Roulette Runner [FINAL RESULTS]

Day 1 Leg 7 Data

Monsen to Mount Townsend Fire Lookout via FR3200 and FR 3210A

North of Monsen, this fire lookout is accessed by a spur road that is steep at points, with near constant hazards in the form of exposed rocks, ruts, and a narrow road bed. The views of Monsen and the nearby mountains in all directions at the end are pretty spectactular, though.

The weather has turned cloudy and gray again, though no rain has fallen… yet.

Length 14; Avg Grade 5; Max Grade 18

@cpufreak101
LAE High (fast); MRL +2; Notes: None

@Madrias
LAE High (fast); MRL +2; Notes: None

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

@F17Francesco
LAE DNF; MRL -5; Notes: CRITICAL FAILURE. Just before arriving at FR3210A turnoff, the Raziel van’s rear differential fails (spectacularly). The driveshaft also comes out from the trans output, causing it to puke trans fluid everywhere.

@HighOctaneLove
LAE Medium (slow); MRL +1; Notes: Slightly annoyed that the Bogliq’s tires got compromised temporarily by trans fluid from the Raziel van. But very happy to be at the summit.

@conan
LAE High (slow); MRL +2; Notes: None

@DeusExMackia
LAE Medium (slow); MRL +2; Notes: None.

@szafirowy01
LAE Medium (fast); MRL +2; Notes: None.

@Mikonp7
LAE High (fast); MRL +2; Notes: None.

@JohnWaldock
LAE Medium (fast); MRL +2; Notes: None. TEAM MORALE VERY HIGH.

@DoctorNarfy
LAE Low (Slow); MRL +1; Notes: Navigator missed turnoff to FR3210, adding 5 miles to the leg.

@BobLoblaw
LAE High (slow); MRL +2; Doesn’t like the grade on 4 cylinders, but still did well.

@stm316
LAE Exact; MRL +3; Notes: Absolutely nailed this leg.

@Dorifto_Dorito
LAE - Exact; MRL +3; Notes: Matched the Grasshopper move-for-move. TEAM MORALE IS VERY HIGH

@Leonardo9613
LAE - Low (slow); MRL +1; Notes: Scraped undercarriage a couple times, but no damage.

@Darkshine5
LAE - Low (fast); MRL 0; Notes; None

@Rk38
LAE High (fast); MRL +2; Notes: None.

@EnryGT5
LAE Very low (slow); MRL -1; Notes: Shift cables failed early in the stage. A temporary repair has been done with zip ties. Unknown how long it will hold, or if it will cause other issues with the transmission.

@titleguy1 / @ramthecowy
LAE Medium (fast); MRL +2; Notes: None. TEAM MORALE IS VERY HIGH.

7 Likes

Day 1, Leg 7

Pierre
We’re headed up the mountain again and the road is narrow, badly rutted and rocks are poking out everywhere like teeth in the mouth of a 1 year old. Also some points are REALLY steep. Nice. The short ratio gearbox allows us to scamper up the hills like a mountain goat but it doesn’t make for pleasant travel conditions. Oh well, you only live once right? Well, thanks to an old Army van’s differential grenading spectacularly and haemorrhaging transmission fluid everywhere, we nearly didn’t get to write our summary of this run! We slid towards the edge, seemingly unstoppable, then we came to an oily stop in a convenient bush. Regaining traction, we backed up, parked the Kitten, quickly helped clean up the oil spill then got on our way. Despite (or because of) much wheelspin, the fluid coated tyres had traction issues for most of the run, so we ended up falling behind our target time for the run…

Andrew
I’m not an overly competitive person, usually, and I have a live and let live mentality. So when I tell you that I wanted to bury alive the team that allowed all that transmission oil to spill out everywhere, as it nearly cost us our lives or worse; our chance of winning! However, surviving a near-death experience like that tends to make one see things in a more benevolent light, so I helped clear up the oil and wished them well. We jumped back into the Kitten and Pierre red-lined us all the way, skimming over hazards with (what felt like) reckless abandon and getting us to the summit in a relatively good time. When we got to the summit I couldn’t help but be awed by the scenery, but not for too long as we had a race to win…

Summary

Day 1, Leg 7

Car: Smells faintly like trans fluid and diff oil, Boglex carbs work well on WOT!

Crew: I feel on top of the world!!! Lucky save has us feeling almost bulletproof! MRL +1 (+7 Total)

6 Likes

TEAM OUTRIDERS

Blake: Come on girl, you can make it!

Marc: She definitely doesn’t like the hills.

Blake: She likes hills just fine, what she doesn’t like is climbing them with half an engine.

Marc: It’s handling the bumps nicely at least.

Blake: I’m glad we got a second gen, I don’t know how all that electronic crap they threw in the third gen would hold up under these conditions.

Marc: Again with the ripping on electronics, at least try to join the 21st century.

Blake: By the way, who were you calling at that last stop?

Marc: Oh? Right, well, remember that van that was blasting that loudspeaker?

Blake: Yeah?

Marc: I just placed a friendly call to the local Sheriffs office.

Blake: I don’t think calling the cops on our opponents is part of the rules.

Marc: That loudspeaker setup and what they are doing is way illegal, and I am a cop after all.

Blake: Man, they’re gonna start calling us “team narc”

Marc: Bah, local police won’t make too much of a fuss, they most likely watch while they make them take that setup down.

Blake: You’re nuts.

Marc: Wow, look at that view!

Blake: Monsen may not have anything going for it, but it sure makes a pretty sight.

Marc: Not to mention those mountains!

Blake: I’m not liking the way those clouds look.

Marc: At least it’s not raining yet, I’d hate to see how these roads would be when muddy.

Blake: Then we’ll do some good ol’ fashioned muddin’!

7 Likes

#team Arstotska
on mobile so don’t really feel like linking

Mike: that was a much more difficult drive than I expected.

Josh: mhm, surprised we were a bit fast there.

Mike:yeah, also lucky we took no extra damage on, I should probably be a bit more careful.
Josh: then again, like you said, we didn’t take any damage despite the difficulty.

Mike: that is true Josh, that is definitely true.

3 Likes

Team Twin-Snail

Day 1, Leg 6


Before the Stage

Linda looked at the map again, then out over the horizon, then back to the map.

“Hey, guys, we can make up time on this stage. It’s uphill, and we’ve found out this car likes going uphill. Might be a bit dangerous if we go too fast, but quick is better than slow at this point.” she said, as Scott and Amy finished wrapping more burgers to throw on top of the engine.

“Good. I’ll drive a bit faster, then, so that we can make up for the inevitable downhill section we have to take at a snail’s pace.” Luke said.

“Long as you don’t bust up the car.” Amy said, and Scott chuckled.

“This thing’s almost guaranteed not to survive this. I’ll be surprised if we make it to the second day.” Scott remarked. “That said, if we do, I’m gonna be glad. If we make it to the end at all, I’ll be surprised, though.”

“Now, see, this is why you’re not driving most of the time. You’re failing to understand that you have to think positively when driving like this.” Linda said.

The four of them got into the car and headed to the starting line, ready for the uphill battle.


Day 1, Leg 7

Luke pulled the transmission down into low, holding on the stall-speed as the engine snarled, waiting for the flag to drop. As soon as it did, Luke launched the Snail-Boat at the long, uphill pass, already banging on the rev-limiter as it wound out first gear. Luke, instead of putting it in drive, held it back, screaming up the hill in second, keeping the engine near peak power.

“Damn, this car’s loud!” Scott shouted from the back seat.

“Yeah, and just think, it has mufflers already!” Amy yelled back. Linda grabbed the MP3 player, only to put it back in the cupholder, annoyed that not even Led Zeppelin could drown out the roar of the old V8.

“Can you cut the fuckin’ noise, Luke!?”

“Sorry, Linda, but you said you wanted fast. That means I can’t let the car auto-shift or we’ll lose power in third and waste time going back to second to do this anyway. Might as well make her run hotter than the fires in the very depths of hell right now.” Luke said.

They hurtled up the hill with all the grace of a hill-climb racing car, and about as much noise as one, also. The engine roared, the old mechanical fuel injection system keeping pace with the engine’s strong thirst, with the turbos howling at full flight.

Luke kept his foot flat on the throttle as they started to level out, though saw the tell-tale signs of a voltage regulator starting to fail in the form of light, wispy blue smoke at the back of the hood. “Amy, mind looking in the glove box for another of those regulators? We’re going to lose this one.” Luke said, as he turned off the radio.

Amy grabbed one and held onto it as the smoke grew more spectacular, gave a quick puff, then went away as fast as it’d arrived, though left signs of its betrayal. The dash lights glowed brighter, and the voltage gauge was pinned at 17 volts. Luke stuffed the car in drive and backed off, choosing to preserve the battery instead of making an environmental disaster out of it.

Still, with the only failure being a very minor one, hardly noteworthy at all, and one they prepared for with dozens of replacement parts, all of them agreed it was a great trip up there.


Day 1, Leg 7 Aftermath

“That was a good run!” Luke said, replacing the burned out voltage regulator. He set the dead one on top of the valve cover, installed the replacement, then collected the expired one and dropped it in the water bucket Scott had found. As it sizzled angrily, boiling the water around it, Scott had something to say about it.

“Still think you should’ve dropped that in the crapper.” he said.

“The last thing I want, Scott, is to be known to the town of Monsen and the rest of the locals around Mount Townsend as being the guy who blew up their fire lookout and started a forest fire with some sort of bomb in their toilet.”

“It wouldn’t have exploded.”

“It might have. That was well-over the boiling point of water. The whole bucket’s boiling now.” Luke said.

Linda grabbed the burgers out from under the hood, preparing a quick meal for the team. “Hot, hot, hot, ow, these are burning my fingers! Luke, you fucking jerk! You’ve overcooked the burgers!”

“You knew we had a hill to climb and you still put burgers under the hood.”

“Well, you coulda told me you were gonna fuckin’ redline it the whole way up the hill, and I’d have put them somewhere else in there, rather than right near the turbo manifolds!”

Amy shook her head and laughed, then said, “They’d have been overcooked anyway. All that heat builds up under the hood of an old car like this.”

The three of them sat down to have another couple burgers while Luke drained the water from the intercooler and put fresh, cold water into it. “Hot boost is not good boost.” he grumbled, checking the temperature of the old water. “Well, good news is, the intercooler can keep up with the old turbos.”

“It better. That was supposed to go on the Knight Hill-Climb racer, with nearly 40 pounds of boost pressure.” Amy said. “This thing’s peaking at 10.”

“With old turbos. They get hotter.”

“Not by that much.” Amy said, ending the minor argument.

Linda got up, turned the radio on, and decided to blast some Led Zeppelin after all.


Car Condition:

Functionally identical to the previous leg. Fluids topped up, brand new home-brew voltage regulator in place, burned out head-light replaced. Radio still functions and is still capable of being overly loud.

Team Condition:

MRL +5 Overall. While the fluid leak is still a mild concern, good food and a great view have countered the cloudy skies this time. By making decent time on this leg, team Twin-Snail is feeling cautiously confident. Amy wishes she’d remembered to bring a book.

4 Likes

Previous PostNext Post

Day 1 Leg 6
Wookiee: I’M supposed to be the navigator, right?
Bill: Relax. So, the map says Monsen is… thataway…ish. East…ish. I think. Screw this. Where’s my GPS? Where’s… Why do I get the feeling you’ve done something? Turns to Wookiee
Wookiee: You ever get the feeling that you’re being watched? Like people are expecting you to do something they don’t approve of?
BIll: Where is my GPS?
Wookiee: I don’t have it. Someone else, maybe, but not me.
Bill: YOU GAVE SOMEONE MY GPS!?!?!?!?!?!
Wookiee: No. Someone “stole” it. They just don’t know it yet. I’m a man of many talents.
Bill: Dead set, Wookiee… I’m going to find a way to have you deported!
Toni: Come one, you two. Get in. Who’s up for a stint. I don’t want this one…not feeling great.
Wookiee: Ooh, ooh! Me! Me! turns to Bill You didn’t need your phone, did you?

----10 miles later----
Toni: Sorry guys. It must have been something I ate. I’ll wash it off the back door when we get to that town.
Bill: It’s ok. I’m sure the paint will survive. It’s just lucky you opened the window in time. Which reminds me, we’ll see if we can get another plastic sheet to replace it. That one’s starting to tear.
Toni: If we take too long, there’ll be nothing left to buy.
Wookiee: We’ll get there when we get there. Just let me know to stop BEFORE you hurl next time.
Toni: Bucket!!

Leg 7

Bill: Okay. Okay. Fine. You are a better navigator than me. Happy now?
Wookiee: Yes. And a better cook.
Bill: That too. Why do you think those guys were stopped on the side of the road? shifts back to 2nd for the corner
Wookiee: Are you blind? They’re out. Now I guess you’ll say you didn’t see those skid marks into that bush. You need to get some outdoors time. Basic observation skills.
Bill: I observed my GPS on the counter at the gas station, and you’d better hope someone knows they’ve got my phone! Maybe you could tell me where you put it… or just call it, see who picks up.
Wookiee: Where’ s the fun in that? How are you feeling , Toni?
Toni: Like I could use a drink. How are we doing, on the whole?
Bill: Not sure, but going by the look of the sky, I’m beginning to think this journey’s going to get a lot harder…(pulls the van into a clear spot not too far from the tower)…and one of us might not make it to the end of this trip.

4 Likes

#Team ‘Southend Or Bust’
Original Post - Previous Post

The story so far: Three uni students in an Erin Berlose in the middle of nowhere. Everything’s been going very well so far, perhaps a little too well…

After the previous leg bored them to no end, the boys were keen to make this one better.
“What are we thinking, ‘90s House Party’ or ‘Good Weather Shizzle’?” asked Seb.
“Did you actually call that playlist ‘Good Weather Shizzle’?” queried James, slowly working his way through one of his chicken, bacon, sweetcorn and mayo sandwiches he’d made earlier.
“Yeah, just my naming scheme” replied Seb. “Let’s whack that on”, and in moments Undercover Martyn by Two Door Cinema Club was playing out of the slightly worn sound system.

Martin kept a keen eye out on the road ahead. They’d already had two near misses involving large boulders today, and he was not in the mood for another. “Hold tight boys, hang on, there’s a rough bit coming up” he announced, taking a firmer hold of the wheel and dropping a gear.
The whole car jolted and rattled suddenly as they went over a series of potholes that appeared more to be crevices than missing chunks of the road.
“Woh!” shouted James, his beloved sandwich flying out of his hand and promptly splaying itself over the back seat.

“Dude!” he cried, “my sandwich is ruined!”
Seb turned around having regained his composure, and promplty burst out laughing. "
Tú herramienta absoluta" he said in a thick accent, “Hold on next time!”
“No” - James returned fire - “Make it a bit clearer when you intend to drive over a fucking canyon next time, please” he said sternly, as Martin tried to hide his smile.
“Sorry darling, won’t happen again!” he said sarcastically. Though truth be told, his mind was running a little wild as he began to consider every possible thing that could have broken or could be about to break thanks to those potholes. It was something he did quite often.

.

“Uh oh, someone’s in trouble!” said Martin, determining that the liquid covering the road ahead was some sort of red coloured transmission fluid. He carefully drove around it.
“Looks like the Raziel van” said Martin, spotting a large green commercial vehicle by the side of the road and the team of said vehicle stood around it looking rather disheartened.

Seb rolled down the window. “I’ve got the perfect track for this” he said snarkily.
James knew exactly what he was on about. “Oh Seb, you’re evil” he said, suddenly feeling a lot less upset about his lost sandwich. He helped him out by turning the volume up. Seb skipped to the exact moment that he wanted, and pressed play.
As they drove by, the soulful and trained words of Elton John’s Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word blared out, as all three of the boys turned to pull sarcastic sad faces at the stranded team.

It could not have been more of a dick move. They didn’t care though, and Martin quickly floored the gas and they sped off.

4 Likes

#Team Cunning Stunts: Day 1 Legs 5-7


S: Stephanie
L: Lawrence
A: Alex


Start of Leg 5
A: Alright, lets get going then.
S: Hon, you mapped out the route
L: Yep, there’s many obstacles here so take it slow
S: Will do.
A: Guys, it’s us next. Make sure that we have a bit of a break to fill the cooling back up, its getting even warmer now…

End of Leg 5
A: Yeah, that was some nice driving sis.
S: Of course Alex, Im a stunt driver. I should be otherwise I would get fired.
L: Not very fast, but we are in one piece. The car is a tad muddy, we should give it a bit of a clean
S: Sure thing. Alex, drink more water, make sure the alcohol is out of your system. You’re driving next.
A: Alright…

Start of Leg 6
S: Everything ready?
A: Yep, everything fine…probably…
L: Alright lets go!
A: Right then!
-Car Stalls-
L: Alex, when did you get your license again?
A: I just got my license two months ago, why?
L: Christ help us…

End of Leg 6
A: Look on the bright side, we made it out alive.
L: Just about made it out alive.
S: Thats fine, you didnt do too bad, and since the road wasnt too bumpy you managed to do some perfectly driving.
A: Anyways, Ill go and inspect the car in case I broke something…

Start of Leg 7
S: Looks like it’s getting colder again.
A: Thats perfect, now we can run the car on full power without much risk of overheating.
L: Alright then, I guess I’ll be going pedal to the metal then.
A: No not really, I still havent figured out whats wrong with the suspension yet, so maybe turn it down a little from 11
L: Alright then, Alex, you navigate again. Lets not get lost this time.
A: Sure thing boss…
End of Leg 7
S: Heck yeah!
L: Nice navigating Alex.
A: Nice driving Boss, we managed to keep up with the Grasshopper guys!
S: Hey do you see that? What happened to it?
L: That Team Cignale…oooh that does not look very good.
A: It’s leaking fluid everywhere…might be an oil leak?
S: If it’s just an oil leak then it wouldnt be on a tow truck now would it.
A: I guess…

Car Condition Legs 5-7
Alex
So for the previous 3 legs, the car’s been holding up fine. The weather seems to be in our favour at the moment with it being cool and all, but I certainly dont want any rain. The car may be based off a rally car, but its not got AWD, so it’ll slip and silde around. The bouncing issue seems to have been slightly improved. The car seems to be bouncing less, but it’s still there, so clearly the issue is with the springs themselves, not the suspension arms. An inspection of the underside also reveals some damage to the undertray, but its not that big of an issue.

6 Likes

Day 1 Leg 8 Data

Mount Townsend Fire Lookout to Deer Pass via FR3210A and FR3200

Returning down the spur road and returning to wide, maintained FR3200, the road turns long and gradually sloping upward. Deer Pass has a small parking area, but sparse vegetation makes for easy maneuveing, allowing for good posing of vehicles for photos.

The skies have turned very dark, and a light rain begins to fall. Road grip is affected lightly.

Length 32; Avg Grade 4; Max Grade 18 (Downhill from the fire lookout)

@cpufreak101
LAE High (slow); MRL -1; Notes: Road fatigue is beginning to set in

@Madrias
LAE High (fast); MRL -1; Notes: Valve body leak has gotten worse. The interior is starting to smell of burning trans fluid.

@Fayeding_Spray
LAE Medium (fast); MRL +0; Notes: Engine has developed a lifter tick, though oil level seems good.

@HighOctaneLove
LAE High (slow); MRL -1; Notes: Road fatigue is starting to set in.

@conan
LAE High (fast); MRL +1; Notes: None

@DeusExMackia
LAE Medium (fast); MRL +1; Notes: None.

@szafirowy01
LAE Medium (slow); MRL +2; Notes: Road fatigue is starting to set in.

@Mikonp7
LAE Medium (slow); MRL -1; Notes: Road fatigue is starting to set in.

@JohnWaldock
LAE Low (fast); MRL -1; Notes: Ewww… dog farts!

@DoctorNarfy
LAE Medium (fast); MRL -1; Notes: Cabin starting to smell of coolant. Quick mechanical check shows nothing out of the ordinary.

@BobLoblaw
LAE High (slow); MRL +1; Notes: None.

@stm316
LAE High (fast); MRL -1; Notes: Road fatigue is starting to set in.

@Dorifto_Dorito
LAE - High (fast); MRL ); Notes: None. TEAM MORALE IS VERY HIGH

@Leonardo9613
LAE - High (slow); MRL +1; Notes: None.

@Darkshine5
LAE - Medium (fast); MRL -1; Notes; Road fatigue is starting to set in.

@Rk38
LAE Low (slow); MRL -2; Notes: As the rain started to fall, team turned on the wipers. They started working very erratically right off the bat. After about 10 strokes, they failed entirely, getting stuck in the upright position. Team had to slow down for safety reasons.

@EnryGT5
LAE Medium (slow); MRL +1; Notes: None

@titleguy1 / @ramthecowy
LAE Low (slow); MRL -2; Notes: Van inexplicably shut down for about 10 minutes. Diagnosis was inconclusive.

5 Likes

#Team Arstotska

Mike: Dude, i’m starting to feel a bit Tired

Josh: I thought you said you could easily make it all day though

Mike: It would seem I may have misspoken.

Josh: well to distract you from the Fatigue a bit, see that parking lot up there? would be a good place to snap a good Photo.

Mike: Yeah, would definitely seem so, might you be able to pick up on driving after stopping there though?

Josh: naaah, you seem like you got it

Mike: you ass…

4 Likes

TEAM OUTRIDERS

Blake: I could use a beer right about now.

Marc: Hell no, that’s the last thing Caroline needs to hear is that her husband got busted by his teammate for DWI.

Blake: Okay, okay, I was just saying how good one would sound.

Marc: I’m just messing with you, you know me, I tease rough.

(Phone rings)

Marc: That’s mine… Hello? Hey Luigi, what’s up? She’s a little sluggish but she’s holding together. Hello? What was that? (looks at phone) Bah, shitty signal! Yeah… I can hear you… Things are going well… No, my blood pressure has not been driven up by this trip… No, it’s not low because of ED… What was that? You’re breaking up… Okay, bye.

Blake: What did Luigi want?

Marc: Just calling to check on us. I’ve only got one bar, and it was coming in rough. I think he finished the call by calling me a tyke.

Blake: Uh, yeah, I’m sure that’s what he said.

Marc: You should’ve seen that new kid hear us going back and forth. He was mortified.

Blake: Ah, the new age people in an old timers environment. He should come around.

Marc: Looks like some rain is starting to fall.

Blake: Yup, a pity, some of those areas look like a good spot to get a picture of the car.

Marc: We could’ve gotten here sooner and beat the rain.

Blake: True, but I don’t want to push the car too hard unless I have to.

(Arrival at Deer Pass)

Blake: Put some burgers under the hood, I’m gonna run a scan on the car again.

Marc: Wrapped up and good to go, anything new?

Blake: Nope, just the four cylinders that it was going mental over before.

Marc: That’s good. I gotta say I’m feeling much better about this than I did a few hours ago. Luigi really knows his stuff.

Blake: Yeah, too bad the Enforcer’s been discontinued, he knew those babies inside out.

Marc: I’m glad he didn’t forget all of it to make room for the new cars.

Blake: Anyway, here’s a good spot to stretch our legs, I almost forgot what a smooth road feels like.

Marc: It’s your own damn fault, if you didn’t decide to grow old you wouldn’t be sore and aching.

Blake: You’re only four years younger than me, I don’t think you can rag on me for being old.

6 Likes

##Team Cignale
The Full Adventure
Car & Team
Day 0
Day 1 Leg 1
Day 1 Leg 2


Day 1 Leg 3
-Must say, this adventure is fun, thanks Giacomino for taking us with you.
-My plesure…(mumbling something)
-I only hope this clouds do not betray us, i planned a good BBQ for lunch
-Ribs and steak?
-Yes, and some red pepper.
-Wow, where we should be for lunch?
-Here, should be a good place to stop (indicates a point on the map).
[…]
-This road is not that bad
-Yes, compared it with the one in the leg 2 this is a motorway
-Fire up this stereo


-It’s not summer but i think this is a masterpiece without time.
-Yes…a masterpiece…
[…]
-How was the time
-Good enough, a bit too fast
-I see that you are getting into the right mindset, go in the back, take me some snacks.


Day 1 Leg 4
-That sound again, even on the pavement, i hope for the best, i’m scared
-Don’t worry we have supplies for years…maybe months…ok, for some days.
-I am just sad about these clouds, i can’t see anything, but this road is even paved, easy.
-I have the right song for it (more or less)


-Come on, say it, croaker, now it started raining.
[…]
-Guys, guys, the hearse, it stopped
-Honk, honk


Day 1 Leg 5
-The sky is starting to clear out, now you can put in Jimmy Cliff
-Bla, bla…not your f**** business…kitchen boy
-Look, who’s talking…mama’s boy
-Guys, please stop, I need to concentrate for this leg.
-Wow, this road is mad…
-When we stop for lunch?
-Now we don’t have time, we are doing good, i want to win!
-Yes WIN
-CIGNALE TO THE WIN


Day 1 Leg 6
-One […] Two…
-What are you counting?
-The other partecipants, they all stop here, i think to refuel.
-How much petrol is remaining?
-Over half tank
-Wow, we don’t need to stop.
-Hey, guys, do you remeber which song i put in earlier?
-RHCP, why?
-Can’t stop, i’m a f**** clairvoyant.
[…]
-Great Giacomo, perfect time this leg
-Yesss, but i need to eat, i’m starving.
-We can have a break after next leg
-Ok…


Day 1 Leg 7
-The noise is getting worse
-Now it’s metal
-Come on, just 2 miles and we finish the leg, so i can check
-It’s shaking
-Not good
[Huge rumble from the back, the van starts to bounce a bit and stops]

Maybe it’s better to cesnsor this part

-So this is the end?
-I think so, guys


-What do we do with all this things?
-We can start to eat something, then we can think of it.
-Let’s set up the gazebo and the table, the weather don’t look good.
[…]

[The recovery veichle stops by]
-You need help?
-No thanks, we are good, we will find a way to get out. You want to join us? Steaks are on the BBQ now.
…to be continued

9 Likes

Team Twin-Snail

Day 1, Leg 7


Before the Stage

“Weather’s getting worse. Let’s pack up and be ready to leave.” Luke said. The team worked quickly to get their supplies packed away, get settled in the car, and get up to the starting line.

As they got up to the starting line, the rain started to fall, and Luke flicked on the headlights and the wipers. The low-and-high beams flared bright, a result of Scott not being able to find the proper switch for the Sinistra’s headlights while they’d fixed the car initially.


Day 1, Leg 8

Luke floored it, planning on making up time overall.

“God, this car stinks!” Scott said. “I think the fluid leak’s gotten worse, and it’s now getting on the exhaust, or the transmission’s about to give up.”

“We’ll check the fluids later, and I’ll get that tube of sealant out of the trunk, the one we picked up at the gas station. See if we can slow the leak down.” Amy said.

The rest of the drive was done in silence, and they arrived at the checkpoint faster than expected.


Day 1, Leg 8 Aftermath

As the rain kept falling lightly, Linda opened up the trunk and grabbed a bottle of oil, topping up the engine’s need for oil. Luke cleaned the fluid off of the side of the transmission, then applied some sealant around the valve body. Amy added a bit more fluid to the transmission, and Scott opened a bag of chips, proceeding to get crumbs all over the back seat.


Car Condition:

Fluid leak increased from last leg. Possibly slowed with a smear of sealant, but only time will tell. Fluids topped up. Crumbs all over interior.

Team Condition:

MRL +4 overall. A combination between the long and boring drive and the smell of burning fluids has taken a bit of a toll on the team.

6 Likes

Day 1, Leg 8

Andrew
Leg eight is essentially a service run; paved road, gentle ascent and great photo ops at the end. I’m starting to wish we’d found a Bastion or even an Ambassador as the confined cabin of the Kitten is really starting to grate on me… Oh, you want to know more about the run? We drove close to the speed limit to stay within our target, there was some rain and the photo ops were varied and plentiful. I’m soo glad this is only a two day race!

Pierre
What is it with Bogliq and their incessantly cheerful blue hue? I can’t stand the Kitten’s cramped cabin and the minimalist interior just smacks of cost-cutting. The rain only served to remind me that I was the passenger and therefore had nothing better to do than look at the hole where our stereo had been…

Summary

Day 1, Leg 8

Car: No problems but many, MANY design flaws!

Crew: Looking at the Kitten the same way Gargamel looks at a smurf; stop being so cheerful, damnit! MRL -1 (+6 in total)

5 Likes

Team Riot Uncontrol

Leg 7
Aaron “This is pretty easy”
Paul “Not really what we came for”
Aaron " As long nothing breaks, everything is fine"
Paul “And I can give it some gas”
Aaron “Let put something through the megaphone”
Again Aaron holds his phone to the Megaphone
(( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L397TWLwrUU ))
Paul “This makes this more Epic”

Leg 8
Paul “Got any other music to blast ?”
Aaron “Let me see. Yes i have”
The Megaphone blasts a new song (( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR3XY6wfSBw))
Paul “I hope we are not running out of music”
Aaron “I will manage”

After Leg 8
Paul “Damage Report!”
Aaron “Van runs, Megaphone blasts and people are getting annoyed”
Paul “Perfect”

4 Likes

Day 1 Leg 9 Data

Deer Pass to Niles via FR3300 and Northshore Road

The descent from Deer Pass is along a gently sloping road that turns back to pavement at the inlet of Long Lake (aptly named). It then skirts the north shore of the lake to the touristy community of Niles, near the outlet. Frequent peeks of the lake, and the ridge beyond, are afforded between breaks in the trees

The skies remain gray, and the rain turns steady. Grip on the unpaved FR3300 is poor. Northshore road is decent.

Length 23; Avg Grade 3; Max Grade 5 (Downhill from the pass)

@cpufreak101
LAE High (fast); MRL -1; Notes: Road fatigue is getting a little worse.

@Madrias
LAE Medium (slow); MRL -1; Notes: Braking on the muddy hill with this beast is not fun.

@Fayeding_Spray
LAE High (slow); MRL +0; Notes: None.

@HighOctaneLove
LAE Medium (fast); MRL -1; Notes: No music, road fatigue.

@conan
LAE High (fast); MRL -1; Notes: Road fatigue is starting to set in.

@DeusExMackia
LAE High (fast); MRL -1; Notes: Road fatigue is starting to set in.

@szafirowy01
LAE DNF; MRL -5; Notes: CRITICAL FAILURE. Radiator side tanks cracked beyond repair, won’t hold coolant.

@Mikonp7
LAE High (Fast); MRL -1; Notes: Fatigue is growing.

@JohnWaldock
LAE Exact; MRL -1; Notes: Road fatigue plus flatulence.

@DoctorNarfy
LAE Low (fast); MRL -1; Notes: Cabin still smells of coolant, which makes the team nervous, given the large puddle and trail of coolant leading to the dead Zavir.

@BobLoblaw
LAE High (slow); MRL -1; Notes: Road fatigue is starting to set in.

@stm316
LAE High (fast); MRL -1; Notes: Road fatigue is getting worse, and it seems so is the noise from the throwout bearing.

@Dorifto_Dorito
LAE - High (slow); MRL -1; Notes: Road fatigue is beginning to set in.

@Leonardo9613
LAE - Medium (fast); MRL -1; Notes: Road fatigue is starting to set in.

@Darkshine5
LAE - High (fast); MRL -1; Notes; Road fatigue is getting worse.

@Rk38
LAE Low (slow); MRL -3; Notes: Wipers are complete junk. Had to take this slow for safety reasons.

@EnryGT5
LAE High (slow); MRL -1; Notes: Road fatigue is beginning to set in.

@titleguy1 / @ramthecowy
LAE High (slow); MRL -1; Road fatigue is beginning to set in.

7 Likes

#Team Arstotska

Mike: duuude, this is really starting to suck

Josh: yeah, this rain is loud.

Mike: bro, I’m tired, the road is very shitty condition, it’s very Taxing.

Josh: sucks

Mike: please bro can you take over the driving next stage? This is really starting to suck.

Josh: nah, there’s only a few more stages to go, you seem to have got this

Mike: please bro, please.

Josh: hmm… maaaayyyyybbbeeee

Mike:…

@VicVictory I’ll let your randomizer choose if Josh takes over, if not allowed then just continue on with Mike driving

3 Likes

Team Twin-Snail

Day 1, Leg 8


Before the Stage

“Weather’s getting worse.” Scott said, looking at the clouds.

“Yeah, and this thing’s already a bitch to stop. Now replace the dirt with some mud and our 215mm wide tires, with our brake fade, and our ailing transmission, and we’ve got a recipe for disaster.” Luke said.

Linda packed the umbrellas back into the doors, while Amy tried to get the crumbs out of her seat.

“God damn it, Scott! Your fuckin’ chip binge covered half of the car in crumbs!” Amy grumbled, sweeping a fistful of crumbs out of the car and then getting into her seat.

“I was hungry.”

“We have burgers, moron.”


Day 1, Leg 9

Luke rolled into the power this time, taking it easy on the transmission. As the Snail-Boat roared down the hill, Amy grabbed a pack of batteries from the glovebox and replaced the expired battery in the MP3 player. Linda then grabbed it and started up some modern pop music before Amy grabbed it back and changed the playlist.

“No. We’re not listening to some teenage brat with a voice that sounds like cats fighting in a metal shack. I’d rather put up with Luke’s classical music playlist than that.” Amy said, putting the MP3 player as far out of Linda’s reach as was physically possible in the car.

“But I haven’t listened to her since before we left.” Linda whined.

“Good. You’ve listened to her music within the recent week. I agree with Amy, it’s bad enough you blare that in the house so I can’t get away from it, we don’t need it in the car.” Scott replied.

“Luke, make them stop being mean.”

“Sorry, busy driving, and given that the three of you have been running the playlist lately, it’s my turn anyway.” Luke said. “And, just for the record, my vote doesn’t count between you three. Two against one, so the modern pop playlist has been vetoed. Plus, keep in mind who sourced this cassette adapter, and this cassette-to-8-track adapter. And if you keep complaining about poor choices in music, I think I’ve got a couple actual 8-track tapes in here.”

“Oh no.” Linda said. “But that’s all music my grandparents listened to.”

“Just think about that before you start with begging over music. Borrow it at the mid-point of the race if you must, but use headphones. If we make it that far.” Luke said, ending the argument.

Each time Luke hit the brakes going down the hill, they slid more than they stopped, nearly 2-and-a-half tons of 70’s vintage steel shoving them forward with an alarming amount of force.

The engine’s growling roar was surprisingly complimented by the quiet classical music playing from the Sinistra’s old radio, along with the quiet-yet-sharp clicking of the relay-controlled windshield wipers.

As they reached Northshore Road, and the tires touched pavement, Luke gave the old Snail-Boat a bit more gas, trying to make up a little time. They arrived in Niles a little later than expected, and the team seemed a slight hint road weary, though it may have just been an after-effect of the weather.


Day 1, Leg 9 Aftermath

“Well, with that much rain, it’ll have washed any evidence off the transmission as to whether the smeared sealant worked to slow the leak, so just top everything up as usual.” Luke said.

Linda made a grab for the MP3 player, only for Amy, who happened to be just a little taller, to hold it out of her reach. “Seriously, gimme it!”

“No. You had your turn, you blew it by picking music no one likes. She can’t sing, it’s all auto-tuned anyway.” Amy replied. “Put up with the fact that you’ll have to listen to real music, back when you actually had to know how to sing to be famous.”

Linda grabbed the cable connecting the cassette adapter and the MP3 player and pulled, only to hear a sharp twang and a thud. Half of the 8-track contraption was still sticking out of the slot, but the other half was laying on the center console.

“Nice going, sis. You just broke Luke’s 8-track adapter.” Scott said.

“Good. I was tired of classical anyway.” Linda said.

“You don’t get it, do you? You just ruined our only source of decent music because you couldn’t wait a few more hours.” Amy replied.

“Well, we still have the radio.”

“It’s my car, and no, you’re not allowed to touch the radio now that you’ve broken this. We’ll continue on with only the V8 for company. Good job breaking it, hero. Now no one gets to listen to music.” Luke said. He tried to remove the other half of the 8-track adapter from the slot, only to find it was jammed in there.

“Yep, the 8 track player’s gacked and fucked. No more music, because I never bothered fixing the radio antenna. The plan was always to use this, and you’ve broken it.”

“Wait, Luke, you’re saying there’s no music at all?” Linda asked.

Luke turned the radio on, and the only response was static as he turned the tuning knob all the way across the band.

“Yep, you broke it, sis. Unless Luke can un-jam that 8-track thing from the slot, you’ve broken our only source of music.” Scott said.

“Least I can use the MP3 player, then.” Linda said, giving a smirk.

Luke picked up the MP3 player and crushed it, throwing the broken bits of plastic into the back seat. “Go right ahead. It’s now about as useful as my radio is. Have fun. You know, I understand you didn’t like the choice of music. You chose, because you didn’t like the music, to ruin it for all of us. So now we have no music at all. Enjoy.”


Car Condition:
Transmission condition uncertain, assuming unchanged.
8-track player is jammed, though functional. Could be mucked with to return music, if someone apologizes to the team.

Team Condition:

MRL +3 overall. Bad weather and worse grip led to the downfall of the morale. The loss of the music, however, has brought rage and fury to three of the four members of the team. A vote was passed among three of the four members in Team Twin-Snail. While it’s not possible, at this exact moment in time, all three would vote to leave “the radio breaker” behind. The fourth member of the team was not present for this vote. An alternate plan was thought of, and Linda will simply be ignored for the rest of Day 1 as a result.

4 Likes

#Team ‘Southend Or Bust’
Original Post - Previous Post

The story so far: Three uni students in an Erin Berlose going way beyond the original usage reccomendations of the car. But, the long driving and weird lack of problems is actually making the journey more boring than they expected…

“Tree” moaned James as Seb gently steered the car around the object. “Another one. And another”. His head was leaning against the window. This was getting dull now.
“How can driving a car be this boring?” questioned Seb, clearly showing signs of losing hope in his voice. “I didn’t expect this to be like motorway driving”
“Eh” interjected Martin “I’d say motorways were a lot a duller than this”
“Yeah, but at least there’s more to look at than just trees” Seb repsonded.
“True” said Martin, having hoped to start a conversation. That seemed to have stopped almost immediately.

Silence returned in the car. They were bored.

.

Seb fiddled with the radio, seeing if they could tune into some whacky pirate radio being broadcast from out here. “Did you ever heard about that Judica-Cordiglia brothers?”
“No?” replied James, analysing the map.
“They were some Italian amateur radio hosts who claimed to have tuned in to some secret Soviet radio transmissions when the space race was happening” said Seb, clearly showing some major interest for this. “They apparently heard distress signals and missions that failed that the USSR covered up”
“I never knew you were into your conspiracies” said Martin, perking up a little bit.
“Oh yeah. There’s tons throughout Spanish colonial history. Some of those are really fun to look into”.
“There must be some creepy stuff out here though, surely” - James joined in - “I mean, I’ve never been into that kind of stuff, but you know what the United States are like. HAARP, DARPA, NORAD…”
“What, that they like their abbreviations?” chuckled Martin.
James smiled. “Well, that too, but they have so much land to use that they build these cool military places out here to test shit”
Seb snorted. “You really know what you’re on about, 'places out here to test shit’” he said, mockingly.
“Oi” said James in retaliation. “Still, I reckon there’s something out here”
Doodoodoo doo doodoodoodoo” sung Martin all of a sudden. The other two stoppped to look at him. “What, it’s the X Files theme”. Still nothing. “You know, ‘I want to believe’? ‘The truth is out there’?”. He clearly wasn’t getting anywhere.

The thought of old TV shows got Seb thinking. Suddenly, a snarky smirk appeared on his face. “You know” he said, slowly, “the rain, the mountains, the lake, the pine trees…” he listed.
James sighed. He knew what was about to happen.
“Doo doodoo, doo doo, dumdum, doo doo doo” - Seb was singing the Twin Peaks theme. Of course he fucking was.
“Seb I did NOT come out here to be reminded that I was named after a character from a TV show my Mum and ALL here friends were addicted to that I’m fairly sure she had a crush on at one point or another” James raged. Martin was pissing himself by this point, as was Seb.

At least they could find ways to entertain themselves on these dull bits of the drive. Well, some of them could.

7 Likes

Day 1, Leg 9

Pierre
Oh that’s just great! Steady rain, soggy gravel road and wet pavement… This is ridiculous! I’ve secretly decided to go all out on this run, trusting that the tyres will grip and that the car will remain reliable at high RPM’s. The gravel section was a nightmare with poor grip and short gearing conspiring to make my run much more flamboyant than I had planned. The tarmac wasn’t much better but at least I was familiar with how to handle it. Oh man I’m tired of this little, cheap, foreign piece of junk; I should have bought that high kilometre Znopresk Zap instead. Predictably, given my driving flourishes, we were way too fast so hopefully I can reign in my frustration long enough to keep us in the running for a podium finish…

Andrew
Pierre decided to go full kamikaze on this run and I couldn’t blame him; no stereo equals no distractions! I’m usually all about value when I buy cars but I think this spec version of the Bogliq Kitten is just shit; not collectible, not characterful, just shit! We didn’t die on the slippery gravel, despite Pierre’s best efforts, and we roared our way to the end of the stage arriving much too soon for our projected arrival time. I’m going to come back next year with a luxury off-roader; ground clearance, sweet stereo and no numb-bumitis! Seriously folks, never attempt a long distance drive in a stripped out, FWD, rally special as you’ll end up hating your own mother by the end of it. I seriously cannot wait for this day to end and I can stretch out my legs and neck and get some sleep!

Summary

Day 1, Leg 9

Car: No stereo, no sound deadening and no seat padding… Yes these are faults as far as we’re concerned!

Crew: Getting cabin fever due to the Kitten’s rather austere interior! LET ME OUT OF HERE!!! MRL -1 (+5 Total)

6 Likes