Roulette Runner [FINAL RESULTS]

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

Previous PostNext Post

Day 1 Leg 8
Just before departing
Wookiee: No, just follow it. It takes us down the side of this mountain. Then (points on the map) we turn here. After that, this highway heads this way to Deer Pass. Okay?
Toni: Right. I’m so looking forward to this. Sitting in the back with you two driving is torture.
Bill: Are you sure you want to do this?
Toni: For the tenth time, YES. We’ve racked up 140 Miles so far, and I haven’t done my fair share.

Half way to Deer Pass
Bill: I’m beginning to think I should have done something about that bearing. It might get worse, right? What did you say it would have cost?
Toni: Would have been about 50 or so AMU. Not that it matters, this is supposed to be a rust rally isn’t it? We won’t have the time to do anything about it until after this trip is over, so stop worrying. It’ll be fine. The brakes might need some attention soon, I was getting a bit of pedal fade coming down.
Wookiee: We’re not that far form the next stop, should be there in about 20 minutes.

Pulling in to Deer Pass
*Bill: There they are. On the right. See if you can get spot out of the mud.
Toni: Duh!
Bill: I’m going to see if there’s a place to get a decent hot chocolate here, and maybe some air freshener… (looks at Wookiee) or deodorant.
Toni: I’ll grab the camera, see if I can snap some pics of the other teams, just for posterity.
Wookiee: And, I’m going to find me a tree.

Day 1 Leg 9
Toni: Just so you know Bill, we are not listening to “The Carpenters Greatest Hits, again… ever.”
Bill: Homer J. Simpson likes their music. Plus, My van. My entry fee.
Toni: My hammer.
Bill: Well, how about Elton John? I’ve got some Robert Palmer somewhere.
Toni: Whatever. (Turns the key, starter motor solenoid doesn’t throw). My hammer.
-------plus 5 mins----------------
Bill: I’m over hearing that bearing.
Toni: The bearing is fine.
Bill: Then why is it getting louder?
Toni: The bearing is fine! This downhill mud run is getting boring, though. (Stifles a yawn) Can’t wait until we hit a paved road again.
Bill: Tie Rod. Back Window. Rear lens. Bearing. Starter.
Wookiee: Jelly baby?
Toni: What?
Bill: I didn’t see…AGAIN?!
Wookiee: Jeez, Snappy much?


A quick thank you @DeusExMackia for making me play that music (note: sarcasm is free)

6 Likes

@stm316 Can confirm that I very much approve of your choice of soundtrack :smiley:

FYI: Typing “Jelly baby” in a YouTube search tends to reveal just how macabre some people really are.

Anyway…

TEAM OUTRIDERS

Marc: (YAWN)

Blake: Knock that shit out, it’s (YAWN) contagious!

Marc: That rain’s a bit steady now isn’t it?

Blake: Yeah, I’m watching some of those other cars slipping around a bit in the mud.

Marc: You seem relatively calm about that.

Blake: One thing I will concede about getting a more modern car, modern brakes.

Marc: And yet you’ve got the Traction Control off.

Blake: Relax, I can handle weather like this. Besides, Petoskey has the right idea making all their stability and traction control shit controllable by a toggle switch. No cycling the key, no pressing the pedals in a certain pattern, just on and off.

Marc: (Looks down at map) Looks like we’re gonna hit pavement soon, And the community of Niles. Maybe they’ll have the parts we need.

Blake: Don’t count on it, places like that are mainly tourist traps, not likely to find an auto parts store or a junkyard. Though we can keep our fingers crossed.

Marc: (YAWN)

Blake: What did I just (YAWN) say?

8 Likes

That was ever so slightly my inspiration

Day 1 Leg 10 Data

Niles to Hainsey via multiple local roads

The event organizers had a little something special planned as far as a paved section. Meandering back and forth between farms and rural roads (some not entirely paved), the course stretches what should be a few-mile jaunt through agricultural land into almost thirty miles, all at low speed with relatively frequent stops. Despite the roads being paved, however, they are in terrible condition.

The rain has stopped, and the clouds are turning white again.

Length 28; Avg Grade 0; Max Grade 2

@cpufreak101
LAE Exact; MRL 0; Notes: Team is getting tired, but very confident in their run so far.

@Madrias
LAE Medium (fast); MRL 0; Notes: None.

@Fayeding_Spray
LAE High (slow); MRL +1; Notes: Lifter tick seems to be getting worse. Oil level is still full.

@HighOctaneLove
LAE High (fast); MRL -1; Notes: No music, road fatigue. At least it’s not raining anymore.

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

@DeusExMackia
LAE High (slow); MRL -1; Notes: Road fatigue is getting worse.

@Mikonp7
LAE High (slow); MRL -1; Notes: Team is getting quite tired.

@JohnWaldock
LAE Medium (slow); MRL -1; Notes: Team is getting quite tired.

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

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

@stm316
LAE Medium (slow); MRL -1; Notes: Team is getting quite tired.

@Dorifto_Dorito
LAE - Exact; MRL 0; Notes: Getting tired, but feeling confident.

@Leonardo9613
LAE - High (slow); MRL -2; Notes: Team is getting tired, and to compound things, the brakes aren’t working well, and very soft feeling.

@Darkshine5
LAE - High (fast); MRL 0; Notes; Team is tired, but confident.

@Rk38
LAE Low (fast); MRL +2; Notes: Able to go fast on this stretch and make up a lot of time.

@EnryGT5
LAE Exact; MRL 0; Notes: Actually ran this leg a little fast, but also the only team to pull over in Hainsey to fuel up.

@titleguy1 / @ramthecowy
LAE High (fast); MRL 0; The van handled this section well, also kept fatigue progression to a minimum.

7 Likes

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

Sit Down by James came on the playlist again, and James himself sighed. “We’re running out of music folks” he said as he paused the song and a dull quiet came over the car. The three of them were bored, and this section of the road was only making it worse. Save for the occasional jolt as they went over a big pot hole, nothing was happening.

.

Time passed, slowly. Seb guided the car round another catastrophic gouge out of the road surface. It didn’t even interest him anymore.
James suddenly spoke up. “I could kill to make a stir fry right now” he said.
“Yeah?” replied Martin. “Your stir fries are good, to be honest”.
“Did you ever use my method on your ex?” James replied.
Martin’s face shot round to look at him, very confused. “Excuse me?”
James was now also confused at Martin’s lack of comprehension. “My method” he asked again.

Then it clicked - “Oh, wait, no, my stir fry method”
Martin finally got it “Oh, ha!” he chuckled, “Yeah, it worked pretty darn well once or twice” he said with smirk on his face. And then the dull quiet returned. James swung back round to face the front and be navigator, and Martin went back to looking out of the window. Silence.

.

Thankfully, as of yet, there were no tensions between the three of them, but each of them was worried that that something would come up to cause disagreement.

Martin was sure it would be a mechanical problem. He passion for cars was also a bane to him sometimes; he couldn’t fucking stop thinking about them. And on these quiet, boring stretches, every little sound the car made was amplified, and every little sound could be another problem waiting to happen.

James thought he might suddenly get annoyed at the other two, and he was predicting it could be this evening with Martin’s irrational dislike for camping. He knew he had to keep the other two happy with his cooking; it did help to bring a sense of familiarity out here after all. But would that really be enough?

Seb was concerned that the boredom he was experience was going to cause him to snap. He was known for getting angry every so often, though so far he hadn’t. But he was sure that something would come up that would make him rage or say something stupid, and that it wouldn’t end well.

All of them knew it, but none wanted to talk about it; their friendship was risking being strained.

5 Likes

Day 1, Leg 10

Andrew
Having looked over the notes for this leg, I’ve decided to match Pierre’s pace and show everyone what the Kitten’s capable of. The rain has stopped so the tight, twisty course is easy to navigate and easy to spot the many potholes. The l’il Bogliq performs faultlessly, scrabbling from corner to corner, sliding the rear around the bends and generally doing all I ask of it. Being in the driver’s seat mollifies my fatigue rage somewhat but I can feel the deeper fatigue beginning to set in. My eyes are feeling tired and strained and I’m almost too slow with course corrections; the sliding rear end isn’t always part of the plan! No joy was felt at the end of the run despite making good time. Hopefully the next run won’t be so taxing…

Pierre
I’m seriously thinking about letting Andrew drive until the end of day one. I’m feeling my age right about now and I want a warm cup of cocoa and a comfy armchair so I can watch the evening news in comfort. The countryside is interesting to look at but I’m past caring; travel fatigue has me feeling number than a shot of novocaine! The Kitten performs flawlessly and puts on a show for the gathered spectators; you can feel the ghost of the Bogliq factory backed rally team, desperate for WRC glory, in the way the little hatch flies around the course. However, not unlike the Bogliq rally team, we were unable to to make up enough time and are left short of our intended target for the day. Not because of the hardware, mind you, but the software just cannot handle the pace…

Summary

Day 1, Leg 10

Car: 100% health and getting used the way the factory intended it to be used! (No stereo though, BOO!!!)

Crew: Really tired, we want to go home! MRL -1 (+4 Total)

5 Likes

Team Twin-Snail

Day 1, Leg 9


Before the Stage

An icy silence could be felt from Team Twin-Snail as they packed their supplies into the car. Linda sat in the back seat while everyone else packed up food, finished topping up fluids, and checking for leaks in unusual places.

“Thanks for helping, Linda.” Amy said with an icy tone. “Broke our radio and then sits in the car while everyone else is finding something to do.”

Scott and Luke got into the car, then headed out to the starting line. As they waited at the starting line, Scott leaned forward and hit the switch to drop the top. The electric motor whined quietly as the top folded away, and the rear cover clicked into place again.


Day 1, Leg 10

Luke started off on the road, letting Amy navigate while they blasted down the old backroads, the only sound in the car being the growling of the engine. They noticed a few people had lined up to watch, which made sense as, with all the zig-zagging roads, word would spread quickly about there being some sort of race going on.

He weaved around potholes, trying to keep the speed up as the silence in the car grew deafening.

“I said I’m sorry.” Linda said, trying to break the silence.

“I said I don’t care.” Amy replied. “You trashed the radio out of spite. There’s headphones in the trunk, you’ve got a cell phone, you could have listened to your music and not bothered anyone else. Instead, you ruined it for everyone here. We’ve still got another day to go, and no music to go with it.”

They kept their fast pace to Hainsey, where Luke parked the car.


Day 1, Leg 10 Aftermath

Once they’d parked the car, Team Twin-Snail went about the usual process by now of checking the transmission for leaks, topping up fluids that needed topping up, and in the case of Scott, working with Luke to try to restore some radio functionality, even if it was minimal.

“I’ve got an idea.” Luke said, before grabbing for the rat’s nest of wires. “We know this part worked. All it’s doing is feeding an analog signal to the 8-track player’s read head. The tape player was working the same way, just with a cassette instead of an 8-track. That half’s fine. If we-”

“If we intercept the signal, feed it straight to the 8-track instead, bypassing the middle-man, we could have sound. It’s tricky, but it might work. It broke off, yes, but it left the important bits in the 8-track player. Let’s pull apart the false cassette and see what we can come up with.” Scott said.

Amy was busy sorting supplies in the trunk while Linda sat in a folding chair not far from the car. “Linda, get off your ass and start helping me with this god-damn grill. You’re the only one here not doing anything right now, you might as well learn how to cook on a grill.”

“We don’t have time for charcoal, though.” Linda said.

“I’m not using charcoal. This car’s got old-school catalytic converters and got driven hard. I stuck some ceramic bricks on top of the converters, should still be hot enough to cook with. Take these tongs, grab the big white block on top of the metal cans, and slide it backwards. Don’t touch them with your hands, they’re stupidly hot.” Amy said, handing over a set of tongs.

Linda reached under the car and removed the two ceramic bricks, setting them in the grill for Amy to use. “Now we’ve got heat for the grill, which means we can cook something, because Scott’s working with Luke on that radio, and he’s going to want something to eat once they’re done playing with the wiring.” Amy said.

“We’re not playing, we’re bypassing the cassette adapter into the 8 track deck.” Scott said.

“I’m not going to pretend to know what the hell you two are up to. All I know is you’re doing something to try making it possible to play music.” Amy replied. “Geez, what reeks?”

“Burning the dust off of my soldering iron so we can make better connections.” Luke said, before they put a bit of heat shrink over the wires and he made the first connection.

“Thought Scott farted for a moment there.” Linda said, trying not to laugh.

“No, but I have to, and I’m being nice and holding it for a bit so that I can let it off away from the car.”

After a couple more wires were spliced together, soldered, and heat-wrapped, Luke took a bit of the old casing and adapted it to fit an audio jack and into the slot, making a flush-mounted audio kit for the car. He then grabbed a spare 3.5mm audio cable and hooked Scott’s phone to the radio, and for the first time in a few hours, the sound of Metallica blared out of the speakers.


Car Condition:

Trans fluid leak is at least not getting any worse. Radio is repaired, though the sound signal is a little lacking in power. Still, it’s music, and while it’s requiring more radio power to make the same volume, it’s working. Fluids are all topped up. Top is retracted, but Luke knows how to put it back up quickly now.

Team Condition:

MRL +3 overall. Feeling better now that there’s music. Currently enjoying bratwurst on a ceramic-heated grill. Glad that the Sinistra’s seats are halfway comfortable, and that Scott has music on his phone.

5 Likes

TEAM OUTRIDERS

Marc: That’s unlike you.

Blake: What do you mean?

Marc: You’ve switched the Traction Control back on.

Blake: I’m a little tired to be overconfident, this is wearing me out more than I thought.

Marc: I know the feeling, if we were twenty years younger, we’d be all full of piss and vinegar, ready to tackle anything head on.

Blake: At least the rain is letting up.

Marc: I never did ask, where did you get this car?

Blake: The city of Whitefish Bluffs was selling it. Used to be an administrative vehicle.

Marc: How’d you get it so cheap?

Blake: Name recognition, most people go for the Police Interceptors, completely overlooking the civilian model.

Marc: Well, the radio seems a bit nicer than the Police version.

Blake: Better radio, and a less sporty suspension. Plus, less wear and tear, 100,000 miles isn’t a lot these days, but when you’re talking about a police car, people tend to forget the idle time those things have in addition.

Marc: That explains why these roads are somewhat bearable, it’s really doing a number on my spine.

Blake: Tell me about it, you should’ve taken a lesson from me and stopped growing old.

Marc: Hardy har har!

(Later at the next stop, the team gets gas and takes a bathroom break)

Blake: Let’s see how things are looking under the hood. (Opens hood) Oh great!

Marc: What is it?

Blake: Foil came apart on one of- I mean your burger.

Marc: Dammit!

Blake: Must have been all those bumps.

Marc: Wait, what do you mean my burger?

Blake: Well, I figured since I’m the chef and all.

Marc: Chef? You wrapped a meat patty in foil and stuffed it next to an exhaust manifold, that’s not exactly Michelin Star.

Blake: Okay okay, we’ll split the good one. We’ve got that salad mix in the cooler, we’ll just have extra large salads to balance it out.

Marc: How’s everything else looking?

Blake: She’s got all her fluids, all looks to be in order.

Marc: Then let us proceed, I’ll drive.

3 Likes

Day 1 Leg 11 Data

Hainsey to Hainsey Mountain Campground via Hainsey Mountain Road

Parts of this long, winding road are modestly steep, but due to numerous switchbacks spaced far apart, overall this is not a tough climb. The road has frequent bare rocks, especially once on the ridge climbing to the night-time camp spot, a wide open field just shy of the peak itself. There is a separate marked-off area for teams to check/work on their cars, enough away from the campsite to not be a nuisance.

Patches of blue sky peek out at first, and shortly after arrival at the campground by all remaining teams, the sky clears altogether, and stays that way all night, giving them amazing views of night sky (with very little light pollution)

Length 13; Avg Grade 3; Max Grade 7

@cpufreak101
LAE High (fast); MRL +4; Notes: Survived day one intact!

@Madrias
LAE High (fast); MRL +4; Notes: Survived day one intact!

@Fayeding_Spray
LAE High (slow); MRL +2; Notes: Survived day one mostly intact. See PM for details.

@HighOctaneLove
LAE High (slow); MRL +4; Notes: Survived day one intact!

@conan
LAE Medium (slow); MRL +4; Notes: Survived day one intact!

@DeusExMackia
LAE High (fast); MRL +4; Notes: Survived day one intact!

@Mikonp7
LAE High (fast); MRL +4; Notes: After a liberal application of duct tape to the suspension K-member, it’s time to rest.

@JohnWaldock
LAE Medium (slow); MRL +4; Notes: Survived day one intact!

@DoctorNarfy
LAE Exact; MRL +4; Notes: Survived day one intact!

@BobLoblaw
LAE Medium (slow); MRL +4; Notes: Survived day one intact (minus a few fuel injectors)

@stm316
LAE Low (fast); MRL +4; Notes: Survived day one intact!

@Dorifto_Dorito
LAE - High (slow); MRL +4; Notes: Survived day one intact!

@Leonardo9613
LAE - Medium (fast); MRL +2; Notes: Survived day one mostly intact. See PM for details.

@Darkshine5
LAE - High (slow); MRL +4; Notes; Had to patch a vacuum line coming off the intake manifold, but otherwise intact.

@Rk38
LAE High (fast); MRL +4; Notes: Survived day one intact-ish.

@EnryGT5
LAE High (fast); MRL +4; Notes: Survived day one intact!

@titleguy1 / @ramthecowy
LAE High (slow); MRL +4; Survived day one intact!

Day One Results:

stm316 (Exact)
JohnWaldock (fast)
BobLoblaw (fast)
Dorifto_Dorito (slow)
Madrias (slow)
EnryGT5 (fast)
Mikonp7 (slow)
conan (fast)
HighOctaneLove (fast)
Titleguy1/ramthecowy (slow)
Vri404 (fast)
DeusExMackia (slow)
DoctorNarfy (slow)
Leonardo9613 (slow)
Rk38 (slow)
cpufreak101 (slow)

Out: szafirowy1, F17Francesco, 8bs, VicVictory

Overnight Camp

OK, from here on until Saturday evening (PDT), it’s open RP for you guys… Grab a hotdog and a beer, gather round the fire, and relax!

8 Likes

Team Twin-Snail

Day 1 Pre-Race
Day 1, Leg 1
Day 1, Leg 2
Day 1, Leg 3
Day 1, Leg 4
Day 1, Leg 5
Day 1, Leg 6
Day 1, Leg 7
Day 1, Leg 8
Day 1, Leg 9
Day 1, Leg 10


Before the Stage

With the radio still playing, even at a reduced volume, and the soundtrack having changed to some mid-80’s techno, Team Twin-Snail packed up their campground goodies. Scott put a bunch of bratwurst in buns, then wrapped them in a towel to place in the car for snacking on during the run, Linda placed the ceramic blocks back in the holding brackets welded to the catalytic converters, Amy packed away the grill and any as-yet-uncooked food, and Luke checked, then double-checked the fluid levels.

“Everything looks good. Oil’s topped up, brake fluid’s topped up, transmission’s as optimal as it’s gonna get, and we’ve even got about half a pint of headlight fluid in the passenger side highbeam lamp housing after the last rainfall.” Luke said.

“Mind draining the headlight coolant, Luke? Wouldn’t want to lose all the headlights, now would we?” Amy said. Luke gave a light nod, then unbolted the trim ring and the lens, letting the rain water drain out before putting it all back.

After the last minute checks were done, the hood was closed, and everyone was in the car, Luke cranked it over and they headed to the starting line for the last time that day.

“Got any plans, Luke?” Linda asked. “My calculation says we could use a bit of a speed boost.”

“I could rev the piss out of it and neutral-bomb it. Either spectacular transmission failure occurs, or we throw gravel all over the place.”

“I like our luck so far. Do it.”


Day 1, Stage 11

The huge bright-blue convertible roared as Luke held it in neutral, banging on the rev limiter before the flag dropped. With a well-timed yank and drop on the column shifter, Luke popped it into Drive as the revs started climbing again, causing the car to snarl, sneeze, then proceed to burn the tires going out onto the steep mountain road.

The all mechanical beast sang to the setting sun, the pounding roar of the crossplane V8 mixing with the shrill sound of the turbochargers, combining with the variety of music from Scott’s phone set on Shuffle. A blend of techno, metal, and rock became the background music to their winding ascent, blended with the pure, raw mechanical sounds of their old car.

Luke turned the headlights on, not that he needed them, but he understood other teams needed to see them. As they rounded the last corner and drove through the campground, Luke aimed the car with the same precision they’d first arrived in, narrowly missing a trash can, two benches, and the toilets.


Day 1, Leg 11 / Day 1 Aftermath

“Damn good driving, Luke!” Scott said, unwrapping the bundle of bratwurst, then unlocking the trunk to get out the beer.

Linda and Amy set up the little grill, placing the two very-hot ceramic blocks in the bottom as they prepared some food.

“Hey, Luke, did ya hear about those guys in the Bogliq?” Scott asked.

“What about 'em?” Luke inquired back.

“Their radio’s broken, too. Maybe you could do a favor for 'em, go poke at some broken solder joints with that soldering iron of yours.”

“Well, if they bring it to me, I’ll consider it. Though I’ll have to warn 'em that I don’t use that ROHS-compliant lead-free crap. Not for repair-work, at least.” Luke said, after giving it a half second of thought.

Amy looked at the ignition of the Sinistra Savage, then asked, “Luke, where the hell are your keys?”

“Tucked neatly away in my under-arm compartment, away from thieves. And if anyone thinks they’re going to pry open one of my compartments, I’ve got 400 psi of grip force that says every bone in their hand will be powderized. I’ve also got a soldering iron built into my left hand index finger, so I could just brand them as a thief. And if it gets nasty, you’ll find ol’ Dragon’s Breath in the trunk.”

“Ah, that pile-of-junk oxy-propane torch you built out of things laying around the shop.” Linda quipped, giving her trademark “I’m just joking” grin.

“Hardly a pile of junk. You show me a welding torch with gas bottles that fit on a belt and can provide the heat needed to make quick work of it. Then I’ll consider replacing it.” Luke replied, having missed the grin.

“Why’d you bring it, though?” Scott asked.

“Well… It’s both a welding torch and a cutting tool. It’s something anyone can use.”

“Good point.”


Car Condition:
Intact, seems to be running fine. Transmission leak is still not conclusive as to being worse or not, but everyone’s assuming it still exists. Fan belt replaced after Luke noticed the one they’d run all day with looked like a rat chewed it. Radio works. Top still sticks, but right now, no one really cares about that.

Team Condition

MRL +7 overall. Feeling good, and comfortable that they’ve made it halfway. Confident the car will at least start for tomorrow. Not overconfident enough to think it’ll breeze through day 2, but hopes are up. Scott’s preparing the mother-of-all-exhaust-leaks for later. Luke currently has no active projects. Amy is teaching Linda how to cook with a grill. Linda is learning not all food comes from a microwave.


(out of character. Needless to say, I’m open for the open RP session. Just had to tie up the loose ends of the day, and now Team Twin-Snail’s ready. If you’ve got broken electronics, you may try your luck with whether Luke can fix them or not. Essentially, he’ll try to fix it, but ultimately, it’s up to VicVictory as to whether it can function or not. Also, feel free to ask for a beer or two, we’ve got plenty, along with bratwurst and burgers. Effectively, this is my declaration that I’ll be active in this.)

4 Likes

Day 1, Leg 11

Pierre
Buoyed by the knowledge that this was he final run for the day I chose to take the final steer of the day, giving Andrew maximum time to rest up ready for tomorrow. The ascent was generally easy but there were some steep sections which meant we had to lean hard on the engine RPM’s. The rocks were clear and easy to spot so the run was uneventful and we arrived at the end of the run just shy of our target time. We parked up the Kitten and went looking for someplace good to camp for the night…

Andrew
So pleased we’re on our final leg as both Pierre and I were at the end of our tethers! Pierre drove the final run with aplomb, deftly avoiding obstacles and the lower half of the RPM range and we were never in any danger of crashing or DNF’ing. The skies cleared up by the time we reached the end of the run and we were able see clearly the landscape all around us. Such a pretty place, it’s a shame we can’t stay longer…

Summary

Day 1, leg 11

Car: No worries at all, the Bogliq has proven to be really reliable!

Crew: Relieved that it’s the end of the day, looking forward to some fried/barbequed “meat” and damper! MRL 0 (+4 Total)

Epilogue, end of Day 1

Pierre
I helped Andrew set up the campsite, search for firewood and make dinner. I decided that I wanted to spend some alone time before bed so I wandered up to the top of the hill and did some stargazing. The universe truly is a beautiful place and I can understand why the ancients were all obsessed with astronomy and astrology; you can’t help but behold the night sky in awe of it’s magnificent beauty! When I started to feel sleepy, which was around 9pm, local time, I headed back to camp and got some shuteye as we had a lot of driving to do the next day…

Andrew
After we made everything ship-shape and got ourselves squared away, Pierre and I decided to spend some time away from each other so we could recharge, ready for tomorrow. I decided to wander through the camping grounds, handing out some copies of Mountain Pass to whomever wanted one (I had about 5 to spare) and say hello, them I would move on to the next campfire. After visiting all the competitors it was getting late so I headed back to camp, got into my sleeping bag and fell asleep!

Summary

Day 1

Car: Lost it’s stereo, otherwise there is nothing to report. Currently too fast for our target time, not bad for a rally replica FWD hatch!

Crew: We still like each other so, as far as Pierre and I am concerned, that’s a big win for team Mountain Pass! (MRL +4)

4 Likes

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

The story so far: Three uni students in a far-more-reliable-than-expected Erin Berlose in the the middle of nowhere. Day 1 has been quite the test for the car, but it’s pulled through well. As for the team, they’ve had highs and lows but have made it to the end very much in one piece. Now it’s just a question of what James is cooking for dinner…

James slowed as they approached the campsite, having just finished the leg. “Good job boys” he said proudly, as Seb and Martin reciprocated. They rolled past the designated work area, surveying some of the cars and tired teams that were in there.
“Sucks to be them” said Seb. He’d really become rather boisterious on this run, not that the other two minded.
“I say we go and park up next to the Bogliq” said James.
“Go for it” replied Martin “I just want dinner to be honest”

.

With the tent set up, the guys had gone off to do their own thing for a while. Martin sat by the side of the car with a torch in his mouth and a few tools next to his as he tried to cut off a chunk of plastic that had been damaged at some point today. James sat next to his portable stove, concentrating on making what was going to be an amazing dinner. Seb meanwhile was setting up his section of the tent, and seeing if they could get a phone signal out here.

Suddenly, there was a clunk and a decisive “Got ya!” from Martin. James looked over. “What have you just done?” he queried.
“I got rid of that stupid wheelarch cover that’s been dragging along the tire all day. Was driving me mad” he said excitedly. Shortly after, he came over to the stove. “So, what’s the plan?”
“For dinner?” replied James, “We’re doing some kind of burrito thing. I’m making a sausage jambalaya and I’m then gonna stuff that in some wraps” he said, shoveling a mix of bell peppers, onions, peas and shredded carrot into the pan.
“How the hell do you manage to do this out in the wild?” said Martin, impressed.
“Magic” said James, with a smile on his face. “And then afterwards, I’ve got some pre-made curry sauce and I’ll do a bit of rice if anyone wants extras. Otherwise, that’ll be lunch for tomorrow”.

“Right” shouted Seb, having changed clothes and already opened a beer. “I want music and I want to be drunk” he said, opening the door to the car and pressing some buttons on the iPod dock. Moments later, Slide Away was blasting out of the speakers of the car. He then went over to open the boot, and brought out a crate of cheap beer, which Martin and James quickly went over to. It was gonna be a good night.

Just as a note for anyone who wants to incorporate Southend or Bust into their RP; we’re playing loud music, mainly 90s/00s Alt Rock, getting drunk and generally being a nuisance :smiley:

7 Likes

Sorry for lack of rp i am having rl issues thanks to my flight being cancelled

4 Likes

Real life is a bitch sometimes.
I have had no time to come up with a decent storyline. So here goes a short sum up of day one.


#Team Clockwork Orange

Day one went way better than expected for the team. The guys were confident in failure before they set off. Who would bring a 1979 hot hatch for an off road competition after all. Low ground clearance, no off-road tyres, stiff suspension with limited articulation, tiny cabin. All those things don’t make for a good car to take across a massive off-road trip. But the plucky Baltazar was soldiering on brilliantly, with no issues bar minor scraping and worrying brake fade.

At night, on the camp, they decided to tackle the issue that was being presenting itself. All brake lines were checked, as was the brake fluid levels and the servo. Obviously, as wth all things, it turned out the issue was in the most complex part. to be continued, when I find some more time

4 Likes