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Official website: www.londoncapetownrally.com |
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FRIDAY, 30 DECEMBER 2011
Forgot
to mention it was our 37th wedding
anniversary yesterday and the first one we have ever been
apart on the 28th
December. There is a first time for everything.
Spent
the first couple of hours tracking down a new GPS. Anne
(Pickering) and I drove down to Chichester (about 100km) to
get it. Now I just have to load it up with maps etc.
While
we did this, Mark repacked the car. He is sounding more
confident that we can fit everything in. We are going to be
cramped I think.
In
the afternoon we set of to see more of the Pickering's
nieces and nephews this time about 200Km to the north. I was
extremely tired on the way home.
(later)
Today
we had a get together for competitors called rally school.
We were told all about to use a
GPS (which I already knew) and how they wanted us to use the
trackers that are installed in each car. At various points
along the way, we are expected to press a button on the
tracker to transmit our position to a satellite which in
turn sends the info the scorers in London. No need for
officials!! Our position also gets updated on their internet
site so the world can see exactly where we are.
It
was a good exercise for us in a few ways. We learnt we need
to do something about the windscreen fogging up and we have
some water leaks we should try and block up. The route went
through narrow lanes with high hedges and a turn every Km or
so. It poured rain the whole time and there were sheets or
water on the road.
The
nicest thing I could say about the weather here is that it's
miserable. Freezing cold and raining most of the time. My
toes go numb while we are driving along in the car. I will
find my thickest socks for tomorrow.
Mark
has bought an in-car camera which is proving to be a bit of
a challenge for us to install. I hope we can get on top of
that tomorrow. Ended the day having dinner with another of Mark's nephews - Murray's son Philip and partner Bec |
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SATURDAY,
31 DECEMBER 2011
The
31st was fairly quiet. We fiddled with
the car, bought a few bits and pieces and settled into the
bar with the other Australian and a Canadian crew in the
evening. We were all gone by about 9:30.
I
didn't hear any of the New Year celebrations until about 2am
when there was a fair bit of noise outside. At 6:30am the
fire alarm went off so this is being written at 6:45am
Big
day today – we have to be at scrutineering at 10am and we
leave for House of Lords/Parliament Square at 4pm. We are
all booked in for dinner at some famous pub before the start
at 7pm.
If
all goes to plan after a navigation section, we will be
catching the ferry from Dover to Calais at about 4am and
then driving all day to Beaune in France. I'd be happy to start now!!
1/1/2012
– 2/1/2012 (London to Beaune,
France:) This is the longest stretch of rallying I've done since probably the '95 Round Australia. After a poor night's sleep we took the car to Brookland's motor museum at 10am for scrutineering & briefing.T here were hundred of vintage cars there (above). |
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Only
problem – pouring rain!!. We left there at 4pm (still in heavy rain) for the House of Lords car park adjacent to Big Ben, Parliament House where the rally officially started. The first car left
at 7.01. |
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We did three forest stages in
Kent plus what I thought was a horror navigation stage
(which I didn't do too well at) also in Kent, plus one stage
in the Somme region of France. In the UK, they used different timing systems almost with each section, and some 'forest sections' are more like a motorkhana than a rally. |
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I am
writing this as we travel the motorway to Beaune.
We did
get a sleep on the ferry and I've just driven for a while to
give Mark a break.
Our car
has some annoying problems but nothing serious. It leaks
water and fogs up badly, power steering doesn't work
sometimes which made 10 point turns on narrow lanes a very
long process when I need to go back to find the road we
should have be on. The exhaust was touching the sump guard
and making noise but Mark fixed that while we were waiting
to start the Somme section.
Glad to be away from the
miserable weather in the UK. France is cold and overcast but
it hasn't rained yet .The UK seemed to have rain 90% of the
time.
At hotel now after doing
another driver swap. t's a Novotel and had wifi. Need sleep!
Results show us as 16th
– I'm amazed we are that high but it's a very long way to go
yet. |
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