... who knows ... I am living for today! (yeah right ... Clive is secretly working out how he can leapfrog that other Fangio Chevy Coupe ... don´t you think ... Peter) CD & Ces |
We're back on-line and still en route to Paris!
Firstly a big thanks to Peter Horan for writing our blog when I was simply too tired and couldn't access the blogsite from China ... where it's forbidden.
When I used http://www.vtunnel.com/ to get around their "firewall", I found that the next day my computer would no longer log-on to the hotels Internet system ..... Probably just a concidence! It's a shame because they are really nice, genuine people.
Day 1 - The Great Wall to Daihai
The 2nd day was yet another travel day, this time to the city of Erenhot. Today was all about racking-up the miles needed as we headed to the wilds of Mongolia ....
Day 3 - Erenhot to the Chinese border
I am pleased to say that the crossing into Mongolia only took 2 hours, which is really good in this kind of environment. Even better, we now made our way to the first timed stage!!!!
We eventually got the car started and, after 2 hours lost time, we continued on the stage, knowing that yet again fate had dealt us a poor hand. (I seem to recall the old motto of PPPPPP ... Peter) But what I have learned from another race competitor (Jon Nicholson) is never give up, not until the chequered flag is waived.
We were permitted to enter the final stage of the day, Timed Stage 3, but the sun was setting and we were racing due West. I am not making excuses when I say that I could see nothing, just brilliant sunshine and sand dust. I pushed as hard as I dare, but I was also aware that in Timed Stage 2, our radiator has broken a top mounting and there was a real risk that it would fall back into the metal engine fan! I decided that for us, the day´s racing was over so I picked a careful route through the potholes and ruts so that we would live to fight another day.
The accommodation for the night of day 3 was in tents beside the Trans-Monglian rail line. Of course, given the shenanigans reported earlier, not to mention the 40-minute incorrect detour into the desert, we arrived at the campsite in total darkness. Ces and I were relaxed and calm ... not a angry word was spoken in our car ... in fact, no words were spoken ... but quite a few were screamed!!
Today, we left from the campsite in the middle of the desert and made our way to our Timed Stage 1 for today. We've still got the broken radiator mounts, so we still have to strike a balance between flat out and broken down. And remember that broken down means not only total failure but abandonment in Mongolia. I can tell you that this focuses the mind!
Despite cable ties keeping the radiator in place, we made all three Times Stages today. I was just a little chuffed, so I breathed a sigh and relaxed ... just for a moment. This provoked an instant response from the gods. The rear offside tyre exploded at quite high speed. I discovered that losing a tyre at 80 mph in a 70+ year old 2-tonne car is nothing like the same in my XKR, but we stopped OK Clearly the gods were giving me a warning, not a ticket. BTW, I had been told in the UK that I´d be unlikely to find a 16" tyre in these parts, so this leaves us with one spare to cover the remaining 15,000kms ....
When we arrived at the hotel in Ulaan Baatar, a local mechanic was there attempting to pick-up some impromptu business! So for USD300, he agreed to supply and fit 2 new coils and a new 16" tyre! The coils are from Russian trucks and the tyre will be from who knows where, but to be honest, who cares! (be careful, Clive, the gods are watching out for counterfeiters ... or is this a marketing lead? ... Peter).
He's also taking me to his workshop the re-weld the radiator. I tell you, these people are great and very service-oriented ... no wonder their economy is taking off!
As I write, we're about to go to dinner in our 5-star hotel. Upon arrival, Ces was given a ticket for a cocktail party in our honour tomorrow evening ... the ticket clearly stated "Please wear a gown". Hmmm, how to transform grubby Castrol overalls into a gown ... that would be a challenge even for Trinny and Suzannah ... perhaps their next series could be entitled "What not to wear to a Mongolia Ball!".
Tomorrow (Tuesday) is a rest day and we're waiting for today´s results. At the moment we've been placed in 41st overall postion and I think 13th in class but this relates to our breakdown day so, from now on, it's push, push, push.....
CD & Ces
When I used http://www.vtunnel.com/ to get around their "firewall", I found that the next day my computer would no longer log-on to the hotels Internet system ..... Probably just a concidence! It's a shame because they are really nice, genuine people.
Where do I start?
Day 1 - The Great Wall to Daihai
As you all know, on Day 1 the timed stage was cancelled and we had an extended travel day to the city of Daihai. During the night I was eaten alive by mosquitos, even though it's apparently not the season and the price of beer was increased by 400% as the night went on.
 |
| Amazing wildlife out here .... |
So when I got out of bed on the morning of Day 2, I felt about 5% and was itching all over, even though Ces said "You´re just making a fuss!"
Day 2 - Daihai to Erenhot
The 2nd day was yet another travel day, this time to the city of Erenhot. Today was all about racking-up the miles needed as we headed to the wilds of Mongolia ....
The hotel on the night of Day 2 was brilliant! It had air-conditioning (it's still 27 degrees here at night and if you open the window, my little biting mates come in) and a strange pillow filled with dried beans ( I must get one!) .... The smallest things matter when you're so tired.
Day 3 - Erenhot to the Chinese border
 |
| Hotel Car Park - Morning of Day 3 |
 |
| Getting Ready on Day 3 |
 |
| Just about ready - Day 3 |
 |
| China-Mongolia Border - only 2 hour wait |
 |
| Waiting to cross into Mongolia ... totally chilled out ... good acting, eh |
Timed Stage 1 went really very well and I felt that we would be holding our own against my team mate and nemisis, Steve Hyde.
 |
| Fangio Chevy Team Mates |
Onto Timed Stage 2, where again we were flying .... not so hard as to break the car but fast enough across such rough terrain. While we were tootling along at about 104 kph, the car just died. It was as thought the ignition had been turned-off. I checked the fuel filters, the fuel lines and then finally the sparkplugs. They were dead!
 |
| Checking the fuel filters |
 |
| F.I.I.K. what the problem is ... (or else snoozing in the shade) |
I worked through the ignition system starting at the points and then changed over to my spare coil.... still nothing. At this point I knew I was beaten and I called for mechanical assistance. To cut a long story short, the coil had failed and the spare in the car was also a dud!!!
We eventually got the car started and, after 2 hours lost time, we continued on the stage, knowing that yet again fate had dealt us a poor hand. (I seem to recall the old motto of PPPPPP ... Peter) But what I have learned from another race competitor (Jon Nicholson) is never give up, not until the chequered flag is waived.
We were permitted to enter the final stage of the day, Timed Stage 3, but the sun was setting and we were racing due West. I am not making excuses when I say that I could see nothing, just brilliant sunshine and sand dust. I pushed as hard as I dare, but I was also aware that in Timed Stage 2, our radiator has broken a top mounting and there was a real risk that it would fall back into the metal engine fan! I decided that for us, the day´s racing was over so I picked a careful route through the potholes and ruts so that we would live to fight another day.
The accommodation for the night of day 3 was in tents beside the Trans-Monglian rail line. Of course, given the shenanigans reported earlier, not to mention the 40-minute incorrect detour into the desert, we arrived at the campsite in total darkness. Ces and I were relaxed and calm ... not a angry word was spoken in our car ... in fact, no words were spoken ... but quite a few were screamed!!
On the positive side, the showers were brilliant, as was the warm beer. Maybe I could have even enjoyed the novelty of the tents, but not the bloody racket made all-night-long by these 1-kilometre-long trains!
 |
| Just in case you were wondering who´s on top ... |
 |
| They never stop ... |
Day 4 - The Campsite to Ulaan Baatar, Capital of Mongolia
 |
| Ready for Day 4 ... albeit with a broken radiator mount |
Despite cable ties keeping the radiator in place, we made all three Times Stages today. I was just a little chuffed, so I breathed a sigh and relaxed ... just for a moment. This provoked an instant response from the gods. The rear offside tyre exploded at quite high speed. I discovered that losing a tyre at 80 mph in a 70+ year old 2-tonne car is nothing like the same in my XKR, but we stopped OK Clearly the gods were giving me a warning, not a ticket. BTW, I had been told in the UK that I´d be unlikely to find a 16" tyre in these parts, so this leaves us with one spare to cover the remaining 15,000kms ....
When we arrived at the hotel in Ulaan Baatar, a local mechanic was there attempting to pick-up some impromptu business! So for USD300, he agreed to supply and fit 2 new coils and a new 16" tyre! The coils are from Russian trucks and the tyre will be from who knows where, but to be honest, who cares! (be careful, Clive, the gods are watching out for counterfeiters ... or is this a marketing lead? ... Peter).
He's also taking me to his workshop the re-weld the radiator. I tell you, these people are great and very service-oriented ... no wonder their economy is taking off!
As I write, we're about to go to dinner in our 5-star hotel. Upon arrival, Ces was given a ticket for a cocktail party in our honour tomorrow evening ... the ticket clearly stated "Please wear a gown". Hmmm, how to transform grubby Castrol overalls into a gown ... that would be a challenge even for Trinny and Suzannah ... perhaps their next series could be entitled "What not to wear to a Mongolia Ball!".
Tomorrow (Tuesday) is a rest day and we're waiting for today´s results. At the moment we've been placed in 41st overall postion and I think 13th in class but this relates to our breakdown day so, from now on, it's push, push, push.....
 |
| And now for a word from our sponsor ... |
I'll let you know how dinner goes and how the repairs pan out!
CD & Ces
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)