PAWOON: I have to admit that I must have underestimated this beast! It’s running like a train now!
CHANDAWANG: Yeah, I told you so. It’s like tailored for this. Maybe not the fastest but it sure can cope with rough conditions. Just look at all the cars we have passed that were either broken down or stuck! I’m sure we will finish this and we won’t be the last to cross the finish line.
6 Likes
Rapido Motors Team
Rajha Mirada - 37
Daniel “Dany” Focada - 34
Car: 1965 Rapido Motors Skylight DS
Stage 2, sector 3&4
R: Ayee! Tis is da speeed section!
D: Let’er rip!
The car flies through the barren desert as fast as it’s 95hp will let it go reaching near 90 mph. The team just enjoying new speed, completely unaware of the sand patches. Then they hit their first one…
The car lurches forward, dropping speed fast as the sand grabs the tires
R: Ohhww!
D: whooow!
Together: Yeeaaahh?
R: Tis not hard dirt, it sand!
D: Whowha… It not like us.
R: We gotta gun through it!
Rajha downshifts into second gear, hoping to have the guts to keep the car moving. It helps for a little bit and they manage to get through the sand patch unharmed.
Dany: Ya, no do that again!
Rajha: Na, we dis avoid da white stuff.
They get through to the checkpoint, (and somehow manage to get in the top 10, according to an official), and move on to sector 4.
Dany: We gat tis. It’a be a walk in te park.
Rajha: Yis, dis car was made for te hill climb, we gonna race tem to te top!
[Ed Note: Recall the bit if info about the government (where RM is located) had a sort of mandate? It was for this exact reason. Hills.]
The team raced up the hill, going side by side with the orange KMC. It was a tough fight…
Rajha: Yiisss, feel de power of de Rapido! Rapido!
The V8 snarls and echos off the side of the KMC. With the KMC’s own i6 hissing back.
Dany: We have ye now! We gots tis good!
Rajha: Ye we show em wit teir modified car tis no match for factory power!
The KMC Avventurer shows signs of overheating as it drops back behind the RM Skylight DS.
Rajha: Whooo! We’dsa show em we gots Factory Power!
Dany: Yee!! It’s victory! For sweet Mother, for Rapido Motors!
The team continues to celebrate their small victory on the hill climb, shouting phrases unrecognizable as English words. They keep themselves in the top 10 for this sector as well.
8 Likes
Stage 2: Fazo - Zimbukto
Sector 5 - Agorgot - Anuman
Down the mountain we go and here we reach sandy desert; though no big dunes yet.
The first part of this sector is a steep downhill race into the big sand desert outstretched below. This is not a part of the Trek for the faint-hearted. The approaches of the teams are different. The Sakura-Mathews America Factory Team is hurling themselves down, trying to make up time lost in earlier sectors. The Fins in the LSV clearly still have braking issues and need to be extra careful. In general everyone is very high-strung during this part of the Trek.
The SOCAUT of Team Pyrénées needs to stop, they need a tire change. At the same time the Sakura Empress is storming down and it doesn’t look like they anticipate others on their route. Oh no! This is going to be a crash!!! Oh… The Empress managed to evade at the last second… They are not slowing down though, this cannot end well.
They are not the only ones to push the car to the limit down the hill, the Ardent barely looks in control, the Rapido Motors car equally speeds down almost out of control. I think it was generally out of control… Rajha Mirada and Dany Focada have stopped the car and are climbing out and standing next to it, both white as a sheet…
And, oh, the accident that was waiting to happen have happened! The Sakura and the Puttzalong came together at high speed and both rolled. I hope the drivers are alright in there… It seems the ACA Roadcruiser was also involved but got off lighter. I am unsure what exactly happened here. That’s the second time the Puttzalong is implicated in a coming together this Trek.
All kind of troubles are pouring in over the radio now: some smoke coming from the Cossack, although it doesn’t seem to be slowing down – anonymous race for team No Name 1 so far; overheating breaks and pending break failure for the Pengting in the mean time, the drivers from NAAC are trying to get them to cool down using… unconventional methods; the Deer and Hunt as well has some issues getting stopped after a while due to stress on the breaks.
Every team is visible relieved when we reach the sand dunes and the way to Anuman oasis is open. No real issues on this part, except the combination of long race (we’re at over 600km far now) and the merciless sun makes a number of victims who need to cool down their engine: the TSR Ultra, the Caliban, the Bogliq, the Franklin Rhino, and the JHW Sparrow; all of them had to spent some time suffering motionless in the unbearable heat.
Worth noting as well is the fuel issues of the Bramble Flint, who are basically begging for fuel at the checkpoint. At that checkpoint the top ten car are:
BM Feather
Bramble Flint Chert
Bruce’s Loose Nut Jar
Epoch M30 3.3 Trek
Keika I Safari
KMC Avventurer
LSV Buccaneer - Halti Special
Rapido Motors (RM) Skylight DS
SOCAUT Pyrénées V8
TSR Ultra Rally Safari Edition
11 Likes
Stage 2: Fazo - Zimbukto
Sector 6 - Anuman - Zimbukto
Final drive through the sandy desert towards the historical city of Zimbukto, capital of the most powerful kings of pre-Archanian times.
Divers are getting tired, I am getting tired. We’ve been out here for well over 7 hours now, and there in the distance in Zimbukto. Drivers will have to reach the Palace of Justice – last used before the current regime came into power, but kindly offered to us to serve as service stop and lodgings.
The end is near, but so is the end of the fuel carried by our teams after so many refuels already. The Katana Racing Team gesturing at locals and being sent to a fuel stop where they can get some extra fuel still. There are some issues with sand in the fuel pump I hear though, so they might lose some precious time there. This could be critical for the outcome of the race considering they have been ever-present in the top ten so far.
But at least the TSR made the city. The Sinistra continued having issues with the fine sand – something they did not encounter on their very successful first stage – and have to dig themselves out even before reaching the Zimbukto slums and outskirts. The Epoch as well – having suffered nearly all race from an engine problem that reduced power – is getting stuck in the small sand hills, with Peter Kleinmann out of the car and pushing.
The FAAL Mesaia is not having much luck this stage either, with both Muellers under the hood somewhere in the slums of Zimbukto, looking to solve ongoing technical issues. The Pengting is plagued by minor issues as well as NAAC is yet again stationary waiting for things to cool down.
The Deer and Hunt meanwhile is hurt, its brakes thoroughly cooked on the flanks of Agorgot. They have to drive carefully and are losing time. Driving less carefully is the Bramble Flint; Moore and Chamberlain clearly frustrated about losing time begging for fuel, I am glad I was not near when they get stuck driving too hasty in the dunes, and run out of fuel again soon after.
It’s not the only car not to like deep, fine sand; the SOCAUT, Ninomiya, Ponni Weekend and BM Feather all have their issues with either traction or overheating the engine from spinning the wheels. No issues in the JHW Sparrow, but Ecurie Crowley suffered some already and had a horrible spell in the first stage, so that’s maybe why they were too concentrated on listening to the engine, rather than navigating Zimbukto. They are simply lost at this point. And they are not the only ones that cannot find their way around this crazy city in the middle of nowhere:Hurry Squad in the Ligrani thought they had found themselves a shortcut, but instead they are lost deep in the slum area.
The IP Brigadeer did not get lost, but is not a fan of the small streets and got a street pole stuck underneat, necessitating removal and repairs at this late stage. The funniest situation though came from the Ardent, with Morgan and Kowalczyk taking half the car apart trying to find what made it stall until Kowalczyk remembered to check the fuel gage. This will have cost them some time, regardless of their decision after this stage to stay in the Trek or take the plane out of Zimbukto.
It’s time to meet the officials at the Court House of Zimbukto and see how the teams did. Who will have won this stage and what has happened to the overall standings?
12 Likes
PAWOON: Yeah, were was we…yeah, I changed my mind, allright, this beast is running like a…
BANG CRUNCH WHACK!
CHANDAWANG: …tourist bus on an offroad trail…
4 Likes
Final Results Stage 2
Congrats for the podium places for Stage 2 of the 1966 TREK
1. Keika Autmotive
2. Ferreira Family Crashing Team
3. Team No Name 2 with the BM Feather
Finishers Professional:
Summary
| Position | Car | Team | Status | Driver | Co-driver | Stage 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keika I Safari | Keika Automotive | Professional | Daniel Chase | Jack Williams | 07:15,07 |
| 2 | KMC Avventurer | KMC | Professional | Kevin Michaels | Herman Livingston | 07:40,34 |
| 3 | LSV Buccaneer - Halti Special | LSVRT team | Professional | Make | Viljami | 07:41,46 |
| 4 | TSR Ultra Rally Safari Edition | Katana Racing Team | Professional | Cole Mendez | Takumi Kakayama | 07:43,52 |
| 5 | Rapido Motors (RM) Skylight DS | Rapido Motors Factory Team | Professional | Rajha Mirada | Daniel “Dany” Focada | 07:54,37 |
| 6 | JHW Sparrow Panamerica | Ecurie Crowley | Professional | Fred Jones | Ken Crowley | 08:16,07 |
| 7 | Bramble Flint Chert | Bramble Factory | Professional | William Moore | Robert Chamberlain | 08:18,19 |
| 8 | Puttzalong Inglese Rally | PRTF (Puttzalong Rally Team Fruinia) | Professional | Giuseppe Contadino | Arturo Greco | 08:24,45 |
| 9 | Ardent Chesapeake GT Rally | The Pride of Ohio | Professional | Bobby Morgan | George Kowalczyk | 08:35,09 |
| 10 | Epoch M30 3.3 Trek | Epoch | Professional | Yale Thomlinson | Peter Kleinmann | 08:35,44 |
| 11 | Caliban Thunder ‘Scafell’ | Tin Of Anchovies | Professional | Alec Henry | “Insane Josh” Joshua Morgan | 08:37,28 |
| 12 | Deer And Hunt Hawg GAT | Team OneShot | Professional | James Parker | Henry Carlson | 08:37,29 |
| 13 | ACA RoadCruiser 440 Police Interceptor Special Offroad | Team Cops and Robbers | Professional | Blake Washington | Alejandro Cervantes | 08:38,30 |
| 14 | Sinistra Savage Concept | Sinistra Performance Division | Professional | Luke Sinistra | Mark Jasper | 08:51,05 |
| 15 | IP Brigadeer 1900 DX2 4x4 | IP Motorsports | Professional | Chandawang Sangwat | Pawoon Khaodai | 09:07,22 |
| 16 | Sakura Empress S (E10) Baja Custom | Sakura-Mathews America Factory Team | Professional | David Mathews | Emerton Mathews | 11:08,34 |
Finishers Amateurs:
Summary
| Position | Car | Team | Status | Driver | Co-driver | Stage 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bruce’s Loose Nut Jar | Ferreira Family Crashing Team | Amateur | Bruce Ferreira | Buster Ferreira | 07:20,51 |
| 2 | BM Feather | No Name 2 | Amateur | Unknown | Unknown | 07:34,24 |
| 3 | SOCAUT Pyrénées V8 | Team Pyrénées | Amateur | Jean-Claude Cassenave | André Lacassagne | 07:55,16 |
| 4 | Franklin Rhino G&EHE1966 | Harcourt-Entwhistle | Amateur | Capt George Harcourt-Entwhistle, REME | Elizabeth Harcourt-Entwhistle | 07:59,14 |
| 5 | Cossack TT2500 (modified) | No Name 1 | Amateur | Menelaus Daisun | Cardiel Megalos | 08:05,36 |
| 6 | Pengting Torra 273 | NAAC (North Archanan Automobilist Club) | Amateur | Jehu “Tripod” Kickoman | Sebastianos Kouho | 08:18,46 |
| 7 | Ponni Weekend | No Name 3 | Amateur | Bruno Volponi | Enzo Lombardo | 08:41,05 |
| 8 | FAAL Mesaia 152 | Team Sechsmötörigewildsaü | Amateur | Xavier Müller | Jean-Martin Müller | 08:44,22 |
| 9 | Ligrani La Follia | Hurry Squad | Amateur | Teodor Bajkiewicz | Clive Stetbury | 08:49,28 |
| 10 | Ninomiya Evron Coupe (Custom) | Team Desert Stars | Amateur | Yuuki Akagi | Haruto Aiba | 09:11,49 |
| 11 | Bogliq GPDV TREK Car | Team There and Back Again | Amateur | Stephen Nix | Christopher Hind | 09:41,44 |
Overall:
Summary
| Position | Car | Team | Status | Driver | Co-driver | Stage 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keika I Safari | Keika Automotive | Professional | Daniel Chase | Jack Williams | 07:15,07 |
| 2 | Bruce’s Loose Nut Jar | Ferreira Family Crashing Team | Amateur | Bruce Ferreira | Buster Ferreira | 07:20,51 |
| 3 | BM Feather | No Name 2 | Amateur | Unknown | Unknown | 07:34,24 |
| 4 | KMC Avventurer | KMC | Professional | Kevin Michaels | Herman Livingston | 07:40,34 |
| 5 | LSV Buccaneer - Halti Special | LSVRT team | Professional | Make | Viljami | 07:41,46 |
| 6 | TSR Ultra Rally Safari Edition | Katana Racing Team | Professional | Cole Mendez | Takumi Kakayama | 07:43,52 |
| 7 | Rapido Motors (RM) Skylight DS | Rapido Motors Factory Team | Professional | Rajha Mirada | Daniel “Dany” Focada | 07:54,37 |
| 8 | SOCAUT Pyrénées V8 | Team Pyrénées | Amateur | Jean-Claude Cassenave | André Lacassagne | 07:55,16 |
| 9 | Franklin Rhino G&EHE1966 | Harcourt-Entwhistle | Amateur | Capt George Harcourt-Entwhistle, REME | Elizabeth Harcourt-Entwhistle | 07:59,14 |
| 10 | Cossack TT2500 (modified) | No Name 1 | Amateur | Menelaus Daisun | Cardiel Megalos | 08:05,36 |
| 11 | JHW Sparrow Panamerica | Ecurie Crowley | Professional | Fred Jones | Ken Crowley | 08:16,07 |
| 12 | Bramble Flint Chert | Bramble Factory | Professional | William Moore | Robert Chamberlain | 08:18,19 |
| 13 | Pengting Torra 273 | NAAC (North Archanan Automobilist Club) | Amateur | Jehu “Tripod” Kickoman | Sebastianos Kouho | 08:18,46 |
| 14 | Puttzalong Inglese Rally | PRTF (Puttzalong Rally Team Fruinia) | Professional | Giuseppe Contadino | Arturo Greco | 08:24,45 |
| 15 | Ardent Chesapeake GT Rally | The Pride of Ohio | Professional | Bobby Morgan | George Kowalczyk | 08:35,09 |
| 16 | Epoch M30 3.3 Trek | Epoch | Professional | Yale Thomlinson | Peter Kleinmann | 08:35,44 |
| 17 | Caliban Thunder ‘Scafell’ | Tin Of Anchovies | Professional | Alec Henry | “Insane Josh” Joshua Morgan | 08:37,28 |
| 18 | Deer And Hunt Hawg GAT | Team OneShot | Professional | James Parker | Henry Carlson | 08:37,29 |
| 19 | ACA RoadCruiser 440 Police Interceptor Special Offroad | Team Cops and Robbers | Professional | Blake Washington | Alejandro Cervantes | 08:38,30 |
| 20 | Ponni Weekend | No Name 3 | Amateur | Bruno Volponi | Enzo Lombardo | 08:41,05 |
| 21 | FAAL Mesaia 152 | Team Sechsmötörigewildsaü | Amateur | Xavier Müller | Jean-Martin Müller | 08:44,22 |
| 22 | Ligrani La Follia | Hurry Squad | Amateur | Teodor Bajkiewicz | Clive Stetbury | 08:49,28 |
| 23 | Sinistra Savage Concept | Sinistra Performance Division | Professional | Luke Sinistra | Mark Jasper | 08:51,05 |
| 24 | IP Brigadeer 1900 DX2 4x4 | IP Motorsports | Professional | Chandawang Sangwat | Pawoon Khaodai | 09:07,22 |
| 25 | Ninomiya Evron Coupe (Custom) | Team Desert Stars | Amateur | Yuuki Akagi | Haruto Aiba | 09:11,49 |
| 26 | Bogliq GPDV TREK Car | Team There and Back Again | Amateur | Stephen Nix | Christopher Hind | 09:41,44 |
| 27 | Sakura Empress S (E10) Baja Custom | Sakura-Mathews America Factory Team | Professional | David Mathews | Emerton Mathews | 11:08,34 |
13 Likes
Team Sechsmötörigewildsaü, in a galaxy far, far away… like Moselle for instance
Clunking sounds.
Both Xavier and Jean-Martin are watchign under the hood to see what the hell has been eating their power up for the last mile or so. Thankfully, the answer was right there.
Two carbs. One cable. The junction between the left carb and the right carb had busted.
Legend says the team finished the race limping, with no shoes on, the shoelaces being used as a makeshift throttle cable, pulled out of the hood and through the driver window.
7 Likes
PAWOON: Aren’t shoes tasty?
CHANDAWANG: HA! We’re not last yet and we won’t be in the end!
PAWOON: I promise to cook them for you, I heard that some ginger and lemon grass could make wonders with old shoes.
CHANDAWANG: I heard that we are two hours faster than the Sakura and that’s enough for me!
3 Likes
Hours, mate 
2 Likes
Ooops, was probably stuck in the 24h clunker challenge thinking yet… 
Corrected.
2 Likes
Rapido Motors Team
Rajha Mirada - 37
Daniel “Dany” Focada - 34
Car: 1965 Rapido Motors Skylight DS
Stage 2, sector 5&6
The next section was all downhill from here, literally. Rajha was still driving and as they went down hill they noticed the speeds picked up far too quickly…
Rajha: Ahhh, di no good…
Dany: It’s too much, too fast! Slows us down!
Rajha: I cants, sa brakes woll overheat if I dids!
The speedometer climbs past 70 as Rajha puts the car into 4th gear, trying for some engine braking to keep the actual brakes from becoming molten steel.
Rajha: Dis all I can do! It’s no use! We’da be flying now!
Their eyes get wide as the speedometer creeps past 95mph. Rajha desperately trying to avoid the other racers around them and the duo starts screaming at each other in incoherent babbles.
The team had quite a ride down the hill, though the 4th gear was long enough to keep the engine from spinning to oblivion, they watched in horror as the speedometer went all the way up to its max 120mph. But by that time the engine had enough braking power to keep the car from going any faster, and the hill started leveling out again.
When they stopped at the bottom of the hill, neither of them said a single word. They were both wide-eyed and white as a sheet as they stood there for about 5 minutes.
Finally:
Rajha: Yuu Drive! I’m done!
Dany reluctantly gets into the driver’s seat and finishes this sector and the next without any drama.
When the duo got to the end of the stage, they shared nervous laughter when they heard they had snagged 5th place in the professional class.
6 Likes
Corrected that! You are fifth in the professional category for this stage.
1 Like
I love this challenge because whether we’re just counting the total time spent driving/fixing the cars OR if we go by a F1 style points system, the KMC Avventurer is in first place despite not winning once.
3 Likes
Team There and Back Again: From Fazo to Zimbukto, Capital of Kings!
Fazo, Archana
Stephen and Chris have six sectors to tackle in stage two. Lots of featureless desert and a mountaintop if we’re lucky. The GPDV is slow but sure and the lads felt confident in themselves, their car and their chances of doing well on this stage…
Sector One, Fazo to Trek Camp One
Team TaBA started strongly, if you can call turtling off the line strong, but were soon engulfed in other entrant’s drama. In attempting to avoid the drama, Stephen steered the GPDV into a ditch! This ditch proved to be a real PITA as, regardless of how much rocking was attempted, the GPDV refused to come unstuck. It was only when Stephen and Chris got out and visually checked what the issue was that the problem was revealed; a large rock was wedged under the rear diff housing. Once that was cleared, by hand, then the GPDV could climb out of the ditch and carry on… Stinking of burnt clutch due to Stephen’s earlier frustration.
Sector Two, Trek Camp One to Sali
No major problems or drama cropped up in this sector. Team TaBA were just very late because a slow, old off-roader goes even slower when it’s clutch is slipping!
Sector Three, Sali to Point Nowhere
Featureless desert, as far as the eye can see, but there are traps to snare the unwary or unlucky. Team TaBA is one of those unlucky ones, finding themselves mired in an especially deep patch of fine sand. Only after much digging and deployment of the sand ladders was Stephen able to drive the GPDV free from the sand patch’s clutches. At least they didn’t cook the clutch again.
Sector Four, Point Nowhere to Argorgot
Sector Four sees our intrepid heroes attempt to haul ass up to the top of Agorgot. This results in many hairy moments and near misses, the worst of which was a two wheel tipping moment that threatened to send team TaBA tumbling back down the mountain! All this noise and fury is wasted, however, as the team inevitably falls further behind the faster teams.
Sector Five, Agorgot to Anuman
Getting down the mountain was easy; gravity does most of the work! The long overland section section wasn’t so easy. The combination of high RPM thrashing, lots of constant operation and extreme heat has caused the GPDV to overheat again. This sees Stephen and Chris having to shelter under their vehicle to keep out of the heat, while waiting for the engine to cool off. Fortuitously, Chris remembers to put cardboard into the windscreen and cloth over the side windows, ensuring they aren’t burnt by the metal, vinyl and bakelite when they are able to set off again!
Sector Six, Anuman to Zimbukto
A thankfully anticlimactic ending to a frustrating day for team TaBA. Stephen managed to avoid the worst of the sand dunes, heading into Zimbukto, and Chris was able to navigate Zimbukto easily, having worked there a couple of years ago. This meant that team TaBA managed to arrive at the end of this sector and the stage in reasonable time, compared to most of the sectors previous!
Thoughts on Stage Two
At the end of Stage Two, team TaBA are second last overall and last in the ameteur class.
Surprising?
Not really, IMO, as Team TaBA was meant to roleplay a couple of mates, with not much money, driving an outdated shitbox on the faint hope of winning. My team is doing well just to be in the competition! I was initially upset that my entrant was having so many mechanical issues but then, on reflection, I realised that in 1966 the GPDV is over 20 years old and this example has a questionable maintenance history. Even Toyotas fail if they are pushed too hard!
Tl;dr: I hope my team does better in Stage Three!!! 
7 Likes
How in the heck?
After crossing the finish line, Luke opened the door of the Sinistra Savage and dumped about three pounds worth of sand all over the parking area in front of the Palace of Justice. “I hate sand.” Luke said, getting out of the car with a gritty crunch on the fresh pile of sand under the door. “And now our car is infested with it.”
“You’re the one who buried her up to the gearbox in it. I told you to back off, that we’d just go put some traction boards under the tires and crawl out of it. But no, you have to plant your foot through the fuckin’ firewall and belly-panned the car.” Mark said, dusting the sand off of his boots.
“More power worked before.” Luke responded.
“Really? And this was with what off-roading experience?” Mark asked. Luke couldn’t respond, not honestly at least. The only off-roading experience he’d had before was from a different time, before his trip back to 1946, when he’d driven a 1970’s Sinistra Savage convertible through a junkyard bash for $500 cars.
“Used to do it with my Dad’s old truck.” Luke said after a few seconds. “It wasn’t much good off-road, but more power was always better.”
“Probably had a flat-head in it. No guts at all, so more power would be fine. You know, I ought to teach you how to race a rally car. That’ll help you out with this offroading problem you have. You seemed to do okay on the trip to the event, so I just have to work on your mixed-surface traction problem.” Mark said.
“So, any idea how much more this car’s going to suffer?” Luke asked Mark.
“Well, they’ve said it’s a 5 stage race. This was stage 2.” Mark said. “Come on, let’s go try to actually fix that mangled front wheel before the third stage starts.”
6 Likes
@Madrias, still 3 stages to go, don’t run home yet. I hope for you the fender and wheel will be the only issues of the Sinistra.
6 Likes
Ah, must’ve missed there were more stages.
Edit: Well, problem edited out and saved for later. With any luck we’ll catch up and prove FWD is the real off-roading machine.
5 Likes
The Epoch generally performs well, it’s in the top half in terms of circuit times that form the basis for the Trek times. It only dropped back due to drivability and technical issues.
Since the times at the end of the first stage were around 7 hours, and the same for the second stage, we aren’t running a cumulative time for the whole Trek. So how does the scoring work for compiling the results of each Stage, for the final results? Is it a points system for finishing positions at the end of each Stage? Is it still cumulative, so the leader is somewhere in the 14 hour range right now?