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View Full Version : Higher Learnings... or the last day before the Dakar race tt#3



El Chinero
April 19th, 2008, 14:42
4/19/2008 12:41:18 PM

BUDAPEST

TT’S NOTES #3

BIG DAY IN BUDAPEST
Scrutineering @ Heroes Park

Not quit like outside the San Nic in Ensenada but somewhat flambeaux … Eastern European techno music in the Tech tent. Tecate Gurlz disguised as Jim Beam Babes. A LOT less Lookie Lous but ... Robbie G. is the ultimate magnet: “they” all were waiting for the H3. Make no mistake on that. He, and B.J., were the Men Of The Meeting or men, women and kids alike.

Scrutineering blows an entire day for a team: mucho dead time, mill-n-stage. You are assigned a show-time and being early means nada. Other than feeding the spectator frenzy.

One of the quads had IRS: CVs and boots. Is it worth the effort? The quads have such a huge array of GOS, trackers, route chart scroll boxes that staying in the saddle pretty much blows any forward vision.

Any of the cars uncharitably-spelled DNF: stock rear ends without any bracing, inflaters/deflaters with dangling exposed air lines … creosote bush catchers.

Belaboring the point but why have TWO coil –overs when one dos the job?

The Red Bull hospitality “tent” was huge … heh, heh … think expando RV units for the ultra-special peeps plus an H1 with a DJ on top. Red Bull had an aerobatic show of broad proportions: hammerhead stall, inverted sideslips, outside loops … all right over Tech and Impound (“Parc fermé”, literally meaning "closed park" in French, a term used to describe a secure area at a Grand Prix circuit where the cars may be stored -- Wikipedia). The cars are impounded in the grandiose Heroes Park square.

The only thing noticeably going on in the final Tech tent was the wire sealing of the inlet restrictor and the engine mounts: no changes allowed.

Lots of super-ethnic looking people: Slaves. Croats, Bulgars … Checkers.

The Mitsubishi guys were all over the Hummers … so Kevin Heath and BJ went over to stick THEIR heads under the roller skate’s hood. Fair is fair.

The Mitsus were well appointed but, once gain, had mini-dampers. RG’s were beyond all pale in comparison.

When he left Tech (“Scrutineering” is SO troublesome to type … ) he romped the fule feed and lifter the socks up to the limit straps: fans WERE impressed.

The LS in the H3s uses stock serpentine belt tensioners, pulleys and brackets: “With the restrictor plater it is so mild that RPMs are not an issue: OEM is fine.”

A major event sponsor is Loctite: “Loctite rep to RG: “DO you use Loctite?” “I use Loctite on every-thing.”

Klaus n I went out to prerun the Day 1 Special Stage: a 63-km counterclockwise loop to be run in an old military compound n hour south of the metro area … think Midwest farmland: deep damp sandy soils. The info package warned: “existing undulating terrain (‘woops’)” Well, OK. We ran in on farm roads, for recon, in the Fiat: Klaus: “Does the exhaust seem louder now?” We scared up a brace of deer.

Out of town it is sorta like being pushed back several generations … horse carts, Trabants, roads like Puertocitos …


Plus some village fair where a dude road on the back of the rear two horse of a four-horse team.

See pics …

(MORE LATER)

geronimo5
April 19th, 2008, 14:57
Tony,

Did you want a picture of the yellow 286 or the Cro-Magnon in the Iron Maiden shirt?

bufeo
April 19th, 2008, 15:11
EC,

Thoroughly enjoyable write-up w/pix. Thkx...that's short for Thanks. Same way you can do "Scrutineering" to Screw. :D

I'm green with envy. To think that I'm sitting here in P'cott waiting for a piece of mail that I need to take down to Pta Bufeo, and you guys are having a ball. Fie on ye!...but have a great time, anyway.

Allen R

klaus
April 19th, 2008, 15:25
10-4 on what TT posted...

We "prerun" the last part of the SS tomorrow and it seems RGM friendly. But then we have only seen a small part of it. It looked to us like graded farm roads with a couple of gotchas in it for limited travel vehicles. Some of it seemed soft ground though...

Our Fiat is now riced out and lost some top end on the freeway...It seems like the exhaust got opened up without tools.

After the SS it will be a 400km liaison into Romania. If we plan on photo op prerun before Day2's race it will make for a very long day tomorrow.

klaus
April 19th, 2008, 15:30
Walking around today and "inspecting" all kinds of vehicles was fun. We bumped into lots of people in a good mood from all over the world. Budapest seems like a melting pod today.

klaus
April 19th, 2008, 15:33
mass photos

klaus
April 19th, 2008, 15:36
mass photos+

klaus
April 19th, 2008, 15:38
some more

RGFan
April 19th, 2008, 15:38
What an incredibe experience. I get the opportunity to travel with work interntaionally, but never to a race like this. Thanks for the pics

mattb
April 19th, 2008, 15:57
Didn't know the DA was going too. Nice pic of TT posing with them...

CDN11
April 19th, 2008, 18:27
Nice pictures, I notice the blood-type on some of the competitors vehicles. Why not on all vehicles?

FlyHiFlyLo
April 19th, 2008, 18:31
This would be awesome for the Talladega infield!

http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=36109&d=1208640750

bufeo
April 19th, 2008, 19:20
Nice pictures, I notice the blood-type on some of the competitors vehicles. Why not on all vehicles?

I believe that by the time the green flag drops all vehicles will have that data on the doors.

Allen R

Brian1
April 19th, 2008, 20:25
Klaus and Tony, thanks for the great coverage and pictures!

RGFan
April 20th, 2008, 00:30
This would be awesome for the Talladega infield!

http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=36109&d=1208640750

Actually, I remember RG having something like this, the two story deal anyways and Nascar said he could not keep it in the private RV lot.