Roulette Runner [FINAL RESULTS]

Community Challenges & Competitions
142

TEAM OUTRIDERS

Leg 3

Marc: Come on girl, you can do it.

(The Enforcer slows down considerably coming up the climb, thankfully the road begins to level out.)

Blake: Whew, that was frightening.

Marc: That scanner pop up with anything new?

Blake: Yeah, The codes moved with the injectors, so they are our culprit.

Marc: Too bad that doesn’t change the fact that we still have a problem.

Blake: Agreed, we should keep an eye out for an auto parts store or a junkyard. I’m willing to settle for either.

Marc: Here’s hoping they have an Enforcer with exactly what we need.

Blake: We’re not in as bad a shape as you think. The 301 TriForce was designed to be highly modular. Any Petoskey or Ventnor that has that engine will carry matching injectors.

Marc: Let’s hope we’ll make it, she’s running really rough now.

Blake: I’m not too thrilled about those clouds either, looks like we’re in for some nasty weather.

Leg 4

Marc: It’s a good thing you have a light foot.

Blake: Just so long as we don’t need sudden acceleration, we can get up to speed. It’s not liking when the transmission downshifts, it wants to stall out.

Marc: According to the map we should be looking forward to a long open stretch.

Blake: That should help us make up some time, we’re falling behind schedule.

(Phone rings)

Blake: That’s mine, get that will you?

Marc: Hello? No it’s not Blake you stupid w**, it’s Marc… Uh huh… Yeah, the problem moved with the two injectors… We might as well have gotten a 4 banger then… You sure it will work? Okay, if it helps, I’ll tell him… Yeah, if this works then you’ve saved our asses… Yeah, that’s what we’re planning on… Okay… Thanks… Bye.

Blake: Judging by that Italian-based racial slur I’m guessing that was Luigi.

Marc: He rips on me for being Jewish, I’ll rip on him for being Italian.

Blake: So what did he say?

Marc: He says that we should disconnect two of the injectors, and leave four running in a staggered pattern.

Blake: As in no two adjacent cylinders active? Ugh, of course! She’ll run like a pig but will be much smoother.

Marc: Luigi also suggested that we try to find an ECM as well as replacement injectors along the way.

Blake: I was thinking on that.

Marc: Won’t it need to be flash-programmed? I doubt this trip will make provisions for stopping at a mechanic.

Blake: Not to worry, the Petoskey XGV Scan Tool has a feature to do a rapid flash.

Marc: That’s an unusual feature.

Blake: The idea was to make the cars easier to service when it comes to municipal fleets. Even if the engine isn’t from a cop car, the ECM still has the same software.

Marc: Great, it’s starting to rain.

Blake: Looks like we’re coming up on a mountain pass, that means were not far from the next stop. I’ll switch around the injectors and unplug the other two. We need to look for any auto parts store or junkyard along the way. First one we come across we stop. Priority is two injectors, preferably more in case we need spares. Secondary is an ECM, just in case.

Marc: You think we may need more injectors?

Blake: Two went dead, and we have six more with the same mileage, same wear and tear, I don’t want to take any chances.

(At the end of leg 4 Blake Worden sets out to rearrange the fuel injectors along a staggered pattern on the engine. Two injectors are unplugged to leave four running injectors on a staggered pattern along the fuel rails.)

Marc: Did you see those guys get pulled over?

Blake: Good thing we were running rough, I’d have been tempted to take that road at speed.

Marc: Maybe if I flashed my badge we could’ve gotten out of it.

Blake: Or he’d be a bigger hardass since we are way the hell out of your jurisdiction.

Marc: Would’ve been worth a try.

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Day 1, Leg 4

Andrew
As punishment for my really good run on Leg two, I have been tasked with driving a short geared buzzbox on a fast section of B grade highway. There is some hairpins at the end of the run that’ll be fun, but the highway is going to be torture! After a few minutes of excruciating engine and road noise I decide that running the section at a fast cruise is better for our ears and our wallets. The rain is threatening to bucket down and the roads are getting wet which aids our progress as I’m able to slide the tail around on the hairpins, which saved some time, but overall this wasn’t Team Mountain Pass’s finest hour…

Pierre
After the excitement of the last couple of legs, leg four is rather tame consisting mainly of 50’s highway and a small series of switchbacks to liven up the final dash for the flag. The one thing we overlooked when we selected the Kitten is that it’s geared quite short which means highways either kill your ears or kill your elapsed time. Thankfully Andrew chose the latter! The impending rainstorm managed to cast a pall over the countryside so there wasn’t much to see from the passenger seat. Hopefully my next drive provides some more excitement…

Summary

Day 1.4

Car: No damage, no pace, needs a 6 speed gearbox stat!

Crew: Weather’s bumming us out, wish we had the AWD turbo now… MRL +0 (+5 in total)

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Previously.

Team POD, Day 1 Leg 4.

After quite a long drive on many sort of terrains. The Special Siskin still smell of burning transmission fluid. It seems that topping up the fluid isn’t going to help matter much.

Yet, it turns out the car is going fast at every single leg. And on this relatively fast historical highway, the Special Siskin is passing every single thing on the road. It doesn’t matter if it’s a modern hatchback or a sports car. Or even fellow racer. This prompted Rory to ask Trevor, who is driving on this particular leg.

“Mate, how fast are you going?”
“Indicating 50, time should be exact this leg if we’re going at this speed. And not faster than the speed limit.”

This makes Rory really curious. As Trevor replied, he just went pass a brand new Bavaria type car that’s clearly not going slow.

“If you’re really doing 50. Why are we passing every single machine that is currently driving on this particular road? Does this feel 50 to you? I know this car is terrible, it shakes and rattle at speed. The real question is, should it be rattling this much at 50?”

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##Team Twin-Snail

Day 1, Leg 3

Before Departing

“Luke, I’m glad you got the top up, because this rain would’ve ruined our day.” Scott said.

“Just remember, no gas inside the car. We can’t roll the windows down in this, and the top sticks when it’s retracted, so try not to pollute the interior.” Luke mentioned, before preparing for the long drive.

“Looks like it’s all highway, short of two, maybe three miles before our destination. That’ll be the steep downhill bit we’re all worried about.” Linda said, looking over the maps.

“Well, we know it’s a highway cruiser. Pedal down and make up time?” Amy asked.

“No. Overall, we’re ahead. Take it easy, preserve the car, give us a bit better of a chance later.” Luke said, before putting it in gear and taking it to the starting line.

Day 1, Leg 4

Luke left the Sinistra in drive, turned the headlights on and made a pre-emptive apology for anyone caught in the blinding high-beams, but the only way they had to run lights at all was to wire 'em all together. The windshield wipers squeaked softly as they brushed away the first few drops of rain, and the soft click of the relays and timers again showed the car’s purely mechanical nature.

“This place would look a lot better without this crapola weather.” Linda commented from the back seat. “Can you turn on the heat, it’s getting cold in here.”

Luke turned on the heat and a couple notches worth of blower fan, though it showed true that the Sinistra was a highway cruiser. He settled in just a touch over the speed limit, the old car rumbling as it found overdrive and stayed in it.

“It’s a shame we have to drive slow to preserve the car.” Amy said. “This weather may be dreary and awful for us, but the engine loves it. Cold air, ice cold boost, no cooling problems.”

“Well, there’s that big downhill we have to worry about, plus that was a state trooper behind one of our competitors back there. Needless to say, I’m driving careful to preserve the car, and our past couple runs have been way-too-fast because I burned up the brakes trying to drive a mountain too quick, and Scott bombed the car uphill because the call of the big engine got the better of him.” Luke said.

“You told me to keep the boost pressure at 6. I kept it at 6. You could’ve told me to drag anchors.”

“Yeah, but I needed you to have a confidence boost.”

“Aw, crap. That’s the downhill bit.” Amy said. Luke responded by slowing down well in advance and dropping the Sinistra into Low, minimizing their maximum speed by using maximum revs. Surprisingly, the trick worked, although it made them very slow going down the hill.

Day 1, Leg 4 Aftermath

“God, this weather sucks.” Scott said as they parked the car. “Even if I was supposed to feel excited today, I can’t, not in this mess of gray skies and rain.”

“Hell, even I can’t appreciate the weather. Much as I love the cold air, I don’t like the thought of working on the car with water pouring down. Thankfully, if you look in the doors next time they’re opened, there’s a compartment. It was meant to hold something else, I’m not sure what it was yet, but I’ve filled it with umbrellas.” Luke said.

“Well, let’s top up what we have to, then get something to eat, get a bit of rest in the car, and maybe try listening to some of that music I put on the MP3 Player.” Linda said. Amy gave a light grunt of agreement and again Team Twin-Snail went into a small flurry of activity, standing beneath umbrellas. Luke wasn’t as concerned about getting wet himself, but was actively trying to keep water out of the car’s fluids.

Car Condition:

Mostly unchanged. Top is up and latched, so it’s not going anywhere without a fight.

Team Condition:

MRL: +1 overall. Waiting for the inevitable breakdown, bummed out by the weather.

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Hobo Team

Day 1, Leg 4

Driving carefully through all those obstacles, they finally reach the smooth pavement.

The van was still losing power, the weather colder, and they were so concerned about the strange noise that they were hearing from the engine and under the van, that they forgot completely about hobo dog tied to the bonnet…

As the noise got louder, Hobo turned up the radio even louder…

As they turn down the radio, the van gets noisier, lacking on power, so they decide to pull over.

  • “Ahh you poor bastard stinky dog, you must be cold, here some liquor to warm you up”, said Hobo after taking the dog inside the van.

As Hobo girl lifted the hood, she noticed imediatly that the only thing left good on the exahust manifold was the first repairment she did. All the rest of it was spreaded in multiple pieces along the roads they had crossed…

  • Well, nothing to see here. How the hell am i gonna do this?? She thought.
  • Hobo, do something!!! she ordered.

And Hobo did!! He lightned up a joint, and opened a tuna can. She joined them.

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Previous Post — Next Post

-----Leg 3-----
Wookiee: Just around this bend, there’s a spot we can stop.
Toni: Good. I’ll try to find out what it’s fouling on. This is bullshit!

Toni pulls the van over and leaps out of the driver’s seat. Crawling under the front of the van, she looks behind the front right wheel. She wrestles something for a minute, then wriggles out, something in her hand.
Toni: A piece of wood. Must have come off that branch. It was caught between the lower arm and the tie rod.
Bill: I told you not to run over it. So, now we can get going?
Toni: Patience, you must learn…Yeah, but the steering won’t get any better. Looks like the rod’s a little bent.
Bill: You broke my van! (Laughs).
Wookiee: I smell fuel.
Bill: Good for you…
Wookiee: No, seriously. Looks under the van Time for more tape!

-----Leg 4-----

Castle Greenskull rolls away from the starting line, Wookiee behind the wheel.
Toni: Aside from those guys, who actually carries a can of sealing spray?
Wookiee: We’re lucky they had it.
Bill: True, true. But maybe next time you could ASK. This habit of yours could bring us a lot of trouble.

To be continued… I’m tired.

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#Team Cunning Stunts: Day 1 Leg 3 and Leg 4

S: Stephanie
L: Lawrence
A: Alex

Start of Leg 3
S: Alex you sober enough?
A: I think…
L: Steph, looks like you’re driving again…
S: Great…Alex get in.
A: Sure…
L: He’s going to have a a fun hangover when we get to the next stop.
S: Oh yes he is, oh yes he is…

End of Leg 3
A: FOR GODS SAKE! I could barely sleep in the back. How fast were you driving?!
S: Top speed of course, this was designed to be rally car after all.
L: Your fault for drinking on the job.
A: Man, my back is aching.
L: Here, have a drink. Its water. You’re navigating again.
A: Sure lemme get more rest

Start of Leg 4*
A: Alright. I’ve given the car a look over and topped up the water.
L: Lets get going then. Its going to be a long drive
S: Wait a second! I need to pack the rest of the water.
A: Alright I’ll help…

End Of Leg 4
A: Are you sure you werent pushing it?
L: Definitely not. I was driving it slower than earlier to let the engine cool.
S: Alex check the suspension again. The car shouldnt be that bumpy on paved road.
A: Sure…

Car Condition Leg 3 and 4
Alex
After leg 3, there wasnt much in the way of problems with the car. Just a small top up of the water in the cooler. The tyres and suspension was doing just fine, but during leg 4, something must have happened. The car was jumping a lot more. Even on paved roads. Ive gone over the suspension but nothing appears to be wrong. Ive tightened the suspension just in case, but I’ll keep an eye on it just in case. In other news, Ive heard the Hobo Team were forced to quit. Shame really. Ive had a chat with them and tried to help them get their car back in somewhat working condition so they can go home in it.

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I’m a bit busy this days, i have several job interviews. I will recover all in the weekend.

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

Seb tapped his fingers on his map. He had little else to do now they were on the highway. James, meanwhile, was in the back, making some lunch. He was so adept at sandwich making that he could do it even with a chopping board on his lap while the car was moving.
But there was no denying the two of them were bored.

Martin, meanwhile, was far from it. He was back behind the wheel, as this was a safe stretch of road, and was concentrating like hell. He kept adjust the revs minutely, his head turned slightly to the side as he tried to ascertain when the inexplicable blowing of the the exhaust occurred.
“Not 3300 then” he muttered to himself, slowly depressing the pedal a little. “Not 3200” he continued.
“Dude, you’re driving me crazy” Seb said. “Is it really this impor-”
“Hang on hang on” Martin interupted. The sound suddenly started again. “Bingo!” he exclaimed “It’s below 3100 rpm, when the outside temperature is mild or below. Right”
“And what does that actually mean?” said James, looking up from his sandwiches.
Martin paused. “I’m not sure yet” he responded.
Seb rolled his eyes and turned to look out of the window.

.

“Hang on” Martin said after a long while of quiet “Who’s that up ahead?”
Seb and James turned to focus on the road ahead. “It’s that Kingvans team” said James.
Martin turned to Seb with a smirk on his face, and then to James. They all knew what he was thinking.

Martin dropped a gear, flawed the throttle and the black van began to draw closer. “Let’s see what remains of those 160 horses!” shouted Martin, switching back into third, only going much faster now.
“They don’t seem to be doing so well” said Seb, having perked up. “They’re barely moving!”
As they came closer, the sound of Autograph grew, as well as the distinctive sound of a dying engine.
“Let’s go for the overtake!” said Martin in an almost war-cry like manner. As they passed the troubled van, the combination of 80s power rock and struggling engine sound made for an oddly beautiful juxtaposition. James caught site of the frustrated Hobo and Hobo Girl, and burst out laughing.
“Haha! They’re absolutely gone!” he said, waving to them as the Berlose flew by.

“Poor bastards” said Seb, smiling proudly. The weather was gradually getting worse and it had been an incredibly dull drive, but even this little overtake had managed to be quite enjoyable. And it was evident that there was one less rival to worry about.

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#Team Arstotska

Sorry for not having one yesterday, it was my birthday and i was out celebrating

Mike: Whew, that was fun, i definitely do think i was going a little too fast on the blacktop though

Josh: i think you were doing 70 in a 55 at one point

Mike: well at least there were no cops to pursue us, except for that one swat van behind us a bit

Josh: yeah man, and speaking of vans, notice one of them was missing?

Mike: yeah, the one that was a Hearse?

Josh: i think so man, looked like one.

Mike: Well, at least we are still chugging along nicely

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Team Riot Uncontrol

Leg 4

Aaron " How does the van feel"
Paul " Even on pavement i wouldn’t really bet on that right side. "
Aaron " At least we still have this front side"

After Leg 4
Paul " Okay Damage Report"
Aaron " Van runs, Repair seems to be stable"
Paul " Pretty smooth day"

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Day 1 Leg 5 Data

Carlson Lodge to Thunder Meadow via Thunder Ridge Motor Trail and FR 3100

Just past Carlson lodge lies the turnoff that climbs to the mountain ridge just above. This first mile is well maintained as it is used for maintenance of the ski area equipment and radio tower at the crest, but just beyond the radio tower the road turns extremely rocky and rutted, and the track seems to peter out or wander quite frequently until the trail meets FR3100, seven miles later. The difficulty of this section is offset by the beauty of the views down both side of the ridge. The vast meadow is visible from more than a mile away.
*** LEG HAS HIGH DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY, LARGE NUMBER OF HAZARDS ***

The weather has cleared enough for bits of blue sky to peek out of the clouds, and allows for views down into both valleys flanking the ridge, owing to a microclimate that tends to split weather systems right at the pass. Any team reaching the meadows is in for quite a sight as they approach.

Length 14; Avg Grade 3; Max Grade 6 (downhill along Thunder Ridge)

@cpufreak101
LAE High (slow); MRL +2; Notes: Accidentally ripped off the tailpipe just behind the muffler, and scraped the driver’s side rocker panel. All things considered, the leg went very well.

@Madrias
LAE Medium (slow); MRL +2; Notes: Scraped the undercarriage a few times, almost got stuck once when one of the rear wheels slipped into a rut. All things considered, the leg went very well.

@Fayeding_Spray
LAE Exact; MRL +3; Notes: Driver bounced the car (and undercarriage) all the way down the trail, yet maintained impeccable pace and timely avoidance of the worst hazards. Well done!

@F17Francesco
LAE High (fast); MRL +1; Notes: Though wobbly whenever a big bump or rut was hit, the cargo van was quite capable in this section… if you ignore the gash extending most of the way down the right quarter panel from where a deadfall punched through it.

@HighOctaneLove
LAE High (fast); MRL +1; Notes: Good news: The Bogliq made it through this leg. The bad news: The Bogliq’s stereo did not.

@conan
LAE Low (slow); MRL +2; Notes: With the knowledge that the speedo is reading too slow, driver backed off significantly. This allowed extra time to plot a course through the worst hazards, leaving the Siskin almost untouched.

@DeusExMackia
LAE Medium (slow); MRL +2; Notes: Followed in the footsteps of the Siskin once it caught up, and also made it through this section with little more than a scratched fender.

@szafirowy01
LAE Medium (slow); MRL +2; Notes: After approaching the motor trail at a wonky angle and knocking the passenger mirror off on the bollard of the open gate, driver slowed down and had an otherwise uneventful leg.

@Mikonp7
LAE Exact; MRL +1; Notes: The temporary suspension crossmember repair is taking a toll on the team’s nerves. However, the van made it in one piece (ish), and in great time.

@JohnWaldock
LAE Low (slow); MRL +2; Notes: Another cautious crew keeps its ride intact, at the cost of accuracy.

@DoctorNarfy
LAE High (slow); MRL +2; Notes: Muffler busted open on a rock, but otherwise unscathed.

@BobLoblaw
LAE Low (slow); MRL +2; took some time to swap around one injector and disable two more. Car doesn’t idle anymore without giving it some gas. But it is surprisingly smooth running as a V4 at speed, and once the team got past the radio tower and on a downhill stretch, the speed was pretty good too.

@stm316
LAE Very low (slow); MRL -1; Notes: A slight miscalculation ended up with a bent rim and punctured tire on the left front. It took time to replace it with a spare (luckily, with all that cargo space, you were carrying a total of 3 spares).

@Dorifto_Dorito
LAE - High (slow); MRL +2; Notes: Driver showed their worth in this section, avoiding all significant obstacles. The Vole is properly muddy/dusty now.

@Leonardo9613
LAE - Low (slow); MRL +1; Notes: Much cringing and puckering every time the Quark bottomed out, but it survived pretty much intact due to a steady, slow pace.

@Darkshine5
LAE - Medium (slow); MRL 0; Notes; Serious bucking and vibrations started on this stage, more than can be attributed to the course. End-of-leg mechanical inspection indicates a failing u-joint. You are carrying a spare driveshaft unit… replace it now, or wait till it breaks? (PM me your decision)

@Rk38
LAE Medium (slow); MRL +1; Notes: A tire popped off the rim this stage. You were expecting this would happen sooner or later, and quickly and efficiently replaced with a spare. This was your only spare, however.

@EnryGT5
LAE High (fast); MRL +2; Notes: Still having tons of fun throwing the Seishido around without a care. Scraped the front passenger door, but meh.

@titleguy1 / @ramthecowy
LAE High (fast); MRL +2; Notes: ONWARDS, TO GLORY, FOR THE PEACH FUZZ CREW!

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#Team Arstotska

Mike: Damn man, that stage was Difficult.

Josh: Started out nicely, but then went to absolute hell fast, surprised nobody killed their car in that stage.

Mike: Agreed, surprised that we only managed to lose a bit of the exhaust, guess we’re just gonna run it straight piped for now, no harm in that.

Josh: well i do suppose it is a little loud, but nothing unbearable.

Mike: would have been better if an I6 or a V8, but nope, we have an I4.

Josh: anyhow though, lets be lucky it only took out the exhaust, and that the 4X4 system is still functional.

Mike: it also is a very simple system, not much really to break.

Josh: lets just hope we don’t have a worst case scenario of being stuck with front wheel drive from a broken driveshaft or wheel axle…

Mike: then again, that does sound like a fun challenge.

Josh: well hey, you’re the driver after all.

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Day 1, Leg 5

Pierre
Righto then, time to hoof it! We’re back on gravel and I’ve decided to ride out our luck and make like a tree. We seem to do our best at 100% attack so it was pedal to the metal the whole way! Well, it was for the first mile… When the graded road disappeared what was left was a deeply rutted, rock strewn nightmare. If we had any illusions as to the difficulty level of this stage, it was shattered by the large section of exhaust-pipe left behind by an earlier team. We were able to make good time by a combination of good wheel placement and luck and we were shocked to find out that we were under-time! Not by much, mind you, but we definitely made a molehill outta those mountains…

Andrew
Well, the rain didn’t come so Pierre roared his way off the starting line and we took every advantage of the downward slope to make up for the last run. Unfortunately the good road ran out a mile into the run and the road, as far as I’m concerned, ceased to exist! Pierre didn’t bat an eyelid, he just powered on regardless, navigating the Kitted as a boat captain would in a bad storm. The car seemed to take the punishment with aplomb but, near the end of the run, the stereo stopped playing the C&W tunes I was playing to annoy Pierre. After the run, I checked out the stereo and found out that the rough road had caused all the internals to crack apart, rendering the radio useless. If that’s the worst that happens this event then we will be very lucky indeed… Oh yeah, for those of you who care about stuff other than cars, the meadow is really pretty, kinda like something from a famous musical. Sound of music anyone?

Summary

Day 1.5

Car: 99% undamaged, needs a stereo, Eastern European electrics don’t use enough solder…

Crew: The hills are alive with the sound of music! Well they would be if we had a stereo and other contestants fixed their exhausts and we could actually sing! MRL+1 (+6 total)

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

The story so far: Three uni students in an Erin Berlose in the middle of no-where. The running has been very smooth so far and they’re all having a great time, quite possibly at the expense of others…

“Gimme a second, it’s just trying to download it” said James, slightly frustrated and frantic.
“Left here Seb, those fresh tire tracks go over that way” said Martin, ignoring James’s frustration before responding to him, “What are you trying to do?”
“Wait for it” James replied, pausing. He had his phone connected to the aux cable and had been desperately trying to download a song for the past few minutes. “There! Turn the stereo up” he exclaimed.
Martin did just that, and the distinctive, gentle strings of the opening of the Jurassic Park theme began. Seb and Martin laughed when they recognised what it was.

At that moment, however, the meadow came in to view, the sun suddenly burst through the clouds to create a gorgeous starkness between the bright blue of the sky and the dark shades of grey made by the rain clouds. The view expanded and grew until it filled the entirety of the boys scopes of vision. Conveniently, at the moment, the main section of the theme began. Everyone fell silent in the car as they took in this moment. It was truly something to behold; nature at its finest, to one of the most sweeping and beautiful soundtracks ever written. If JMW Turner could have been there to paint it, he’d surely have been inspired on the spot. S T Coleridge would certainly have wanted to capture this moment in beautiful prose, for this wa-

CRUNCH

Seb jammed on the brakes and the car came to a hault; the moment was broken. “Ahhh shit” he swore.
He’d driven into a rock hidden in the grass. Worse still, he hadn’t finished driving into it. The other guys turned to him as he slowly drove forward, the painful sound of metal grinding coming from the drive side front wing. Seb’s face was visibly pained by this sound, but it ended quickly thankfully.
“Right, that’s enough Jurassic Park” he stated.

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Previously.

Team POD; Day 1 Leg 5

So, with the car having wonky speedo cable. The team decided to judge the speed using sound. From experience, Rory believes the car start to sound rattly at 45mph. And so the team decided to keep the speed at about exactly the point it doesn’t do rattle. And it appears to be working not very well. The team is very slow with this leg, far too slow, despite no breakdown.

The team spirit was about the same as it was before. The car was relatively comfortable, and because there are so many drivers, they don’t get tired at all. The driver for this leg was again Ivor. But after that he’ll get a long rest. But their spirits rise again after the leg’s end. Because after they got out of the car, it’s pretty much immaculate. The transmission still burning fluid, obviously. But apart from that it’s MINT!

“This car is mighty!” Jimmy said.

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Previous Post — Next Post

Bill: This looks like NOT FUN AT ALL! THERE’S NO DAMNED ROAD!
Toni: And why is this a problem? We’ve got ground clearance and four wheel drive.
Bill: AND NO ROAD! OH,WOAH!
The van drops sharply to the left, into a large hole, then climbs out the other side, levelling out.
The uneven surface of the trail has rocks and old tree roots hidden in the ruts, forcing the van to rock as Bill fights to keep it from getting stuck.
Toni: What are you doing, boy?! Just make for the flat bit up ahead.
Wookiee: If you look out of your right window, you can see … ooh, pretty flowers!
Bill: Shut up!
Bill turns the wheel to the right, aiming to ride a little higher on the side of the groove… the van disagrees, and slides left… bouncing into a large rock, then forward over the rest of it
Bill: What. The. Actual…?
He urges the van on a little more, onto “level” ground. Toni jumps out to assess the damage.
Toni: You’re not going to like this… This R2 unit has a bad motivator, look!.. and we need the jack.

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Team Twin-Snail

Day 1, Leg 4

Before the Stage

“Thank you, Mother Nature.” Linda said, as the rain slowed down and eventually stopped altogether. Sure, it was still cloudy as hell, but it wasn’t chucking down buckets of rain.

“So, who’s drivin’?” Scott asked.

“You volunteering to drive?” Amy asked. Linda looked at their map, then said, “I’ll do it. It’s mostly gentle downhill, a bit rocky, but we’ve got that auto-locker in the diff so we shouldn’t get stuck.”

“Okay, Linda, your turn to carry the keys of destiny.” Luke said, handing over the keys to the Sinistra. “Remember, the starter isn’t like that in normal cars, you’ll have to hold in ‘start’ until the “starter speed” light comes on.”

“Ah, so it’s like my dad’s shitty diesel van, you’ve gotta hold on the glow plugs until the light goes out, but in this case, you’re waiting for a light to come on.” Linda said. “Gotcha.”

The team got back into the Snail-Boat and Linda held down the key, the starter whining quietly as the flywheel spooled up. The light went red, and Linda let go of the key, hearing the harsh thud as the starter kicked the engine over. Instantly, the big V8 snarled, gave a muffled roar, and sneezed through the blow-off valves.

“Let’s get this mess going!” Linda said, throwing it in Drive and doing an almighty burnout to the starting line.

Day 1, Leg 5

Scott fiddled with the MP3-player-tape-converter-8-track-unit stack, then decided the best song for that leg was AC/DC’s Back in Black. With it turned up enough to drown out the cannon-fire from the exhausts, Linda pulled the car down into Low, stood on the brakes, and brought the car up to the torque-converter’s stall speed. The flag dropped and instantly, the car lunged over the line, kicking up a spray of loose gravel.

The first scrape gave everyone a bit of worry, until Luke mentioned something unusual about the Sinistra for its time. “She’s unibody, and she’s galvanized. You’re not going to do anything but scrape off the under-body coating doing that.” he said, followed by, “And even if you do scrape that coating off, we should have that can of sealant in the trunk.”

“Yeah, I checked the supplies this morning. It isn’t there.” Amy said. “Thought it was a bit suspicious how that stupid can I kept having to move to get to the pre-cooked food was suddenly not in the way. Someone’s thieving, and if I catch them at it, they’re getting a torque wrench to the lug nuts. And I’m not talkin’ their car.”

Another scrape caused minor concerns as they heard the sound of the Sinistra’s four mufflers banging against rocks, followed by a clanging of metal as the mufflers hit the remains of Team Arstotska’s muffler. “Ran over some garbage.” Linda said. “Was either that or hit a rock, and I like this car too much to gouge the door like that. Especially on my side.”

A third scraping and screeching was heard as they drove over a rock and scraped all the way across the underside of the floor pan. “That sounded bad.” Scott said.

“Just a rock. Just sounded worse because we were going a bit slow.” Linda said.

Shortly after that, Amy gave a grunt and started cursing as the car slid into a rut and she banged her head on the window.

“We might be stuck.” Scott said.

“We’ve got an auto-locker, a twin-turbo 662 cubic inch V8, and an automatic. We’re not stuck!” Linda said. She stomped on the gas, and the car roared, sneezing between the gear change, then roared again, throwing rocks and mud behind the car as it crawled out of the rut, then surged down the hill to the meadows below.

As they crossed the finish line for that stage, parked the car, and got out, they couldn’t help but admire the view for a moment before getting the car ready for the next leg.

Day 1, Leg 5 Aftermath

“So, who do you think’s the one stealing stuff, Luke?” Amy asked.

“If I had to hazard a guess? There’s a couple teams with suspicion, but if I had to guess right this moment, based on what little I’ve picked up since being here, I’d say those guys in the Grasshopper. They’ve got one guy who’s been wandering away from their team and every time he does, trouble happens or things go missing. But I can’t confirm anything without evidence, and that’s not permission to go raid their van. We don’t need a cycle of retribution going on while we’re trying to keep our car going.” Luke said.

“So, if you’re going to keep me from making a pre-emptive strike, what would you do?”

“Lock the trunk. They damage the lock, keep us from getting to our supplies, I’ll do something.” Luke replied.

“Like what?” Amy asked.

“I’ll come up with it in the moment if it comes down to that. Though I wouldn’t be above etching “Thief” into their car, preferably somewhere important.” Luke said, before opening the trunk to get to their oil and transmission fluids to top them up again.

Linda and Scott were busy collecting burgers from under the hood. “Hey, we’ve got lunch!” they said. “Heard about this from those guys in the Enforcer. Supposedly it works, long as you don’t have an oil leak.”

“Well, ours burns oil, but we don’t have an exhaust leak, so I suppose it works.” Amy said, getting the buns out of the trunk and preparing some burgers.

Car Condition:

A little scuffed, a little scraped, but running fine.

Team Condition:

MRL +3 overall. Feeling better, annoyed about missing supplies. Currently enjoying burgers and some music.

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TEAM OUTRIDERS

Working tirelessly, Blake Worden swaps the place of two injectors, then unplugs two, leaving only four functional injectors on the once mighty V8. Marc Levinstein meanwhile is sitting in the drivers seat waiting for Blake to instruct him on his next task.

Blake: Okay, that should do it. Turn the key on to cycle the fuel pump.

(Marc turns the key to the on position, the fuel pump activates. Blake closes up the left side fuel rail once fuel starts coming out.)

Blake: Okay, switch it off, let me get the other one.

(After a few more minutes both fuel rails are bled of air. Blake grabs a rag to clean off his hands.)

Blake: Okay, now for the moment of truth. Start her up.

(Marc turns the ignition key, the car cranks over, fires, then immediately dies)

Marc: Shit!

Blake: Try it again.

(Once again the engine turns over, fires up, then dies again)

Blake: Son of a bitch! I’m not ready to give up dammit! Come on, start you bitch! You’re an Enforcer! A car that’s made to fight, so fight dammit!

(Marc turns the car over again, this time giving it a little gas. The engine turns over, fires, sputters… then runs!)

Blake: It’s running!

Marc: It’s running!

Blake: IT"S RUNNING!!!

Marc: Have you ever heard such beautiful music in your life? Ha ha ha!

(Marc releases the gas pedal and the car starts to sputter, he quickly puts his foot back on the pedal and feathers it to keep the engine running.)

Blake: Hmm, it seems we don’t have an idle anymore.

Marc: That’s a fun irony. Most of my time sitting in these things that’s all they did, now we can’t.

(Blake closes the hood, gathers up his tools and puts them in the trunk, then gets in the car.)

Marc: Okay, we have less than half our original horsepower, she stalls at idle, we’re out of Ruffles, and we may have some rough driving ahead.

Blake: Hit it!

(The Enforcer takes off at a considerably slower pace than before, but she’s going)

Marc: Oh man, looks like we’ve got some rough trails ahead.

Blake: Theirs not to make reply. Theirs not to reason why. Theirs but to do and die.

Marc: Into the Valley of Death rode the six hundred.

(Some time later when the Enforcer reaches the end of the rough trails)

Marc: Man, the car did better than I thought.

Blake: Thank God I didn’t get a cop version. That stiffer suspension would’ve been deadly.

Marc: What are you talking about, the cop ones are bulletproof.

Blake: I’m talking about us, I think when I get home the first thing I’m gonna do is take a bath in ice.

Marc: Heh heh heh, that’s what you get for being out of shape.

Blake: Screw you, I can’t wait until you retire, then maybe all your aches and pains will come and bite you in the ass!

Marc: Okay, okay, I guess I had that coming. At least it looks like a nice downhill stretch at this part.

Blake: Hey, turn that radio up, I love this song.

Blake: You see those guys in that Bogliq? I heard the poor bastards lost their radio.

Marc: That sucks, but they have their whole engine still.

Blake: Eh, you win some, you lose some. Just because we went down doesn’t mean we’re out.

Marc: True, and she is surprisingly smooth at speed. It takes a while to get to speed, but she can still haul.

Blake: Hey! We have a more modern car than I thought. It’s got a cylinder deactivation system!

Marc: Ha ha ha ha!

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Team Riot Uncontrol

Before Leg 5
Aaron " Do you know what kind of route this one will be"
Paul " Beside bouncy? "
Aaron " Bouncy ? In like Potholes ?"
Paul " Dont worry. Did you check the crossmember ?"
Aaron " Sigh YES i did. Taping that get on my nerves… But you gotta do what you gotta do"

During Leg 5
" JESUS FUCKING CHRIST"
Aaron grabs every handle in the van he can reaches
“What’s the deal” Paul replied
“YOU DIDN’T TOLD WE HAVE TO SKID ON THESE DROPS”
“Your just not hard enough”
“YOU THINK THE FRAME IS ,YOU IDIOT ?”
“OH yeah there was something”

After Leg 5
Paul “What is the damage”
Aaron “We lost a pair of pants. Other than that we are still getting lighter. And we might have to stop for Ducttape soon”
Paul “Could be worse”

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