Roulette Runner [FINAL RESULTS]

Team Twin-Snail

Before departing to the campgrounds.

The Storm Automotive garage was a whirlwind of activity two days before the event. Luke yelled items off the list in desperation as panic started to set in. Meanwhile, Scott, Amy, and Linda were having a screaming match over who packed the blankets on top of the motor oil and didn’t check that the bottles were all closed first.

“Someone, stop screaming at each other, and go get the damn transmission fluid already! I shouldn’t be the only one packing the fuckin’ car!” Luke yelled, losing his temper. “We’ve got less than 48 hours, we’ll have to cannonball through the damn night to get there on time, and you three are wasting air screaming at each other instead of fixing the problem.”

Amy Storm was the first one to leave the shouting match, unloaded the soiled blankets and the burst motor oil bottle, then made some room for their industrial-sized container of automatic transmission fluid. “You know, Luke, this wouldn’t be necessary if you’d have just pulled the transmission and swapped it.”

“And defeat the spirit of the challenge, Amy? Buy a junker, patch it up, and drive the hell out of it. It never said ‘replace all the broken bits’ before ‘drive the hell out of it.’ So that’s why the old Sinistra has the automatic with the leaky valve body. The devil you know, after all…” Luke said.

“… Is at least one you can be prepared for.” Amy finished. “At least the trunk’s big enough for our stuff. Hey, Assholes, how about doing your share of the work!” she yelled to Scott and Linda.

“Fine. I’ll pack the food.” Scott said.

“No more fuckin’ beans, Scott. Seriously. We’re going to be on the road for quite some time, and the last thing any of us need is you and your atomic ass-blasts.”

“As if you and your perfume is any better, Linda. I’ll leave the beans out of the food if you leave the little spray bottle here.”

The hours flew by as the Raceworks Division finished packing the old Sinistra Savage, painted “Team Twin-Snail” on the trunk lid, and prepared for the long drive to start with.

“All aboard the Snail-Boat!” Luke said, getting into the driver’s seat. Linda and Scott took the back seats, and Amy took shotgun.


The drive to the campgrounds.

“God damn. Someone’s just failed their fucking emissions test!” Amy said, gagging as she rolled down the window. Luke rolled his down out of courtesy, as Linda looked like she was about to vomit.

“The least you could’ve done, Scott, is warn us first.” Linda said, before spraying the perfume in the back seat in a vain attempt to reduce the smell. This, however, had the unintended effect of making everything smell worse.

“We’re in a convertible, drop the top.” Scott said, trying to grab the perfume from Linda before he got another faceful of it.

“It sticks.” Luke said.

“I don’t care.”

“Fine, Scott, but you will when or if it starts raining.” Luke said, pulling off to the side of the road and hitting the switch for the top. It whirred quietly as the folding rag-top disappeared behind the rear seats, with just an ominous clunk being the only sign something was wrong with it. “And while we’re stopped, time to check and replace the fluids.”

“Yeah, and mind oiling that screaming bearing?” Linda said. “It’s driving me up the wall.”

“Two choices, Linda: Live with the noise, or I cut the power steering lines and we go without.”

“Not like I’m driving.”

“You might have to at some point.”


At the campgrounds.

“Ouch time!” Luke called, as he lobbed the car up over a parking divider in the parking lot, drove through the campsite following exactly none of the paths, and parked off to the side, looking at the chaos he’d caused with their oil-burning Snail-Boat and the huge cloud of blue smoke following them.

“Really? We’re not even in the challenge yet, and you’re already trying to kill us, Luke?” Linda said.

“Says the one who fucking hosed the back seat in perfume so that all I could smell up here was shit and roses.” Amy snapped, giving a little glare at both Linda and Scott. “And you, one more exhaust leak like that on this trip, and you’ll be walking. I don’t care if Luke says you’ve got off-road experience, that was worse than walking into the Engineer’s Bathroom.”

“Like I can control my farts, Amy.” Scott said.

“Put your gassy-ass to good work and help set up some tents, Scott.” Luke said, tossing a bundle on the ground as he went for the transmission fluid and a bottle of motor oil.

“Oh, fine, make fun of me because I had a gas attack.” Scott mumbled, only for Luke to respond with, “We do have a spare catalytic converter in here, if your gas attacks are going to be frequent and noxious. I’ll gladly fit it.”

“No thanks, Luke.” Scott said.

Linda hopped out of the car, grabbed some supplies, and promptly got a little fire going for the team to cook over. Which is around the same time that the three living members of the team realized no one really knew how to cook on a campfire. Sure, Scott knew how to wrap things up in tin-foil and snuggle it up to the engine for warmth, but they’d get thrown out of the campsite if he started revving the smoke-machine to get that big cast-iron block warm. Amy and Linda knew a little of cooking, though Amy preferred letting her boyfriend, a chef in a notable restaurant, do the cooking for her.

Which is precisely when Luke unpacked his bag of supplies and brought out several pans. “You guys thought you were doomed to cold food, weren’t you? No, I don’t need to eat, but I’ve been looking forward to trying a few recipes I’ve committed to memory.”

“So that’s why you had a bag labeled ‘Food’ in the car. Pots and pans for cooking.” Amy said.

“Yeah, along with my usual stuff. Some spare parts for fixing the car, hydraulic fluid and clamps in case I blow a line, the little things. Spare chassis air filter in case someone tries polluting the air again.”

“I said I’m sorry already. What more do you want?” Scott said.

“Well, for starters, no more of that in the car without warning. Because I can’t have the rest of the team complaining and wanting to throw you overboard. I am the captain of this ship, and I will not tolerate mutiny.” Luke said.

It didn’t take long for Luke to make a quick meal, and shortly after, the team retreated to their resting areas. Scott was in his own tent, Amy and Linda were sharing a rather large one, and Luke settled back into the driver’s seat of the Sinistra. It wasn’t that he distrusted the other teams, more that he had no need for sleep, and preferred keeping watch. He checked the screen on his arm, a completely un-necessary thing to do, but he preferred to do so when configuring it. He set the display to just show the time, date, and his current system stats.

Shortly after, Luke switched off his wifi, internal GPS, cellular radio, and satellite internet connection, going as off-the-grid as he could to keep in the spirit of the challenge. He then placed the little compass he’d brought with on the dashboard, right above the gauges.

“Now the true challenge begins.” he said quietly to himself, watching the other teams.

10 Likes

Team Cignale

[…]
-Ribs? -Check
-Sausages? -Check
-Steaks? -Check
-Breams? -Check
-Pepper? -Check
-Beer? -Check
-Wine? -Check, but i think 25 liters for 2 days is not enough
-Okay, take another damigiana (5 liters bottle, the one with straw around)
-I think we have everything, we are ready to start this race.
-Hey guys, they sell maps, it might be useful!
-How much?
-12$
-It’s a theft, but let’s buy one, it can be useful. Where we need to go now?
-In the mail that they sent me it says that they organized a base camp here [Luca indicates a small map on a sheet]
-Let’s load those thing and go there guys! I’m hungry.

At the camp:
-It seem we are the biggest around, look at that!
-What it is?
-I think an Inne Grasshopper, '85 or so.
-It look like the shrunken version of our van, even the same colour
-Here in America they love pick-up trucks, i’ve never seen so many all together.
-Please, stop talking, i want to eat something. Luca, at the kitchen, Marco, turn on the external speakers, i prepare the table, the party is starting!

6 Likes

Just reading through, as this thread is going to be like an interactive story, could all the teams please link to their original post (so we can see what their team and car is all about) when posting an RP? :slight_smile:

Otherwise I like how this goes so far :+1:

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Oooh, that’s a great idea - I think that I’ll link all my previous RP posts too :slight_smile:

2 Likes

Yeah, I can do that. Makes sense if everyone’s trying to follow the story to be able to find the start of the story.

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#Team Cunning Stunts: Prep Day

S=Stephanie
L=Lawrence
A=Alex


S: Alex have you got the sleeping bags sorted.
A: Yup, all unpacked and put in the back. Lawrence is getting the tents sorted.
L: Care to give me a hand anyone?
S: Sure will do, let me get the fire started first, dont want to be freezing when night comes.

L: Man, I havent gone camping since cadets.
A: Alright the fires started. Ill check up on the car. Sis you go help Laurie out.
L: Please dont call me Laurie.
S: Sure, Ill help you Laurie :wink:
L: Why…

Car Condition
Alex
Looks like it made the trip alright. No major issues to be found yet. The boot isnt really big enough to fit all the equipment so Lawrence had to strap some stuff to the roof. Thankfully, I forgot to remove the spare tyre, so we’ve got a spare, but it wont last long if we have to use it. Not sure if Gasmea permits firearms or weapons as such, so Stephie brought along a crossbow and a big knife just in case. We’ve also stocked water, so we have enough to drink. The engine is doing just fine in the heat at the moment, but it was a good idea to replace the old air cooled intercooler since its boiling here in midday. But even then, overheating is going to be a problem. The tyres may be second hand, but theyre looking fine. While not offroad tyres, they’re a hard compound can take a bit of a battering before they break.

Ive also had a little scout around the other guys cars. We’ve got a Petroskey Enforcer, looks like its in great shape. I think sis said something about how they were easy to drive when she was doing stunt driving for a cop film. There’s also an old riot van. Looks pretty beat up, but the guys working on it look like they know what they’re doing so its probably fine. Surprisingly, I’ve only seen two trucks. I thought they would have been the obvious choice, but it seems pretty rare in the sea of vans, sedans and hatchbacks.

3 Likes

First Post ------ Next Post

-----LED work lamps shine down from the top of the van.------

Bill is checking for surprise leaks under the van, while Toni checks the supplies off.

Toni: I could have so much fun here! A few of these cars look worse than the ones I drove in the 80’s! I thought this would be boring, now I can just have flashbacks. I wonder if I’ll recognise anyone.

Bill: I doubt your old friends will be here. On the plus side, we aren’t the oldest… I mean most senior… experienced… people here. Those guys in the grey thing take that honour. What about the young guys in that van before, aunt Toni? Those guys, I think they might be trouble.

Toni: In the big green van? No, Bill, they were trying to work out what we were driving… and, they don’t look scary, more confused if I read their faces right. Where’s Wookiee?

Bill: I think he said something about scouting. I saw him over… Where the hell is that smoke coming from? What is THAT?

Bill crawls out and they both look at the blue smoke cloud trailing the arriving car, which narrowly misses a broken picnic bench and two bins.

Toni: Blue. Big. Ragtop. Rumbly. I’m going with a Sinistra. Haven’t seen one of those since…Oh, before you were born. Literally, like, the day before. I passed one on the way to the hospital, same colour. Back to Wookiee?

Bill: Umm, yeah. That hill. rolls his eyes Are you gonna be quoting Star Wars the whole way?

Toni: Always clouded, the future is.

------------10 minutes later----------

Wookiee: (Emerges from behind a tree) Hey, bro! They do shut fush’n’chups here!

Bill: Seriously? You don’t have an accent!

Wookiee: You know that, and I know that, but it’s more fun if THEY don’t know that. You know, it’ll be really easy to get lost out there. Wouldn’t want that to happen to somebody, would we? Did you take my detour signs out of the van? I’m sure we can mess with SOMEONE!

Bill: No, didn’t touch 'em. Where did you get the beer?

Wookiee: Haha! Pinched it. There. Three rows back. White ute. Ugly as shit bonnet. I think he stole something from under a camper. His friend was too busy cooking to notice. Now, HE had an accent. You want? Toni. Free beer. Throws a can up to the top of the van

Bill: I’m in. takes a can To our benfactors, our hosts… and our competition. May they all have nasty problems. Bottoms up!

Wookiee/Toni: Hear hear!

7 Likes

#Team ‘Southend Or Bust’
Original Post

The story so far: Three third year uni students have decided to spend part of their summer not at festivals or on some sleazy Greek party island, but a bonkers rally challenge in an Erin Berlose that, suspiciously, doesn’t seem to be playing up…yet

“Spag bol or sausage casserole?” shouted James, crouched down next to the portable gas cooker as he chopped up some vegetables and heated up a tomato sauce of some kind.
“Er” replied Martin, who was tinkering with the engine, his voice muffled by the bonnet, “Casserole sounds nicer if I’m honest”
“Bangin’’” said James in a cheery tone, and he dumped a load of peppers and mushrooms into the pot.

Seb came over to the hob, having just been for a scout around camp. “How much tomato sauce did you prepare for this trip?” he questioned in his Spanish accent.
“Quite a lot” said James. He did like to bulk cook, and he was certainly in no mood for eating tinned food on this trip. “What’s the news from the rest of the camp?”
“Interesting” said Seb. “Big mix of teams. There was some minivan over on the far side and there’s a proper motorsport tent round the corner”.
“Geez” said Martin, having just dropped the bonnet.
“Yeah, some people are taking this a lot more seriously than we are it seems. How’s the car?” said Seb, turning to Martin, and in the process swishing his thick black hair.
“As good as it’s been so far. I know it’s definitley about to go wrong, but we can deal with that when it happens, right?” Martin chuckled, wiping some grease off of his hand. “Where’s the beer?”
“Right hand side of the boot” replied James, who now seemed to be fixated on his casserole. “I reckon we’ll dish up at in about 20 mins”

“Dammit guys” - Martin broke in suddenly - “I though it sorted and ordered this”
“Oh that was me” said Seb “I was trying to find the tenting equipment”
“You know how particular I am with this kind of stuff” Martin snapped. James sniggered in the background
“I hope you aren’t gonna be like this the whole trip” said James, finally looking up from his pot. Martin gave him an unimpressed look.
“Right, I suggest we piss off the rest of the teams with some loud music” said Seb, echoed by a “Good idea” from Martin who’s mood had suddenly switched back. Seb went into the car and a few moments later, some classic Oasis song was blasting out of the iPod dock.

You could already sense the other teams getting pissed off by them.

6 Likes

Team Riot Uncontrol

-Somewhere in a shed-

Paul : This should be the last hole.
Aaron: Perfect. Our Duct Tape ran out
Paul : Time to check if we got everything.
Paul gets a clipboard and a pen
Paul : Holes ?
Aaron : Closed with various qualities
Paul : The Glass ?
Aaron : Replaced with Plastic
Paul : The Chassis ?
Aaron : Duct-taped
Paul: Good enough ummm Food and drinks
Aaron: Nope. But we have to refuel the car anyways so we can get some later.
Paul: Tents ?
Aaron : Somewhere in there
Paul: Thats not a yes
Aaron : And not a no
Paul: …
Paul: I’ll write plausible. Do we have our work stuff in the back ?
Aaron. I got my toolbox and a lot of spare parts.
Paul : Wheels ?
Aaron : Yep
Paul: UH the most important. Does the siren works ?
Aaron climbs on the passengers seat and flips a switch. and the siren starts (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIcGlwdpbu0)

Paul : Thats everthing ! Time to get there
Paul gets behind the wheel, turn the starter key and nothing happens.
Paul : Um
Aaron : Ummmmm

“Fuck”

6 Likes

(out of character here, but gotta ask, if we’re going to respond to events others are making, should we just post another continuation of the story, or edit the old one? Just asking out of old role-playing etiquette, as I’m a little rusty. It’s one thing when you’re writing a story, it’s entirely another when dealing with other people. If we choose to respond in new posts, then I’ll just overwrite this after confirmation, because inevitably the loud music will bother Luke, who is, after all, sitting behind the wheel of a large V8 that just happens to have a car attached to it.)

2 Likes

@Madrias I reckon we should just decide by ourselves whether to respond or not, some people will probably want to while others might want to RP on their own.

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Also, feel free to collude with each other via PM to come up with inter-team stories to post as well.

@F17Francesco, I love how the Italian team has decided that 25 LITERS of wine isn’t enough for 2 days… lol

Edit: Hey guys! Meet the recovery crew and vehicle!

Thunder Valley Towing

Sid is the owner of Thunder Valley Towing, which covers all of the communities and roads within the footprint of this event… and more! He has satellite towing yards in Niles, Monsen, Toreyville, and Pearson. Sid is a lover of cars, and has a small collection of classics himself. He didn’t feel like sacrificing any of them to this torturous route, so instead he volunteered for recovery duty, along with one of his tow operators, Dave.

They are available for recovery assistance using the FRS radios that teams were requested to carry with them. And here’s what they will pick up dead cars and stranded participants in:

Sid’s 2015 Ardent Yorktown Limited. After all, if you’ve broken down, you’ve suffered enough. Might as well make the trip back to civilization with multi-zone climate control, leather, and dual sunroofs, right?

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#Team Clockwork Orange

Car and team details

Pre-race checks went as planned, the tiny car had to have its rear seat partially folded to put all the cargo in. But this was the seventies, there was no split folding seats. Thankfully, they had realised the lack of boot space and hacked off the seat, so the car became a strict 3.5 seater. That meant all the supplies could be put in the car. Beer case, check. Crisps, check. Tent, check. Bog roll, check. Some other essentials, such as spirit and canned beans, check.

All good to go.

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##Team Science Guys

Car, and Details.

The three young men sat around their campfire, Steve, the youngest, was the only one of the three who really had a tendency to camp for fun. He’d been the first to arrive, and spent the day fishing and hiking. Tired out by this point, he laid on his back on the ground, staring up at the sky. Augustus and Nicholas both sat in folding chairs that they had brought with them. Nicholas seemed to be in his own world, with a computer on his lap, and his smart phone in hand, looking back and fourth, doing something with the both of them simultaneously.

Steve noticed, and looked over to him. “That Kinda defeats the whole purpose of camping y’know…” He said.

Nicholas didn’t even look back to him to snobbishly reply. “If Lewis and Clarke had technology, they would have used them as well.”

Agustus sat across from them, three empty cans of beer piled next to his chair, and one in his cupholder. He picked it up and took a sip… “At least tell me you’re being useful and not playing that dumb car making game again…” He grumbled, surprisingly sober for having downed so much alcohol.

“I am!” He said angrily, finally looking up from his technology setup in his lap. “Just looking over the journey, and the competiton…”

“Well, anything good?” Augustus asked, putting his beer back in the cupholder, he grunted as he got up and walked over to see Nicholas’ computer.

“Yeah… Two Sixteen year olds bought a van with alternator issues.” Nicholas scoffed.

Agustus winced at this… “ooh…” He said, long and drawn out. Knowing the pain that the duo would endure throughout the journey…

“Holy shit, it’s water damaged!” Nicholas burst out laughing. “They’re sixteen and they think they can handle a water damaged van! Haha!”

“Hey… Not like ours is much better.” Agustus looked over to the team’s car, parked a few yards away. The light blue in the front illuminated by the fire.

“Pff… It’ll do the best! Body on frame cars are invincible!” Steve Chimed in.

Nicholas laughed at this. “See?” He gestured to Steve.

“…Whatever…” Agustus rolled his eyes. “Anything else noteworthy on there?”

Nicholas took a deep breath, calming himself… “Something British… an Erin I think.”

“An Erin?” Augustus snatched the laptop… Causing Nicholas to yell in anger, but he ignored this… “…Holy shit… brought it all the way from England… I’d like to see that…”

“Well you’ll see it when it’s parked at the side of the road.” Nicholas reached back, stealing his laptop back.

“You laugh, but those things hold up better than you think. It’s certainly going to do better than any of those fucking vans…” He sighed and shook his head slightly, going back over to his chair. He grunted and sat back down. “Steve… You’re in charge on camping equipment, remember? Don’t make me remind you again.”

“I know… I know… Sheesh. Just be up early or else I’ll steal the tents while you’re in them…” He grumbled, getting up and going over to their tent, while the older two resumed sitting around the fire…

7 Likes

**Hobo team **

Thirsty for adventure they packed their new home with some canned food, canned dog food and of course plenty of that magical liquor to warm up their souls, and some weed … Hobo fitted the van with an old CD player radio bought in a scrap yard.

The sun was shining, all going well on the road, the van surprisingly doing good … And then a slap in the face! Yep Hobo fell asleep at the steering wheel, while Hobo girl still packed all the stuff… Until she slapped him again.

Hobo Hmm what?? I was just checking…er things!

Hobo girl Oh Yeah? I know what you were checking… Oh, you were checking “things” with this empty bottle of gin right? You homeless drunk piece of sh*t …yep let me do all the work… Don’t move a thing! And where’s that crappy piece of stinky dog?? Where the hell he is?? Go do something and find him… Dog found, all packed, ready to go!

On the way to the camping site the van seemed to be a bit down on power and noisy…

Maybe too much Gin on the back? Hmm i think the dog’s too fat, said Hobo.

Maybe too much Gin on your head! replied Hobo Girl.
Stop the van! Let me check it. I suspect something…

Open the hood!

Aha! Small crack in the exhaust manifold… JB Weld will do the trick!

They arrived at the camp. Gin, weed and some Delta Blues for company… The dog barked.

6 Likes

NOTE:
My speech is in italics
Evan’s is bold
Also, be prepared for a bit of a read. I originally planned for it to be like 600 words but it turned into a little novella lmao

#Team Yokai
A solitary cloud wafted by overhead, with its lonely patch of darkness dragging along behind it on the ground. Jumping off my rental bicycle and pulling my headphones out I walked ahead towards the faded yellow house. Around the house were rolling fields of luscious green grass parted in the middle by a meandering two-lane highway. It looked like it was in the middle of nowhere, but we were barely 2 kilometers from the main cluster of people huddled together in central Brunswick Island. Coming to a stop I waited from the crunching gravel sounds behind me to get nearer.
You ready?
Why wouldn’t I be?
Evan reached up and pressed the worn out door bell. A few moments passed and the battered door flew open to an enthusiastic elderly man. With silver hair and a stubbly chin, he reached out to give me and Evan a firm handshake each.
“How are ya, boys?” he boomed, with a hint of an Australian accent. He simply radiated positivity even with those sleepy eyes. “I take it you’re here for the car?”
Oh yeah, Jordan, we flew in here all the way from New Jersey
It’s the first real car we’re going to own by ourselves, so you can’t blame us, can you? Evan chuckled.
“Oh, I can imagine your excitement. Well, come on, let me show you around the car.”
“1990 Kimura Arctos. If this doesn’t define sleeper then I don’t know what does. So what’s in front of you is the slightly higher spec base model. It’s got a meaty V6 in the front driving all four wheels and a bunch of space inside. It made well over 180hp back in the day…” he paused, “but knowing Kimura reliability I’ll be surprised if it’s fallen below 150 today.”
Pacific Coast Aqua. Nice paint. It’s a bit faded but if anything that only makes it more sleeper.
“It really is. Sad to have to let it go, but now all me kids have moved out so it doesn’t make sense for me to keep it anymore. Wife got a nice convertible so it’s got to go. Ahh, I’m not young anymore so I just want to take it easy and in comfort. Well, either way, I’ve already got your payment so take a look around the car or step inside for a moment and I’ll find the keys for ya.” he said watching us inspect the car from different angles.
If you don’t mind, can we just take a few minutes to fix the flooded ECU you mentioned?
“Do what you like, boys, it’s your car now!” he gave us a thump on our backs and went back inside.

I gave the bicycle one last push and then reached up to shut the trunk.
All loaded up, Evan, let’s get going.
We looked at each other. This was it. The moment that decided whether we would make it to the campsite or not. He turned the key and both of us held our breath for a second. The engine struggled a little and fought its way to live. Feeling the reassuring vibrations coming from the front of the car, Evan cautiously tapped the accelerator pedal.
Eugh. The exhaust doesn’t sound like… it even exists.
I don’t hear any rattles or squeaks though and nothing’s leaked yet. Guess the best way to find out if we’ll make it is to hit the road. At least that ECU thing is sorted for now.


The fruity sound of the V6 bounded off the grey concrete walls of the tunnel. The LEDs running along the roof flew past in a blur as the van - our van - sped down the asphalt carved between the hills of Brunswick Island. Flooding the van with light as we flew out of the tunnel, the sun’s orange rays cut in at a slant angle through the windshield from slightly to the left. Shifting up to 5th gear, we wound down the windows and with our sunglasses on, me and Evan were enjoying the warm summer breeze slipping past us, enveloping us.
Hey, pull over will you Evan? We’re over halfway back to the city center, are you going to let me have a go or what? I said with a smile playing across my face. 16 years old and on an adventure with great people, great music (well that’s what Evan was playing at the time and it seemed like he was enjoying it. I’m not a fan), great weather… could it get any better than this? I was in the driver’s seat now, and to my side was Evan laid back in the reclined seat. As the next tunnel approached I pressed down the clutch and tugged on the gear lever. Gunning the engine, the revs rose and the roar of the engine swelled as the void engulfed us. I grinned. I knew this was going to be a good time even if we had issues. That’s all part of the fun, after all, isn’t it?

So we have a day’s break here at Granite Ascent announced Evan. Continuing, he said, So, uh, grab as many supplies as possible.
Yeah, besides we don’t need those rear seats anyway so we can just keep them permanently folded down and put everything else on them.
Drop me off at this place here and drive on to the workshop. I’ll get some chow for now and meet you there.
Have I told you that your rhymes make me want to kill myself? I teased.
He grinned and got out of the car.

Right, so, here we are. What’s our first task? I shouted to Evan from inside the workshop over the glorious Norwegian Death Metal playing in the background.
First turn down that fucking Satan worship and listen. I laughed and turned to the stereo.
Alright. So the cats are shot. There’s some 3-inch stainless steel piping somewhere, just go weld that to some point in the exhaust.
You call me Satanic but you shoot cats? I jovially quipped with mock horror. No response. Barely able to suppress my laughter I said, Okay, okay I’ll go grab the van by the pussy. Evan groaned and swore under his breath. This was going to be good.

What are you even doing?
Expressing my inner love for IKEA, I replied. Want to see? Sliding the door open, I gestured what I had made on the inside. Two sleeping bags are stretched out over the folded down rear seats but the cool stuff is above that. Attached to the roof is one big MDF box with many little divisions, cubbyholes to put stuff, like parts, tools, food, clothes - all that shit.
Evan gaped at me like I was some demented primate with only half a brain and a face like a slapped ass. Catching himself, he spun 180 degrees and walked into the workshop like he’d never seen it.
Fuck it. Come in here. He was leaning on the lift and looking at the whiteboard. Quickly scanning down the list, it appeared to be me like we’d done almost everything. I resisted the urge to take a quick jab at his appalling handwriting.
I’ll leave you to have your nerdgasm, then, Evan. I joked as he moved from the board to go pick up his laptop.
You thought I would do the electrics? No way. I’m calling in a friend. Mike. We’ll throw a conservative street tune on it. It’s already got the ECU in it, the filters are changed, ummm, new fluids, alternator replaced, and most of the plugs at the end of the loom looked dead for some reason. That was a quick chop and solder job since I got a working loom off a junker. And a quick disassembly and WD40 for the trunk’s latch.
Just don’t break it.

The soft whoosh of the wind from outside swept inside through the window slightly ajar, blowing a weak gust. It’s a good thing we have some experience in this between us. We might just be 16. We might be underdogs. But we can do shit. I turned over. Night, Evan.

Fire. Food. Gasoline. Opening the door and stepping out the strong odors immediately stuck.
Give me a moment to stretch, and I’ll join. We’ve been sitting here for like 6 hours.
Evan shrugged and simply walked on ahead. A moment later I traced his footsteps. Sparks flew up from the crackling campfire, the red glow illuminated the surrounding trees. The fireflies buzzed in the humid summer night air. Laughter. I caught up with Evan and stopped just behind him, in front of the ring of people around that fire. They turned around, those lit up faces, to see who these newcomers were.

We had reached.

Team Yokai made it to Walker River valley.

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#Team Electric Space Wizards
Team and Car details

And so our heroes, and their Seishido, managed to arrive at the Walker River Campground.
The first thing they did was take a close look at all the other teams’s cars, and found several interesting things… which were later discussed with the other members.

“Guess what? We and another team are the only ones running a pickup truck!” Lynn said, while throwing out an old pizza box she found under the passenger seat.

Aiden had to dodge the years old greasy cardboard, before replying to her. “I guess the other teams chose a more creative approach…”

“Like the two guys that brung a Kimura Arctos?” Joseph asked, seemingly popping out of nowhere, as he was binge watching a TV show for the last 3 hours or so.

“Or that Eyre-North Parklands, which i thought was impossible to get for $500” Connor chimed in. “I’ve heard it has something like 700k miles on it, though…”

Suddenly the team’s attention was diverted by what seemed like very loud music being played by a few cars.

“Of course someone does this!” Lynn shouted, visibly irritated. She grabbed something in the Grandcab’s glovebox, which appeared to be a pair of headphones. (They proved to be ineffective)

Aiden kept trying to find out why the passenger side front window didn’t want to roll down, unfazed by the music.

“So did we remember to bring our tents?” Joseph asked. “I hope it didn’t share the same fate as the bags of chips, that we kinda left on the side of the road.”

“Yeah, i definitely don’t want to sleep on concrete tonight” Connor replied, while unpacking some cooking equipment.

“No one knows where the chips are right now, but they will have their revenge” Lynn wrote on her notebook, that usually contains random thoughts, from moments of extreme boredom. She was staring at the evening sky, trying to avoid thinking about the Grandcab wrapped around a tree, or on fire, or both at the same time.

“I did it!” Aiden exclaimed in joy, as he managed to repair the window, after what felt like an eternity. “I knew this damned window could be fixed! Now, i need a beer.”

“This will be quite the adventure, am i right?”

7 Likes

Team DSD

The next morning
There is a large amount of tension in the air as the tent is packed up in the morning

Romeo: Just admit it ok, I don’t care anymore, I know you drank my 6 pack of Budweiser!

DS5: I TOLD YOU I DIDN’T. Why would I, I have a few liters of American moonshine for myself I don’t need your disgusting beer.

Romeo: Well who else would have drank them!?

DS5: I DIDN"T TOUCH YOUR FUCKING BEER FRENCHY!!! CAN WE JUST GET ON WITH THIS?

Romeo: Fine but I will be watching you “MATE”

DS5: Wateva go start the car will you.

Romeo walks over to the ute jumps in the drivers seat and turns the key......
The ute refuses to turn over for 20-30 seconds before a large bang.

DS5; OH FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT! SOMETHING FUCKING HIT ME IN THE HEAD! WHATS YOUR PROBLEM ROMEO!

Romeo: I didn’t do anything I am in the car!?

DS5: argh I got hit by something in the eye I’m bloody bleeding.

Romeo checks under the car.

Romeo: Oh FFS someone has been clever and welded a plug into the exhaust tip and the exhaust has exploded…Real funny

DS5: that hurt! that was a brand new exhaust

Romeo:yeah well now we have a straight thru system the rear muffler has a 8 inch hole in it!! Your lucky it didn’t take your head off.

DS5: Baise-moi latéralement!!! When I find out who thought this was funny I am going to turn them into a human pillow! Why does shrapnel attract to me like I am magnetic

Romeo: hmmm this might explain where my beer went as well… someone is fucking with us… I better take a look at you head friend looks like you may need stitches.

DS5: right well hurry up and patch me up then lets finish packing up and get to the start of the event, I want to go talk to Luke and the Storm auto team and see what [he/she/it?] has been up to since Detroit. Plus the Cunning Stunts team has Steph Smith the stunt woman, I’ve had a crush on her for years I am going to go introduce myself…pity she’s married that bloke.

DS5 has to have 8 stitches around his right eye (no doctors here just Romeo and a needle and thread) and the bandage ends up covering half of his head and face. After packing up the Frenchman and the Aussie line up at the starting area, with Luke from storm using his robotic scanner to check over DS5 wounds.


out of character. I am having a blonde moment how do I link my post again?

4 Likes

Driver’s Meeting, Day 1, 730am

Good morning, Runners! I see some of you are a little more ready for the day than others, at least from a sleep and/or caffeination standpoint. Others… well… chuckles

In any case, here’s your set of GPS waypoints for today. You’ll notice a few numbers next to each grade. They are, in order: average grade, maximum grade, and approximate leg length. For the sake of your machines, try to make the drive as short as possible. There may be more than one way to get there, but some are slower, longer, or more torturous that others. Or maybe the shorter route is worse. cackles

We’ll be sending out cars on a three minute interval. Your target time for the day is printed at the bottom of the sheet. Try to come as close to that and you’ll be in good shape for tomorrow. If you break down, if you have to throw in the towel… call Sid and Dave on your FRS. They’ll come get you and your ride. If they do, you’re done for the event. No fixing up your rig and rejoining later.

We’ve drawn the a random start order. First up, the Suzume Kaminari. Good luck to you all!

Day 1 Leg 1 Data

Walker River Campground to Blackjack Pass via Blackjack Creek Road

Departing from the driver’s meeting at Walker River Campground, a short 5-mile drive over good pavement before the course departs onto Blackjack Creek Road. This road climbs steadily, with some sharp turns and steep sections. Minimal hazards; this is a well maintained dirt-and-gravel service road. Large parking lot at Blackjack Pass, a relatively popular hiking trailhead.

Length 24; Avg Grade 4; Max Grade 16

Suzume Kaminari -
LAE - Medium (fast); MRL: +2; Notes: None

@cpufreak101
LAE - High (slow); MRL: +2; Notes: Valve body leak seems to be exacerbated by long grades. A little fluid was added at Blackjack Pass just to be sure.

@Madrias
LAE - Exact; MRL: +3; Notes: None

@Fayeding_Spray
LAE - Medium (fast); MRL: +2; Notes: None

@F17Francesco
LAE - High (slow); MRL +2; Notes: The back end of the van was REALLY noisy going up the steep grade. There was also a bit of a vibration. You were unable to isolate it.

@HighOctaneLove
LAE - Medium (fast); MRL +2; Notes: None

@conan
LAE - Medium (fast); MRL +2; Notes: Defininte trans slippage on steep grades.

@DeusExMackia
LAE - Low (slow); MRL +1; Notes: Navigator missed turnoff to Blackjack Creek Road, adding 5 miles to total leg length

@szafirowy01
LAE - Low (slow); MRL +1; Notes: Navigator made the same mistake as above. They saw the Erin pass them going the other way, and figured out they missed the turn, so they only added 3.5 miles to their leg.

@Mikonp7
LAE - Low (Fast); MRL +2; Notes: This team thought they were doing well until they passed the Platts Special Siskin and Bogliq Kitten, both of which left significantly earlier than them.

@JohnWaldock
LAE - High (Fast); MRL +2; Notes: None

@8bs
LAE - Medium (Slow); MRL +2; Notes: None

@DoctorNarfy
LAE - High (Slow); MRL +2; Notes: None

@BobLoblaw
LAE - Low (Fast); MRL 0; Notes: Driver has been pushing the Enforcer to try to replicate the power loss issue. It happened ONCE under load on pavement in the morning, but didn’t happen again. As he was pushing, this team is significantly ahead of pace.

@stm316
LAE - Low (Fast); MRL +1; Notes: Followed the Petoskey Enforcer on pace somewhat, until realizing how far ahead they were. Still, it was fun doing so.

@Dorifto_Dorito
LAE - Exact; MRL +3; Notes: “Uhm, is it supposed to be this bouncy?”

@Leonardo9613
LAE - Low (Slow); MRL +1; Notes: A bit of holding back because there was a question as to whether the Quark would be any good off the paved roads. Didn’t scrape once going up Blackjack Creek Road, even on the steep section.

@Darkshine5
LAE - Medium (slow); MRL +2; Notes: Navigator sent the team down the wrong spur after the turnoff, adding 1.5 miles to the leg.

@Rk38
LAE - Medium (fast); MRL +2; Notes: Driver made the decision to go fast on a relatively easy stretch, due to the compound of their tires.

@EnryGT5
LAE - Medium (fast); MRL +2; Notes: Comparing times with the Maesima driver, they feel pretty confident.

@titleguy1 / @ramthecowy
LAE - High (slow); MRL +2; Notes: None

Team Greasy Lightning

“Can I get out now?” Fuzz whined.

Jen chuckled. She took extra time stretching in the front seat, slowly reaching for the door handle to extend her brother’s discomfort.

“Seriously, Jen. Not cool.”

“Don’t worry, you can navigate the next section,” she replied. “We take turns, remember?”

“That’s easy for you to say. You’re not 6-4 and shoved in the back seat.”

“Maybe you should have picked something bigger from the field then,” she retorted with a laugh.

The three exited their Suzume to stretch and take the requisite team/car picture at the waypoint, the Blackjack Pass Trailhead. Rick heaved a sigh of relief.

“Made it. That was amazing.”

Fuzz bolted for the passenger seat and locked the door as soon as he slammed the dented portal shut. He stuck his tongue out at Jen, who shouted at him and kicked the door a few more times before giving up.

“Ugh,” she grumbled to Rick. “Why did you let him come along, again?”

“I had to promise or he wouldn’t take me to pick out a car. Also, I sometimes like watching you two torture each other. It’s funny for an only child.”

“Laugh when you’re sleeping on the couch at home.”

“Cold,” Rick smirked, knowing that it was a bluff. “Tell you what. You can drive the next section, I’ll take the back seat.”

“That’ll buy you a pillow for the couch. Keep it up and I might give you a blanket,” she grinned.

6 Likes

What does LAE and MRL mean?