RGM trip from Paris to Budapest - Pictures and video

[klaus]

Monday
6:30 AM Breakfast with team in Paris hotel close to airport
7:30 AM Squeeze 20+ people and their belongings into 2 vans and one taxi for a 40minute ride to Eric's shop near Paris.
8:xx AM Load 3 all support vehicles with gear, change tires on big trucks at Eric's shop. There was a blue Protruck Chevy in the shop and what looked like a new or very fresh prep mid engine Truck based on some Protruck designs.
x:xx AM/PM Robby and BJ show up from airport and help load things up.
7:xx PM start the long drive to Budapest with 2 race H3, 3 Big Trucks (T4, T6), 2 H1 support and media vehicles and one rent-a-van. I switched around and rode some of it in the van, the H1 and the H3 with Andy Grinder on the wheel.
Tuesday
0:xx AM Entered Germany and explained to Andy in the H3 what the No Speed limit sign looks like. WOT for a short while.
0:45 AM Like good Americans eat at a local Burger King.
3:xx AM First and only run in with the German Polizei. They where just concerned with our safety as we pulled over within an off-ramp. Small chat, no tickets.
5-6 AM Breakfast at a Bavarian Freeway Restaurant and Gas station. On special request they cooked up some Saurbraut for some of the crew. From here on the Eurotrip continued in Day time.
4:40 PM Entered Hungary. Just some 160+ km to go.
7:xx PM? Did the drive around downtown in a parade of T4, T6 H1,s and race H3. Lets say it drew attention when Turbo To and the T6 drag raced throughout tiny streets. Most locals didn't know what to say. Some took pictures and we even spotted some local hoties just about to flash the convoy in order to get us to hang out at a bar. Pudapest might turn into trouble.
8:xx PM found hotel, departed team. My ride stopped here. Next I hitched a ride in a taxi to the Airport to pick up my ride a FIAT Punto.
12:00 AM WRC the FIAT in the rain to my hotel. I use Microsoft Street maps for my navigation.
Wednesday
1:00 AM SLEEP

YouTube - Hummer3 on Autobahn

[spalind]

So what do they call a Whopper in Germany?? Great stuff Klaus...especially the RG with a BK crown on pic...

[Marty]

Thanks for the Updates !!!

[b-makk]

Sweeeettttttt!!!!!!

[Demp]

The picture with RG with the crown on is pricless, thanks klaus ! :cool:

[RacingOne]

Thanks Klaus, great pictures and story.

[NIKAL]

Thanks Klaus. I can wait for tomorrows pictures and updates!

[WickedGravityVideo]

Great photos, Klaus! Thanks for the update. Can't you use Baja tactics and just pay the Polizei $20? I guess not. I bet BJ Baldwin is having the time of his life!!! That photo of Grider looks like he is already totally focused on the race -- not distracted by the outside world! GO ANDY!! I want to preorder the poster of RG as the King. I AM BURGER KING!!! (new video idea?)

[Kartman]

What speed did the H3s get up to in Germany?

How many forints to the $ these days?

[spalind]

What speed did the H3s get up to in Germany?

How many forints to the $ these days?

Is that 172 the KPH on the dash in that last pic?? if so thats 107 mph...

[notime]

thnx for the updates Kleazzy!!!

[alan4s]

Thanks for the updates from Europe Klaus. I look forward to more of them.

[baja619]

Is Ramses Perez from Toyo rolling with the RG crew?

[alan4s]

Yes. He's blogging it on toyo.com.

[klaus]

Kartman:
forits to Euro is 250f to 1Euro more or less. It calculates easy in my head. Not sure about dollar as I started my trip in Euros I keep it that way. I have heard that people do accept dollars though.

spalind:
The 172 is water temp. The speed is towards the right and not visible. I was sworn in by the team to keep top speed a national secret. I can not reveal it. In all seriousness I never paid attention to the speed. We cruised at around 100-120kph most of the time as we traveled in a convoy with a T4 and T6 truck. It goes fast and jamming in the sequential gears one after another makes for fast acceleration. Your average BMW most likely would smoke it on the road.

Wicked:
German Polizei is not really bribe-able but then they are more like your "Freund und Helfer" (Friend and Helper) so if you can explain yourself and keep your cool they work with you.

Images:
- Fiat Punto rent-a-car
- Budapest at night just now

[tre5]

Lucky Klizzy

[boydphoto]

Klaus, I'll be there on Fri.
Are you saying I should buy local currency or will Euros/dollars work?

[dfmcse]

Thanks Klaus, great pics and video.

[redbaronrace]

budapest looks beautiful at night . hows the girls .dont worry bj and jason are to scared to pick any up !

[spalind]

Thanks Klaus...Wow...just...wow....great stuff...

[Dezertpilot]

The photos are awesome! Yes I will agree I bet BJ is on cloud 9, the photo of Budapest at night is absolutely spectacular:)

[DSRacing]

The only thing that rental car needs is an RDC sticker!

Thanks for the pics Klaus,

[Cadwell]

My wife is from hungary, and she tells me that all the girls will do anything when it comes to american guys over there!!! I guess thats why she won't let me go with her in the summer!!!

[xjobforacowboyx]

Sweet story, and pictures. That picture of Budapest, makes me want to go there soon.

-Keith

[bufeo]

Wow! You mean they actually drove the H3s to Budapest? Now that's some class. Reminds me of sports car racing in the 50s.

Klaus, what's with the Andy "Grinder" [sic] bit? Is there some sort of 'in' joke or was this just a typo?

Great photos. Thanks again.

Allen R

P.S. Hey sports fans, wouldn't you just love to be there?

[Hog Wild]

Call into RallyRAIDio.com from Jonah Street's crew in Budapest:

Direct download: http://media.libsyn.com/media/rallyraidio/PanAmCER2.mp3

[FlyHiFlyLo]

The speed is towards the right and not visible. I was sworn in by the team to keep top speed a national secret. I can not reveal it.

Go ahead and post it! Chase would say it's not possible anyways... LOL

Those H-3s are F'n Fast!

[sandracer33]

[QUOTE=bufeo;436641]

Klaus, what's with the Andy "Grinder" [sic] bit? Is there some sort of 'in' joke or was this just a typo?



Hey Allen................We`ve been calling Andy that for years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Klaus just now got to ride with him!!

Go get `em boys!!
Lee

[klaus]

Klaus, I'll be there on Fri.
Are you saying I should buy local currency or will Euros/dollars work?

Boyd, sweet!

Bring US dollar and change at the airport to what you think you may spend. Euro is your second currency and Dollar your third. However they work best at non corporate establishments. Also count your cash on transactions I got jacked last night at a gas station.

[bufeo]

[quote=bufeo;436641]

Klaus, what's with the Andy "Grinder" [sic] bit? Is there some sort of 'in' joke or was this just a typo?



Hey Allen................We`ve been calling Andy that for years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Klaus just now got to ride with him!!... Lee

Well, Lee, guess that shows how far out of the loop I am (was?) :rolleyes:

Allen R

[Chase 2]

Call into RallyRAIDio.com from Jonah Street's crew in Budapest:

Direct download: http://media.libsyn.com/media/rallyraidio/PanAmCER2.mp3

Thanks for the link!

GO JONAH!!!!

[NIKAL]

This came from the Toyo blog,

The road to Budapest was a long and treacherous one. Having to keep together two unimogs, one man truck, two Hummer H1’s, and the two race Hummers is not an easy feat. We drove from Paris France to Budapest Hungary, 1,484 Kilometers. The trip took twenty-eight hours of straight driving. It just seemed that something went wrong with the vehicles every forty fives minutes. We lost some of the vehicles, so we had to stop and wait. People wanted to use the restroom so we had to pull over. People were hungry, tired and sleepy. We had to switch drivers every 200km or so. About two in the morning we stopped at a Bunger King in Germany. I felt bad for the the workers, getting that type of order in the middle of the night. We drove through Germany and headed in to Austria. The Man truck kept stalling us because of the limiter straps kept falling off. Robby was complaining that his stomach hurt. He toughed it out for some time, then all of a sudden he told me to pull over NOW! He ran out of the van and proceeded to regurgitate the cheese balls he had the night before. I felt really bad for him, the guy is tough as nails and he was showing signs of mortality.

The team finally made it to Hungary. It was a nightmare trying to get around town, the streets are narrow and we had no idea where the hotel was.

As I am writing this Robby came in to the lobby and told me I have to go to the ASO and get my Media credentials. I will be back in a bit and finish up this blog and post some pictures…

[Sampeter]

Can you port the link for the Toyo blog?

Thanks!

[RGFan]

http://www.toyo.com/centraleuroperally/


Wow, what a bummer, I hope the teams and machines recoup in time for the start. They will need everybody and everything at 100% for the race.

[michael_loomis]

sound a little whiney to anyone else?

[RGFan]

sound a little whiney to anyone else?

SOunds like one of those drives from from hell with the kids, they covered all of the bases to making a trip miserable........Food poisoning, lack of sleep, a million bathroom breaks and more bad food at the drive thru. And then the traffic that was worse then on the 91 for the happy ending......Yep, one shiotty drive:D

[michael_loomis]

SOunds like one of those drives from from hell with the kids, they covered all of the bases to making a trip miserable........Food poisoning, lack of sleep, a million bathroom breaks and more bad food at the drive thru. And then the traffic that was worse then on the 91 for the happy ending......Yep, one shiotty drive:D

boohoo.. lol.. I'll trade seats with him in a HEARTBEAT!

[JasonHutter]

Keep up the good work Klaus! Must be a great experience! Awsome!

Jason
Fire Guys

[RGFan]

boohoo.. lol.. I'll trade seats with him in a HEARTBEAT!

Yeah, you and me both;) If you are going to get Food poisoning, what a way to get it......It sure beats getting it on your way home from our 9-5's

[Ferrari333SP]

Hey guys, if any of you want some new music to get you pumped up for the domination the Hummers will lay down next week, check out the new music from this band, Story of the Year, at this site here: http://www.muchmusic.com/music/firstspin/storyoftheyear/

Check out the first track, Choose Your Fate, and Tell Me. Gets me thinkin' of the Hummers flyin' through the air.