Started really well. Due to our (late) finish in stage 5, we still managed to get a 24th starting position. Navigation went perfectly and we headed for the first test at checkpoint 1.
This was a creek that we needed to enter and follow about two hundred metres. We got there at about eleven-thirty to find a row of cars ahead of us. No alternative but to join the queue and wait for the cars in front to get through the section. By now the stream had become a serious mud bath.
Very rough going. A few cars were having trouble at the exit. A lot of mud and extremely difficult. Snapped ropes and even winch motors. Like trying to winch your car through two feet of wet concrete.. This took about two hours before we could get through. Which went quite quickly for us… As we continued along the track we could sense that something was wrong. No traction from the rear.
Due to the rain all the tracks were incredibly slippery. When we encountered a really steep section, we had no chance. We winched our way about a hundred metres up and limped to checkpoint two and retired from the day. Back at camp we found the halfshaft had snapped.
We are now looking for a replacement here in camp and hope to get to the start tomorrow. For the press crew it was a day of ‘hurry-up-and-wait’. Some good action at the steep slope and then waiting for aeons at the river crossing…
Ever wondered what it must be like driving in a competition like this?
Check out some dash-cam action: