klaus
April 24th, 2008, 12:41
4/24/2008 04:41 (PDT) We are 8 hours before.
Thursday
Veszprem, Hungary
BY eL CHINERO
RALLY?
After reviewing many units it seems like one could have big fun in a well-prepared “7-ish” of “Sportsman” truck. The major deal would be having the top-of-the-line suspenders: coil-overs on carriers plus big bypass shocks. Virtually every car of every ilk doubled up with tiny shocks carrying coil-overs.
A good spool, really braced and bash-plated located by arms and links would be state-of-the-art.
Dan Vance’s truck comes to mind. Honest.
SS5A
We picked up Boyd and went to the area near Checkpoint 2 … which was within walking distance to the Start.
SECRETS UNVEILED
Transit section in Fiat: “Don’ need to be gentle, it’s a rental.” After going agricultural with Der Klausmeister … around a flax field … that is the unPC “Rapeseed” for cooking oil.
Off the start was a, gulp, huh, JUMP. Robbie and BJ were the only fast cars that did not approach “endo land”. These other guys musta missed the advanced course: “Rebound 301.”
I mean …
The other cars, if not on putt-putt mode, were 3, 4 feet off the ground … the rear end. The nose was inches.
Robbie launched front-end-high and land power-on and rocked the proving ground. He had the course dialed.
(Word was that the course, of many trails, was close to other lines, routes and directions and mistake were ready to be made.)
The day was breezy, sunny, scudded clouds, nice.
But, in Yrrup … if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute, it’ll change.
START @
#1 … 201 … Sainz … 11:03 … VW
50Q … 11:04
115Q … 11:04
#2 … 203 … De Villiers … 11:06 … VW
79 MC … 11:08
#4 ….213 … Dieter Depping …11:10 … VW
#5 … 200 … Peterhansel ... 11:13 … Mitsu
#6 … 218 … BJ … 11:14 … H3
#7 … … 11:15 … BMW
#8 … 204 … Roma … 11:17 … Mitsu
51MC … 11:19
#9 … 202 … Alphand …11:20 … Mitsu
#10 … 212 … Robbie G … 11:20 …
#11 … 209 … Sousa … 11:24 … fast
#12
#13
#14 … Nissan PU
#22 … Petersen
Peterson team tore door off on Wednesday … had the frame… went to the Obi (-Wan Kenobi) … the local Lowe’s for a piece of Plexiglas.
Friends of Matthews found the frame and brought it to the pits.
CHECKPOINT DETAILS
They have a PDA that the car number is punched in … these are “stop Caps” ... the data is xmitted to ASO’ Paree site and then to Race Control. Takes 2 seconds to complete… they also take hard hand-written copy.
The car’s co-dog holds out the transit card and the monitor stamps it. There are two CPs in this race. The passenger puts the card against the window for backup.
The CP dude said that checking the trucks is dangerous: they hit the brakes, get sideways. He stands w a y back. He did get tagged once in Afrika.
Danger is his business: no helmet, no boots, and no gear.
The Romanian finish stop was spooky: full of rain, loose rocks after a crest of a hill, i.e., downhill.
Alert The Media: The Petersen car lit ‘em up big time after the CP2: things lookin' up.
They had had a crappy night prior: new door, delta clutch, Pin hole in radiator
Shifter mount
Lotsa work
Seemed to have paid off as they moved up.VW
The track section was chip-strewn limestone marl … plus some red beds. Suggesting deposition at an emerging seashore. Geology 206.
289 lots the RH bed side
Jose Lopez Rivas de Espana
#279
Broke a final drive …. Lots of extra parts in the diff. When the clutch was let out the rear end jumped up and down. They proceeded to drop the rear propeller shaft (you get into the European lingo …
They also had been over on the right side …
Bike 96 was on its side … the tattered remnants of a git-off that required a helo … and the “Vomit Comet” ... the snatch flatbed with the cherry picker and the box container for riders: no winders, no air, … hence the name.
ASO had a Security guy on-site securing the area.
TRUCKS
Some of them caught Toyotas … how disappointing.
SS5B
Robby won the previous stage … smiley faces all around. Andy Grider was dropping the tire pressure to 32 psig …”They got up to 40 from the highway run.” The inflaters lines were removed … due to the one that got ripped off … torn off … the day before. “This isn’t the dunes; we don’t have to air down.”
Robby invoked: “We need new wheels tonight … they are chunking and we have a slice on the (RH) side.”
THE GET-GO
#201-- Sainz -- was first off in his VW …
*not sand and gravel …
BJ and Kevin (he sure talks funny) were THIRD off the line! Robbie and Andy Seventh OA.
This is the stage made for the H3s … the area suited for the Baja cars. like out of Ojos.
Off the line Robbie had it firewalled from hell to breakfast. Never lifted when other did … and railed the road. Water crossings were ignored as others blipped their throttles. That ain't no way to win a war! The locals with the ex-military olive-drab 1982 Blazer were appropriately enthused.
CHEEZE: Robbie’s enthusiasm for the H3 suggests a “500” entry wth a REAL motor and the other H3, also.
Q: Who will plot that one?
OFF THE LINE
#1 … 201 … Sainz … 15:11 VW
#2 … 213 … Depping … 15:15 … VW
#3 … 218 … BJ … H3
#4 … X-5 (Is this thing a sleeper, or what?)
#5 & #6 … Two Mits
#7 … RG
How about Mike Peterson? Up to 19th OA from the depths of despair, from the doldrums of doom.
Nice work by The Skiltonian Institute!
Early day; first time to finish, and “Soproni” beer tent.
TOMORROW BODES WELL FOR THE H3 “STREET GANG”
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
HOLD THE PHONE
BJ FINISHES FIFTH OA = TOP TEN
ROBBY ROLLS … STILL NOT IN. HUB?
LOCAL TIME: 17:58
See pics
Matt Stevenson, what’s your (Mike Petersen) story?
“Ye got me now … what do you want me to say?”
I’m not a professional navigator.
I’m a professional drinker.
(He settles down)
It’s out first best day to date
Best clean run …
Good stage this morning but slowed because of a flat … had to change it at about 20K.
4 minutes
No lug gun (WTF)
By hand
Manual jack (WTF)
From a San Diego auto museum
Hat is, a Hovey approved Oldsmobile jack)
Then we got in a convoy in the dust … had to be cautious
Told about the jumps
No reason to smash the car up.
Stopped twice
One time to clean the windscreen and the tire
At a Control … we had a guy clean it for u.
We scared the first guy we asked … came in a little hot?
Day before we had shift troubles … only second … then only third gear … now we have a full box of gears.
AND we stayed on the course!
AGED CHEEZE
Tom Geviss spoke of his day in the mtns of Romania … when the rains came and the mud flow. They came upon the yellow whatever, off the “road’, off the bride, down in the raging torrent … they had hit a Commie concrete abutment and pirouetted into the river. Then Tom and Jeff got their, the truck was abandoned. Being made of the Right Stuff they got out, strapped on and pulled it out … before the rescue rig showed up. “WTF”, they said in their mother tongue.
Then a mystical mud flow … Dracu? … mired one of the GINAF trucks to such an extent that a Cat was required. Tom said that the mule skinner was not paying attention and backed into a large Pinus Ponderosa and knocked it totally out of the earth. “Guys were running everywhere. I stood to see which way it was goin!” It bounced into some other trees: no (personnel) harm …
The next day, in the SS4A section they broke a lower coilover spud and lad the M.A.N over on its side. “We had the tow strap out and three guys just drove by!” Once the locals righted the behemoth they limped into Orkeny and Mexicingeered a fix. “The locals dug it; they even brought us some pizzas!” They gave out some “Monster” shirts … PR that money CAN NOT BUY!
Tom: “We need a good truck … we’da been on the sport after Robby’s accident. Within 5 kilicks of the finish when a good jump and a bad landing tore out a rear hub. They tried that age-old-wive’s take: lock the output of the dmages side of the transaxle. They tried ratchet straps. Broke em.
Andy told this tale: We saw a house and walke dup .. it was dirt poor. We rooted around in the junk pile and found a cable .. it was 100-feet-long and we tried to cut it with our little hammer. No go. So we got their on dikes and used the hammer on it: they freaked out …gona break our only pliers. Got it cut an slipped the little kid 20 Euros ($30 US).
We wrapped that around and POW it broke. So we got what bolts we got get back in in and limped in.”
We won the first stage by 12 seconds.
TECH NOTE: The Mits have a 29 mm inlet restrictor.
Rumor: They want to restrict the H3s even more, even tho they have never won. Can’t win for losin’ … or what ever
Tom said that Water Boy BJ should have pulled over after the start …he left #4 and Robby #7 ... but the world was not passed on and they do NOT allow race radios in the cars. Doh. If Cap’n Chaos done that he could towed the H3 to the finish on three.
Coulda.
Woulda
Shoulda
Tom: Andy will get Robby wired up for tomorrow .. he will put on quite a show!
Thursday
Veszprem, Hungary
BY eL CHINERO
RALLY?
After reviewing many units it seems like one could have big fun in a well-prepared “7-ish” of “Sportsman” truck. The major deal would be having the top-of-the-line suspenders: coil-overs on carriers plus big bypass shocks. Virtually every car of every ilk doubled up with tiny shocks carrying coil-overs.
A good spool, really braced and bash-plated located by arms and links would be state-of-the-art.
Dan Vance’s truck comes to mind. Honest.
SS5A
We picked up Boyd and went to the area near Checkpoint 2 … which was within walking distance to the Start.
SECRETS UNVEILED
Transit section in Fiat: “Don’ need to be gentle, it’s a rental.” After going agricultural with Der Klausmeister … around a flax field … that is the unPC “Rapeseed” for cooking oil.
Off the start was a, gulp, huh, JUMP. Robbie and BJ were the only fast cars that did not approach “endo land”. These other guys musta missed the advanced course: “Rebound 301.”
I mean …
The other cars, if not on putt-putt mode, were 3, 4 feet off the ground … the rear end. The nose was inches.
Robbie launched front-end-high and land power-on and rocked the proving ground. He had the course dialed.
(Word was that the course, of many trails, was close to other lines, routes and directions and mistake were ready to be made.)
The day was breezy, sunny, scudded clouds, nice.
But, in Yrrup … if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute, it’ll change.
START @
#1 … 201 … Sainz … 11:03 … VW
50Q … 11:04
115Q … 11:04
#2 … 203 … De Villiers … 11:06 … VW
79 MC … 11:08
#4 ….213 … Dieter Depping …11:10 … VW
#5 … 200 … Peterhansel ... 11:13 … Mitsu
#6 … 218 … BJ … 11:14 … H3
#7 … … 11:15 … BMW
#8 … 204 … Roma … 11:17 … Mitsu
51MC … 11:19
#9 … 202 … Alphand …11:20 … Mitsu
#10 … 212 … Robbie G … 11:20 …
#11 … 209 … Sousa … 11:24 … fast
#12
#13
#14 … Nissan PU
#22 … Petersen
Peterson team tore door off on Wednesday … had the frame… went to the Obi (-Wan Kenobi) … the local Lowe’s for a piece of Plexiglas.
Friends of Matthews found the frame and brought it to the pits.
CHECKPOINT DETAILS
They have a PDA that the car number is punched in … these are “stop Caps” ... the data is xmitted to ASO’ Paree site and then to Race Control. Takes 2 seconds to complete… they also take hard hand-written copy.
The car’s co-dog holds out the transit card and the monitor stamps it. There are two CPs in this race. The passenger puts the card against the window for backup.
The CP dude said that checking the trucks is dangerous: they hit the brakes, get sideways. He stands w a y back. He did get tagged once in Afrika.
Danger is his business: no helmet, no boots, and no gear.
The Romanian finish stop was spooky: full of rain, loose rocks after a crest of a hill, i.e., downhill.
Alert The Media: The Petersen car lit ‘em up big time after the CP2: things lookin' up.
They had had a crappy night prior: new door, delta clutch, Pin hole in radiator
Shifter mount
Lotsa work
Seemed to have paid off as they moved up.VW
The track section was chip-strewn limestone marl … plus some red beds. Suggesting deposition at an emerging seashore. Geology 206.
289 lots the RH bed side
Jose Lopez Rivas de Espana
#279
Broke a final drive …. Lots of extra parts in the diff. When the clutch was let out the rear end jumped up and down. They proceeded to drop the rear propeller shaft (you get into the European lingo …
They also had been over on the right side …
Bike 96 was on its side … the tattered remnants of a git-off that required a helo … and the “Vomit Comet” ... the snatch flatbed with the cherry picker and the box container for riders: no winders, no air, … hence the name.
ASO had a Security guy on-site securing the area.
TRUCKS
Some of them caught Toyotas … how disappointing.
SS5B
Robby won the previous stage … smiley faces all around. Andy Grider was dropping the tire pressure to 32 psig …”They got up to 40 from the highway run.” The inflaters lines were removed … due to the one that got ripped off … torn off … the day before. “This isn’t the dunes; we don’t have to air down.”
Robby invoked: “We need new wheels tonight … they are chunking and we have a slice on the (RH) side.”
THE GET-GO
#201-- Sainz -- was first off in his VW …
*not sand and gravel …
BJ and Kevin (he sure talks funny) were THIRD off the line! Robbie and Andy Seventh OA.
This is the stage made for the H3s … the area suited for the Baja cars. like out of Ojos.
Off the line Robbie had it firewalled from hell to breakfast. Never lifted when other did … and railed the road. Water crossings were ignored as others blipped their throttles. That ain't no way to win a war! The locals with the ex-military olive-drab 1982 Blazer were appropriately enthused.
CHEEZE: Robbie’s enthusiasm for the H3 suggests a “500” entry wth a REAL motor and the other H3, also.
Q: Who will plot that one?
OFF THE LINE
#1 … 201 … Sainz … 15:11 VW
#2 … 213 … Depping … 15:15 … VW
#3 … 218 … BJ … H3
#4 … X-5 (Is this thing a sleeper, or what?)
#5 & #6 … Two Mits
#7 … RG
How about Mike Peterson? Up to 19th OA from the depths of despair, from the doldrums of doom.
Nice work by The Skiltonian Institute!
Early day; first time to finish, and “Soproni” beer tent.
TOMORROW BODES WELL FOR THE H3 “STREET GANG”
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
HOLD THE PHONE
BJ FINISHES FIFTH OA = TOP TEN
ROBBY ROLLS … STILL NOT IN. HUB?
LOCAL TIME: 17:58
See pics
Matt Stevenson, what’s your (Mike Petersen) story?
“Ye got me now … what do you want me to say?”
I’m not a professional navigator.
I’m a professional drinker.
(He settles down)
It’s out first best day to date
Best clean run …
Good stage this morning but slowed because of a flat … had to change it at about 20K.
4 minutes
No lug gun (WTF)
By hand
Manual jack (WTF)
From a San Diego auto museum
Hat is, a Hovey approved Oldsmobile jack)
Then we got in a convoy in the dust … had to be cautious
Told about the jumps
No reason to smash the car up.
Stopped twice
One time to clean the windscreen and the tire
At a Control … we had a guy clean it for u.
We scared the first guy we asked … came in a little hot?
Day before we had shift troubles … only second … then only third gear … now we have a full box of gears.
AND we stayed on the course!
AGED CHEEZE
Tom Geviss spoke of his day in the mtns of Romania … when the rains came and the mud flow. They came upon the yellow whatever, off the “road’, off the bride, down in the raging torrent … they had hit a Commie concrete abutment and pirouetted into the river. Then Tom and Jeff got their, the truck was abandoned. Being made of the Right Stuff they got out, strapped on and pulled it out … before the rescue rig showed up. “WTF”, they said in their mother tongue.
Then a mystical mud flow … Dracu? … mired one of the GINAF trucks to such an extent that a Cat was required. Tom said that the mule skinner was not paying attention and backed into a large Pinus Ponderosa and knocked it totally out of the earth. “Guys were running everywhere. I stood to see which way it was goin!” It bounced into some other trees: no (personnel) harm …
The next day, in the SS4A section they broke a lower coilover spud and lad the M.A.N over on its side. “We had the tow strap out and three guys just drove by!” Once the locals righted the behemoth they limped into Orkeny and Mexicingeered a fix. “The locals dug it; they even brought us some pizzas!” They gave out some “Monster” shirts … PR that money CAN NOT BUY!
Tom: “We need a good truck … we’da been on the sport after Robby’s accident. Within 5 kilicks of the finish when a good jump and a bad landing tore out a rear hub. They tried that age-old-wive’s take: lock the output of the dmages side of the transaxle. They tried ratchet straps. Broke em.
Andy told this tale: We saw a house and walke dup .. it was dirt poor. We rooted around in the junk pile and found a cable .. it was 100-feet-long and we tried to cut it with our little hammer. No go. So we got their on dikes and used the hammer on it: they freaked out …gona break our only pliers. Got it cut an slipped the little kid 20 Euros ($30 US).
We wrapped that around and POW it broke. So we got what bolts we got get back in in and limped in.”
We won the first stage by 12 seconds.
TECH NOTE: The Mits have a 29 mm inlet restrictor.
Rumor: They want to restrict the H3s even more, even tho they have never won. Can’t win for losin’ … or what ever
Tom said that Water Boy BJ should have pulled over after the start …he left #4 and Robby #7 ... but the world was not passed on and they do NOT allow race radios in the cars. Doh. If Cap’n Chaos done that he could towed the H3 to the finish on three.
Coulda.
Woulda
Shoulda
Tom: Andy will get Robby wired up for tomorrow .. he will put on quite a show!