One Last Hurrah [FINAL RESULTS]

Community Challenges & Competitions
368

V6 Vandals - D5 Midnight-4a - “Well Rested”

Not much happened up until 3 in the morning when the Vandals piled into the little Ishu Truckling. Amy was all hopped up on coffee, Luke was, well, being Luke, and Cody and Jake settled into the back seat for the short drive to the gas station.

At the gas station in St. Louis, Amy got out and filled the gas tank with the usual Premium fuel, while Luke opened the hood, checked the dipstick, and added another quart of oil. With the gas paid for, a full tank, and a few bags of chips and some energy drinks purchased, the Vandals hit the road hard.

“So, what do you think of our chances, Luke?” Amy asked.

“I don’t like making guesses. And I have insufficient data for a proper educated guess.” Luke replied. “However, I know we’ve hit the road pretty damn early, so we’ll make up some miles while other teams sleep it off.”

“I’m just glad we’re doin’ to them what they’ve been doin’ to us.” Cody said. “Means we might pull this off. Or we’ll break the car trying.”

“Let’s try to avoid breaking the car. After all, we’ve made it this far, let’s at least cross the finish line.” Jake said.

Amy nodded, though seemed intent on traveling at the pace she set the night before.

MRL: +18? (+1 confirmed, +1 possible. Needs Clarification. Alt Value +19)
FTG: 0? (-9 confirmed, -9 possible. Needs Clarification. Alt Value -9)
WAY: 7
GAS: 3/3
FST: 8 (+1)
OIL: 2 quarts (+1)

4 Likes
369

can i still enter even though its started?

370

The deadline for entries for this challenge was several months ago… so it’s safe to say that entries here have been closed for a very long time.

1 Like
371

Not only that, but we’re somewhere around 2-4 time periods before the whole thing is finished. You’re waaay late, dude.

372

Legend of Terms:

POI NOTE: Blah blah blah you know the drill by now.

BD: Block Distance. This is the amount of mileage covered during the current 2 hour period.
OD: Overall Distance. This is the total distance that the team has covered since the event started.
AT: Ambient Temperature
FS: Fuel Status. Approximate fuel reading. May also include other fuel related concerns.
MRL: Morale modifier
FTG: Fatigue Level
Last Town: Last town of note that was passed (will not include tiny villages)
Next Waypoint: Should be self explanatory.
Notes: Any notes I have for your team during this time block. Including POI results, car issues, etc.

MONDAY, 4 AM - 6 AM

@Madrias
BD: 153 mi OD: 2366 mi AT: 49 F FS: 1/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Cape Girardeau, MO Next Waypoint: Mississippi River Museum, Memphis, TN
Notes: Ongoing issue: Check Engine Code: P0420. TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. NEW ISSUE: Blue smoke is no longer just coming from the tail pipe, but small wisps from the engine bay as well.

@Jaimz
BD: 0 mi OD: 2602 mi AT: 50 F FS: FULL MRL: +2 FTG: -5 Last Town: Memphis, TN Next Waypoint: Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg, MS
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS EXTREMELY HIGH. Team wakes up at 5 am and will be ready at 6 am

@BobLoblaw
BD: 0 mi OD: 2437 mi AT: 48 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +2 FTG: -3 Last Town: Cape Girardeau, MO Next Waypoint: Mississippi River Museum, Memphis, TN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team wakes up at 5 am and will be on the road at 6 am.

@Zabhawkin
BD: 0 mi OD: 2486 mi AT: 50 F FS: FULL MRL: +1 FTG: -5 Last Town: Memphis, TN Next Waypoint: Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg, MS
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team wakes up at 5 am and will be on the road at 6 am. Team is slightly fatigued.

@HighOctaneLove
BD: 71 mi OD: 2388 mi AT: 49 F FS: FULL MRL: +2 FTG: +0 Last Town: St Louis, MO Next Waypoint: Gateway Arch, St Louis, MO
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Waypoint completed: Gateway arch. Team has refueled in St Louis.

@DoctorNarfy
BD: 69 mi OD: 2386 mi AT: 49 F FS: 1/2 MRL: +1 FTG: +0 Last Town: St Louis, MO Next Waypoint: Mississippi River Museum, Memphis, TN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH.

@Mythrin
BD: 0 mi OD: 2317 mi AT: 49 F FS: FULL MRL: +2 FTG: -5 Last Town: St Louis, MO Next Waypoint: Mississippi River Museum, Memphis, TN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team wakes up at 5 am and will be on the road at 6 am.

@abg7
BD: 0 mi OD: 2437 mi AT: 48 F FS: 1/2 MRL: +0 FTG: -11 Last Town: Cape Girardeau, MO Next Waypoint: Mississippi River Museum, Memphis, TN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team wakes up at 6 am and will be on the road at 7 am.

@LordLetto
BD: 144 mi OD: 2214 AT: 49 F FS: 1/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +1 Last Town: Peoria, IL Next Waypoint: Gateway Arch, St Louis, MO
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team is slightly fatigued.

@cpufreak101
BD: 0 mi OD: 2317 mi AT: 51 F FS: FULL MRL: +2 FTG: -4 Last Town: St Louis MO Next Waypoint: Mississippi River Museum, Memphis, TN
Notes: Team wakes up at 5 am and will be ready at 6 am.

Vehicles that are traveling in packs:

Note: vehicles within ~5 miles of each other are within CB range.

8 Likes
373

V6 Vandals - D5 2-4a - “Guesswork”

The Vandals were screaming down the highway, their twin-turbo V6 singing the whole way, with the blue-cloud still trailing the little Truckling for nearly a quarter mile. The music was up loud, some rock-and-roll radio station running a two-hour commercial-free rock-block.

Amy was focused, staring down the road, planning every pass, every weave more than several seconds in advance. They were in sixth gear, but the turbos were still singing, still making boost, pushing their tiny little micro-truck through traffic.

Cody and Jake had finally had enough of the long drive, the lack of entertainment, and getting told off by Luke for trying to start a chant of “99 bottles” again, and had broken out the handheld game consoles and the link cable, and were now engaged in furious battle after furious battle of monster brawling.

Luke, however, was keeping watch on the car. And he spotted something that, at first, he thought was just a fluke. But it happened again. And again. And the fourth time, he brought it up to Amy.

“We’ve got smoke. Blue wisps, from under the hood. Nothing huge, but it could get worse. I’d like to make a quick stop, check for loose hoses, a loose oil cap, or if I spilled some on the exhaust.” Luke said.

“Fine. We’ll stop at the side of the road, then. Do a quick check. If it’s something that we can’t fix right now, we’ll just live with it.” Amy said. “So much for our plan to catch up.”

“Mom, you’re a racing driver. Making up time is easy.” Jake said from the back.

“True. But who’s going to pay the speeding ticket?” Amy replied.

Luke looked over, then said, “I’ll cover it. We check under the hood, make sure it’s not something we’ve overlooked, and then we thrash it to within a millimeter of its life.”

Cody looked up and gave a wicked grin. “Blaze of glory?” he asked.

“It very well might be. But it will be a glorious fire if it happens.” Luke responded.

MRL: +18 (NC)
FTG: 0 (NC)
WAY: 7
GAS: 1/3
FST: 8
OIL: 2 quarts

4 Likes
374

TEAM OUTRIDERS

Blake: Good morning Zach.

Zach: Morning Dad.

Luigi: Morning.

Marc: Good morning.

Zach: Listen, about last night.

Marc: Nothing about it, you just better watch your mouth or I swear to God I’ll knock you so flat you’ll have to pull down your socks to shit!

(Marc fixes Zach with an intense stare)

Zach: …

Marc: …

Zach: … You son of a…

Marc: Ha! I almost had you! You’re too easy sometimes!

(Blake and Luigi give Zach a pat on the shoulders)

Zach: Wait, you were all in on this?

Blake: What can I say? All in good fun.

Luigi: Come on, I’m starved. Let’s eat.

(A quick breakfast later and the team is packed up and in the car)

Blake: Now remember, we’re a couple places behind.

Marc: I know.

Blake: Good, then use that cop training of yours and give it Hell!

(The Enforcer once again roars to life)

Marc: It’s morning, we’ve got some catching up to do. We’ve got half a pack of cigarettes for some reason since none of us smoke. 2/3 a tank of gas. And the open road ahead of us.

Blake/Luigi/Zach: Hit it!

6 Likes
375

Team Mountain Pass

Team Bio
Day 4, 10 - Midnight

Day Five, 4AM to 6AM

It seemed like the moment my head hit the pillow that the alarm was going off: Time to leave! Andrew and I hurried through our morning preparations, paid our bill, signed out of the hotel and then we raced over to the arch, took our pics then raced back to the car. Andrew gunned the little Bogliq out of the carpark and we were headed south again.

Andrew was driving with his usual bombastic style so I figured we’d be making up for lost time today. Hopefully the Bogliq’s wiring patch would stay golden and we wouldn’t fall afoul of the law which would improve our chances of finishing by the hour! I hate early starts so I took a nap, Andrew cranked up the K-Pop to cover my snores and the l’il blue Bogliq kept humming along the highway, as if born solely for this moment…

TO BE CONTINUED

Distance covered: 71 miles
Overall distance: 2386 miles
Fuel state: Full tank
Overall fuel used: 10 tanks
Morale: +2 (+16)
Fatigue: -17 (+4)

5 Likes
376

Spanners is outside at 5:10 with a bacon butty and a huge mug of hot tea…

Spanners: OK sweetheart, let’s see how you’re doing today. Hmmm…you’ve taken quite a slug out of the oil but nothing to be really worried about but I’ll just top it up anyway. Your coolant’s fine but you could do with a top-up on the screenwash. I’ll tell you something about this trip, we’ve visited some great places, met great people and seen some spectacular scenery…but the folks around here need a lesson on bacon butties and proper English tea. I can see why they drink so much coffee! According to my calculations we’ve got about 400 miles to go. Then we can all ship back home to proper breakfasts! Mrs E seems to have enjoyed herself but we need to remember not to buy sherry at ANY point in the future and the kid’s been OK too.

Stranger in the car park: Hey buddy…who ya talking to?

Spanners: My car, why?

Stranger: No reason but you Brits are a bit wierd.

Spanners: Says the guy standing the middle of a car park at 5am.

Stranger: What?

Spanners: Nothing, have a nice day and remember, let’s be careful out there!

Stranger walking away: Asshole!

Spanners: OK, where were we? Tyres, well they look fine.

Cop car pulls into the carpark. Officer stops, looks at Spanners and drives off when Spanners sees him and waves.

At 6 Gran and Mopey appear

Gran: Well David?

Spanners: All done Mrs E.

Mopey: Anything to worry about?

Spanners: Nah. She’d taken a glug of oil but it’s all topped up again. Screenwash topped up and tyres checked. Everything looks good. We should hit the finish somewhere this afternoon, teatime by the latest.

They all climbed in the car and hit the road on the dot of 6.

6 Likes
377

I never knew Spanners was a pom. Politely asking, could you let me know where-ish so I can poorly simulate it?

378

Legend of Terms:

POI NOTE: Blah blah blah you know the drill by now.

BD: Block Distance. This is the amount of mileage covered during the current 2 hour period.
OD: Overall Distance. This is the total distance that the team has covered since the event started.
AT: Ambient Temperature
FS: Fuel Status. Approximate fuel reading. May also include other fuel related concerns.
MRL: Morale modifier
FTG: Fatigue Level
Last Town: Last town of note that was passed (will not include tiny villages)
Next Waypoint: Should be self explanatory.
Notes: Any notes I have for your team during this time block. Including POI results, car issues, etc.

MONDAY, 6 AM - 8 AM

@Madrias
BD: 133 mi OD: 2652 mi AT: 52 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +1 FTG: +3 Last Town: Memphis, TN Next Waypoint: Vicksburg National Military Park, MS
Notes: Ongoing issue: Check Engine Code: P0420, oil leak from rear of engine. TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team has refueled in Blytheville, AR. Team checks under the hood during refuel to check blue smoke issue. Oil leak coming from rear of the engine, now several times faster than it was before. Team buys a case of oil to be prepared. Waypoint completed: Mississippi River Museum

@Jaimz
BD: 141 mi OD: 2743 mi AT: 61 F FS: 1/2 MRL: -1 FTG: +0 Last Town: Winona, MS Next Waypoint: Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg, MS
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS EXTREMELY HIGH. Weather condition: Rain, excessive humidity.

@BobLoblaw
BD: 143 mi OD: 2582 mi AT: 52 F FS: 1/4 MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Blytheville, AR Next Waypoint: Mississippi River Museum, Memphis, TN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH.

@Zabhawkin
BD: 142 mi OD: 2744 mi AT: 60 F FS: FULL MRL: -1 FTG: +0 Last Town: Winona, MS Next Waypoint: Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg, MS
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team is slightly fatigued. Weather condition: Rain, excessive humidity.

@HighOctaneLove
BD: 167 mi OD: 2555 mi AT: 52 F FS: 1/2 MRL: +0 FTG: +2 Last Town: Blytheville, AR Next Waypoint: Mississippi River Museum, Memphis, TN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH.

@DoctorNarfy
BD: 145 mi OD: 2531 mi AT: 53 F FS: LOW MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Cape Girardeau, MO Next Waypoint: Mississippi River Museum, Memphis, TN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH.

@Mythrin
BD: 139 mi OD: 2456 mi AT: 52 F FS: 1/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Cape Girardeau, MO Next Waypoint: Mississippi River Museum, Memphis, TN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH.

@abg7
BD: 77 mi OD: 2514 mi AT: 52 F FS: 1/4 MRL: +1 FTG: -2 Last Town: Cape Girardeau, MO Next Waypoint: Mississippi River Museum, Memphis, TN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH.

@LordLetto
BD: 132 mi OD: 2343 AT: 52 F FS: FULL MRL: +0 FTG: +3 Last Town: St Louis, MO Next Waypoint: Mississippi River Museum, Memphis, TN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Waypoint completed: Gateway Arch. Team has refueled in St Louis.

@cpufreak101
BD: 145 mi OD: 2462 mi AT: 53 F FS: 1/2 MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Cape Girardeau, MO Next Waypoint: Mississippi River Museum, Memphis, TN
Notes: None

Vehicles that are traveling in packs:

Note: vehicles within ~5 miles of each other are within CB range.

3 Likes
379

V6 Vandals - D5 4-6a - “Smoke!”

Amy hurtled the Ishu Truckling into the gas station, tires screeching as they left a huge blue cloud up the road, with some smoke still rolling out of the hood. She pulled the fuel door release and the hood latch at the same time, shut the engine off, and bailed out. Luke got out as well, threw the hood open, and looked around.

“Well, shit.” Luke said as Amy filled the tank.

“Is it bad?” Amy asked, releasing the fill handle in the event the Truckling wouldn’t be drivable.

“Should still be able to drive on it, but she’s pissing oil all over the back of the engine. It’s getting everywhere, too. Can’t see where it’s coming from, could be rear main seal, could be heads, could be a split block. We’re putting oil in at every fuel stop now.” Luke said, pulling the dipstick. “One quart low. I’m gonna give it another bottle, maybe half of another after that.”

Luke added oil, and Amy got back in the driver’s seat. Cody and Jake made sure their seatbelts were tight as Amy fired up their twin-turbo 2.7 liter V6, rev-tapped the limiter at 8,000 RPM, and dumped the clutch, leaving a rolling cloud of blue smoke in the gas station, mixed with some from their tires. The engine screamed as Amy pushed the limits now, every gear change was either at the limiter or just before it, and they were covering the highway in blue fog behind them.

“Could be worse.” Jake said, seeing the cloud behind them.

“Don’t. Don’t tempt Murphy, not this close to the line.” Amy said, turning the air-conditioning on, as well as the heat.

“What’s the point of that?” Cody asked.

“Air conditioning dries out the air. Weather check for a few miles south of here, it’s humid and raining. We might be able to avoid a bit of the misery.” Luke said. “But it’s cold, so we need more heat. Well, you three need more heat.”

“So, who’s winning?” Amy asked.

Jake grabbed the GPS and looked, then said, “Looks like the Redneck and their truck, followed by the granny-wagon with Team Harcourt-Entwhistle. If I’m reading it right, we’re third. Don’t rightly know where we passed the cops, but I’ve got no doubts that they’ll be able to find us.”

Cody glanced out of the rear window, seeing the smoke rolling out of the exhausts, now actually blowing out of both exhaust tips. “Holy fuck, that’s a lotta smoke. I thought I’d seen some oil-burners in my day.” Cody said.

“About a quart a gas tank now. Doesn’t take much to make that signature blue smoke, and it’s everywhere.” Luke said. “Now’s when I wish we had an oil-gauge and not just an idiot light.”

"Could almost rename the team to “Smoke Machine.” Jake said.

“No. We’re the V6 Vandals, and we’re driving the Smoke Machine.” Amy said. “We’re vandalizing the air with our bright blue air pollution, and every parking lot with our oil drips and burnouts.”

MRL: +19 (+1) - We’re still moving!
FTG: +3 (+3) - My god, what a mess!
WAY: 8 (+1) - Chalk another one up to the Smoke Machine.
GAS: 2/3 - That’s hardly efficient anymore. But race-cars never are.
FST: 9 (+1) - Another tank of Premium to make explosions with.
OIL: 3.5 quarts - At least it’s well-lubricated…

3 Likes
380

How I Imagine the “Smoke Machine” will look like as it crosses the Line (if it makes it):

6 Likes
381

Team Mountain Pass

Team Bio
Day 5, 4 - 6AM

Day Five, 6AM to 8AM

Nothing much to say this session; we’re going fast and we’re racking up the miles. The scenery is a blur and the Bogliq has morphed from an interesting, quirky, 80’s ride into just another car interior on another day’s driving from A to B. Seriously, being a car enthusiast is frustrating, you want something quirky and unique but when you daily that car, it ceases to be quirky, then you realise that most cars are 95% the same and that about 5% separates the brands from each other, rendering your ride no longer unique! Best to buy the car you love because it suits you best and ignore the haters… Unless you want to buy a Calvinator, then listen and listen hard: they’re overpriced, under-engineered deathtrap, pieces of shit!*

Oh and thankyou, SuperSalty69er, for pointing out we missed the comments on our stats last session! They’ve returned this session and won’t go AWOL again!

TO BE CONTINUED

Distance covered: 167 miles
Overall distance: 2553 miles
Fuel state: 1/2 tank
Overall fuel used: 10 and 1/2 tanks
Morale: +0 (+16) We’re going great, I’m sure we’ll finish this time!
Fatigue: +0 (+4) Too early to feel tired and Andrew is settled in for the long haul… #Convoy

*(OOC) - Calvinator, Bogliq Automotive will gladly help you design cars, just PM me and I’ll look over and modify them for you. They won’t be the best but at least you won’t be the butt-end of all the forum jokes! :face_with_monocle:

5 Likes
382

Just a quick post…

Team Redneck is from the desert southwest… aka dry, with a side order of dust.

Jake, “God I can’t hardly breathe, it like I’m drowning, and I am getting soaked”

Otis’s boot squishes mud out of the floor mat “Hang on let me check something” . He unbuckles and contorts himself upside down to take a look under the dash with his boots where his head usually is. “Looks like the AC is drowning too, I wonder if any of the water is going out the drain instead of the hole we put in the box to get the mixer to work, either way I have got to get the stuff off the floor.”

@Madrias My Jeep used to do that before the engine swap, it had so much blow by that I could turn the crank by hand with the plugs in and valves closed (no timing chain at that point) and hear the air blowing past the rings. It was a wonder it still ran.

3 Likes
383

Spanners is from very loosely based on Guy Martin with a more upper class of accent. So Grimsby way. :slight_smile:

2 Likes
384

Team Thunder Taxi, Part 25

Eastbound towards Memphis

Jack and his loyal teammates woke up at 6am as usual, only to realize that several teams had already left Cape Girardeau before he was about to do so.

“What the…?” he exclaimed as he packed his belongings.

“So they’re already on the road now? No problem. Our strategy should see us back in front of these lunatics, and put them on the back foot to boot - although the overall leader may be out of reach, we should be able to gain some places back and salvage a decent result!” Chris replied.

So everyone packed their belongings as quickly as they could, with encouragement from Bob. “Just make sure not to leave anything important behind - you’ll never know when you need it!”

By 7am the team was ready. Jack floored it out of the parking lot, eager to close in on the rivals which had just leapfrogged his Thunder Taxi. Using as much of his car’s performance as he dared, he soon began to make up ground. “They’ll be within sight soon enough”, he muttered to himself.

Buoyed by their bold yet successful decision to stop at Cape Girardeau instead of St. Louis, the team was even more upbeat than before and gaining confidence very quickly. But would they live up to Jack’s prediction that they would regain all, or even any, of the positions they had just lost? Only time will tell.

3 Likes
385

TEAM OUTRIDERS

(Marc is behind the wheel, Blake is riding shotgun, Luigi and Zach are in the back seat)

Blake: We’ve fallen behind, step it up!

Zach: Maybe we should tie a dollar to a string and hang it in front of the car.

Luigi: (Spits out the water he just took a swig of) PFFFFFFTT!!! HA HA HA HA!!!

Blake: Hey! You got that all over me!

Marc: You’d do better with a twenty, or a fifty.

Zach: A buck is all I’ve got.

Marc: I’ll take a check.

Blake: Nasty motherfucker, ugh! I’m a mess.

Luigi: Sorry.

Marc: Hold on to your ass! We’re gonna make some tracks!

6 Likes
386

Legend of Terms:

POI NOTE: Blah blah blah you know the drill by now.

BD: Block Distance. This is the amount of mileage covered during the current 2 hour period.
OD: Overall Distance. This is the total distance that the team has covered since the event started.
AT: Ambient Temperature
FS: Fuel Status. Approximate fuel reading. May also include other fuel related concerns.
MRL: Morale modifier
FTG: Fatigue Level
Last Town: Last town of note that was passed (will not include tiny villages)
Next Waypoint: Should be self explanatory.
Notes: Any notes I have for your team during this time block. Including POI results, car issues, etc.

MONDAY, 8 AM - 10 AM

@Madrias
BD: 89 mi OD: 2741 mi AT: 58 F FS: 1/3 MRL: -2 FTG: +6 Last Town: Batesville, MS Next Waypoint: Vicksburg National Military Park, MS
Notes: Ongoing issue: Check Engine Code: P0420, massive oil leak from rear of engine. TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Oil leak has greatly accelerated. Car is now pouring smoke out of the tailpipe like a James Bond smokescreen. Smoke is starting to invade the climate control vents, and irritating the human occupants. Team has to stop frequently at the side of the road to refill oil.

@Jaimz
BD: 127 mi OD: 2870 mi AT: 68 F FS: 3/4 MRL: +0 FTG: +3 Last Town: Crystal Springs, MS Next Waypoint: Bourbon Street, New Orleans, LA
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS EXTREMELY HIGH. Weather condition: Intermittently heavy rain, excessive humidity. Team has refueled in Vicksburg, MS (projected to be their last fuel stop). Waypoint completed: Vicksburg National Military Park.

@BobLoblaw
BD: 133 mi OD: 2715 mi AT: 61 F FS: 3/4 MRL: +0 FTG: +2 Last Town: Batesville, MS Next Waypoint: Mississippi River Museum, Memphis, TN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team has refueled in Memphis, TN. Waypoint completed: Mississippi River Museum. Weather condition: Rain, excessive humidity.

@Zabhawkin
BD: 143 mi OD: 2887 mi AT: 68 F FS: 1/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +2 Last Town: Crystal Springs, MS Next Waypoint: Bourbon Street, LA
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team is slightly tired. Weather condition: Intermittent heavy rain, excessive humidity. Waypoint completed: Vicksburg Military Park. Team projects that they need one more fuel stop.

@HighOctaneLove
BD: 161 mi OD: 2716 mi AT: 61 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +5 Last Town: Batesville, MS Next Waypoint: Mississippi River Museum, Memphis, TN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team has refueled in Memphis, TN. Waypoint completed: Mississippi River Museum. Weather condition: Light rain, excessive humidity.

@DoctorNarfy
BD: 132 mi OD: 2663 mi AT: 61 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +2 Last Town: Senatobia, MS Next Waypoint: Vicksburg National Military Park, MS
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team has refueled in Sikeston, MO. Waypoint completed: Mississippi River Museum. Weather condition: Rain, excessive humidity.

@Mythrin
BD: 125 mi OD: 2596 mi AT: 60 F FS: 3/4 MRL: +0 FTG: +2 Last Town: Blytheville, MAR Next Waypoint: Mississippi River Museum, Memphis, TN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team has refueled in Sikeston, MO. Weather condition: Light rain, excessive humidity.

@abg7
BD: 134 mi OD: 2648 mi AT: 61 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +1 Last Town: Memphis, TN Next Waypoint: Vicksburg National Military Museum, MS
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. NEW ISSUE: Transmission is slipping significantly at speed. Team has refueled in Sikeston, MO. Waypoint completed: Mississippi River Museum. Weather condition: Rain, excessive humidity.

@LordLetto
BD: 142 mi OD: 2488 AT: 60 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +5 Last Town: St Louis, MO Next Waypoint: Mississippi River Museum, Memphis, TN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Waypoint completed: Gateway Arch. Team has refueled in St Louis. Weather condition: Light rain.

@cpufreak101
BD: 131 mi OD: 2593 mi AT: 60 F FS: 1/2 MRL: -1 FTG: +2 Last Town: Blytheville, AR Next Waypoint: Mississippi River Museum, Memphis, TN
Notes: Team has refueled in Sikeston, MO. Weather condition: Light rain, excessive humidity.

Vehicles that are traveling in packs:

Note: vehicles within ~5 miles of each other are within CB range.

So it looks like this one might come down to fuel stops…

5 Likes
387

V6 Vandals - D5 6-8a - “Smoke Machine!”

Amy pulled off to the side of the road again, coughing and trying to wave the oily miasma out of the car. Cody and Jake looked downright sick, trapped in the back with fumes lingering around their heads. The car looked like someone had been either smoking an entire carton of cigarettes at once, or had started a fire with the interior, from all the blue smoke hanging around.

“Luke, you’re gonna have to drive. I can’t do this. I can barely see in there.” Amy said, as they stopped again to refill the oil. Luke had stopped bothering to check the dipstick and was instead just adding oil until the engine started chugging, and he’d been getting a good arm for distance with the oil bottles.

“Yeah, I’ll take over.” Luke said. “One moment, though.” He got into the car, got Cody and Jake to duck for cover, and broke the rear window out. “We’ll have to have the windows down, so we’re going to get wet, but it’s the only way to keep the cabin clear.”

Amy got back in after slamming the hood shut, and Luke limped the Trucking another few-dozen miles before they stopped for more oil. “It’s the rear main. Nothing else can leak this much oil this quickly.” Luke responded, topping the engine up again.

“So, what’s the plan?” Jake asked.

“We have two options.” Amy said. “We could drive to a city, retire from the race on our own terms, rent a car, go take a shower and head to an airport. Or, we could drive until the wheels fall off and the engine seizes.”

“Second.” Cody said.

Jake thought about it, then said, “Second as well. Our last car broke down at the finish line. No point stopping.”

Luke got back in, then said, “Never give up, never surrender. We’ll run this batch of oil out, stop, and I’ll prepare the car.” They drove until the oil light came on again, and this time, Luke popped the hood open, filling the crank-case until the engine was shuddering violently. Both tailpipes blew heavy blue smoke as Luke emptied what was left of their case of oil into the engine, then slammed the hood and got back in the truck.

“When that light comes on again, we’ll be ready for it. And we won’t be stopping.” Luke said.

“Blaze of Glory!” Cody yelled from the back seat. Luke revved the engine violently, plugged the OBD-II cable back in, and disabled the oil level safety that was reducing power every time the light went on. He dropped it into first and floored it, leaving stripes from the front tires and a huge cloud behind them. Second, third, and fourth were similar, with no mercy given to the Truckling’s dying engine. Fifth and sixth weren’t even given the benefit of the clutch, just rev-matched in. And the engine screamed, pelting them down the road in a huge blue cloud of smoke.

“I think it’s time to see if this bitch can do 140.” Luke said.

MRL: 17 (-2) - So many oil stops. Can’t breathe! We’re losing speed.
FTG: 9 (+6) - “God damn it, it’s coming through the vents!”
WAY: 8
GAS: 1/3
FST: 9
OIL: 10 quarts

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