Roulette Runner [FINAL RESULTS]

[VicVictory]

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!

[cpufreak101]

#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.

[HighOctaneLove]

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)

[DeusExMackia]

#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.

[conan]

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.

[stm316]

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.

[Madrias]

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.

[BobLoblaw]

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!

[Mikonp7]

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”

[VicVictory]

Day 1 Leg 6 Data

Thunder Meadow to Monsen via FR3100 and Thunder River Road

After leaving the lush meadow, the well-maintained dirt road turns eastward, following the Thunder River. It becomes paved (though still occasionally potholed) over 20 miles later, where it is followed to the small town of Monsen, which has minimal services.
NOTE: Some teams are making mandatory stops at Monsen. Your times will reflect this, and it will be noted as to who and why.

The weather is overall fair, with high clouds occasionally passing in front of the sun.

Length 35; Avg Grade 2; Max Grade 5 (downhill overall)

@cpufreak101
LAE High (slow); MRL 0; Notes: None

@Madrias
LAE Low (slow); MRL +0; Notes: Trans fluid leak has accelerated slightly. Team has to stop in Monsen for fuel and fluid top-offs, plus replenish the supply they’ve already used.

@Fayeding_Spray
LAE Medium (fast); MRL 0; Notes: Team has to stop in Monsen for fuel.

@F17Francesco
LAE Exact; MRL +1; Notes: Perfect placing, large fuel tank, and decent efficiency. This van does NOT have to stop.

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

@conan
LAE Medium (slow); MRL 0; Notes: Only a brief stop was needed, to top off trans fluid and buy another bottle.

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

@szafirowy01
LAE Medium (slow); MRL 0; Notes: At speed, the temperature gauge has started fluctuating again. Team has to stop only briefly to top up coolant and perform a quick mechanical inspection.

@Mikonp7
LAE High (slow); MRL +1; Notes: Team is getting used to the harshness of the temporary repair. Only a quick mechanical inspection at the stop. Fuel not required due to large tank capacity.

@JohnWaldock
LAE Low (fast); MRL 0; Notes: Making up time from being behind pace. No stop required.

@DoctorNarfy
LAE Medium (fast); MRL 0; Notes: Also making up time. No stop necessary.

@BobLoblaw
LAE Medium (fast); MRL +2; Long, relatively smooth section allowed for getting up to and maintaining speed to cut down on time deficit.

@stm316
LAE High (slow); MRL 0; Notes: None

@Dorifto_Dorito
LAE - Medium (slow); MRL 0; Notes: None

@Leonardo9613
LAE - Low (fast); MRL 0; Notes: None.

@Darkshine5
LAE - High (slow); MRL 0; Notes; Hurried down to Monsen, then took time to swap driveshaft in a paved parking lot where it was a little easier to work.

@Rk38
LAE Medium (fast); MRL +1; Notes: Driver took a risk and drove at a fast pace to Monsen. This paid off, as they were able to get in to town, source a replacement spare tire from the service station, and still make up time.

@EnryGT5
LAE Medium (fast); MRL 0; Notes: Transmission refuses to stay in top gear unless it’s held in.

@titleguy1 / @ramthecowy
LAE High (fast); MRL 0; Notes: None

[cpufreak101]

Mike: well then, that was an easy stage.

Josh: yep.

Mike: nice town at least.

Josh: yep.

Mike:…

[HighOctaneLove]

Day 1, Leg 6

Andrew
Having successfully traversed the “road” in yesterdays leg, I resolve to hit the ground running when we set off again. The road is nicely looked after graded gravel with some potholed tarmac sections, and it’s all downhill, which means that I have to choose between fast and noisy or slow and awkward (thanks SO much, CZ Audio, I hope the 5c in savings on solder were worth it!) so I chose fast. We yowled down the stage, drinking in the glorious howl of the DOHC four, which resulted in us reaching Monsen too soon in regards to our target time. Monsen is a sleepy little town and is very rustic so fingers crossed on behalf of the other teams needing various car supplies! Basically this town is the embodiment of “Nothing to see here, move along” so I can’t wait to head out on the next leg.

Pierre
Andrew has decided he is the reincarnation of Fangio or something, since he has decided to go all-in and redline every gear. Since we have no radio, the engine and road noise is less of a problem than it was earlier today. The scenery around here is really picturesque and I would have loved to see more of it but we’re moving too fast for me to catch anything more than a glimpse of a tree or bush, let alone anything else. The road was uneventful and we were starting to run out of witty commentary… Damn I really miss that radio! Monsen, Monsen, Monsen. No shops, no cafe’s, no nothing. I’m kinda glad we’re not stopping here for more than a drivers change and some bottled water…

Summary

Day 1.6

Car: Runs and drives fine, just needs a few things for roadworthy… Like a stereo!

Crew: Nothing to report! MRL+0 (+6 Total)

[Madrias]

Team Twin-Snail

Day 1, Leg 5

---

Before the Stage

Packing up the camp was done with little ceremony, just another thing that needed done before they headed out on another long run of this long and crazy race.

Team Twin-Snail started this leg of the race with Amy in the driver’s seat, choosing to make sure everyone had driven the car at least once so far.

---

Day 1, Leg 6

As much as everyone hated to admit it, the well-maintained dirt road and the pothole-scarred pavement made for rather… boring driving. Amy held back to keep from hurting the car, and Luke gave directions to the small town of Monsen, as they were going to need some fuel and more supplies for the car. And it probably wouldn’t hurt to get a slice or two of gas station pizza for Scott, Linda, and Amy, either.

Scott was the first to shatter the peaceful drive by reaching for the MP3 player, starting up some Metallica for the long journey.

When they arrived at Monsen, the team, however, became a blur of activity, between Luke rushing into the building in order to buy oil, brake fluid, and automatic transmission fluid in large quantities, as well as two 5-gallon gas cans ‘just in case’ they needed them, Scott getting the gas pumping for the old car’s rather large gas tank, Amy wandering into the store and buying plenty of gas-station food in the form of snacks and junk-food, and a few slices of the cheap pizza, and Linda buying two cases of beer ‘for good luck’ and inevitably getting stuck paying for the Sinistra’s rather… expensive gas bill.

---

Day 1, Leg 6 Aftermath

“Asshole.” Linda said to Scott as they settled into the car to eat their pizza.

“What’d I do?” Scott asked, trying- and failing- to pull the innocent look.

“Stopped pumping gas so I’d have to foot the bill. How the hell can this damn car drink nearly $270 in gas!?”

“8.8 MPG, lots of miles, hard driving, and it’s not just gas. You got stuck with the bills for the whole team. Fluids for the car, food, gas, that can of spray-on truck bed-liner I picked up to try mending the scrapes, all of it.” Luke said.

“Well, why’d you stiff me with that?!”

“Because you were the last one to run into the store.” Amy said.

“Anyway, the car’s leaking transmission fluid more often now, so we’ll have to keep on top of that, along with the other problems. I’ve gotten extra fluids, but… We still have to remember to keep topping it up.” Luke said.

---

Car Condition:

Still mostly okay, leaking transmission fluid slightly faster than before, wearing a new undercoat of cheap spray-on truck bed-liner to ‘protect’ the underside of the car from scratches.

Team Condition:

MRL +3 overall (unchanged). Slightly bored, concerned about the transmission, enjoying greasy pizza, even if it’s going to ruin their day later. “At least it’s not chili.”

[VicVictory]

Chili would require an extra fortitude saving throw… lol

[Madrias]

Not like any of the rest of the crew would’ve let Scott get any chili anyway. One of those back-blasts with extra bean power in the car would require them to burn the back seat.

[VicVictory]

Note to the participants: I will be publishing one more leg’s results per day through Tuesday (Day 1 Leg 11), which will be the end of Day 1. There will then be pretty much open RP from then until the evening of Saturday the 8th, when Day 2 Leg 1 will be posted.

[BobLoblaw]

TEAM OUTRIDERS

Marc: That was a smooth dirt road, probably one of the smoothest I’ve seen in a while.

Blake: Not surprising with that ski resort back there. Attract all the money people.

Marc: Makes sense. Looks like a few potholes.

Blake: Yeah, too bad it’s not Wednesday.

Marc: Why is that?

Blake: The locals call it “Asphalt Day” when the crew comes in and patches all the potholes.

Marc: They really make a big deal out of that?

Blake: You kidding? They close the stores for that shit! Everyone drives over the fresh patch to undercoat their cars for free, then they get wheelbarrows and shovels so they can dig em out and fix their own driveways.

Marc: You’re really making me start to miss civilization.

Blake: How’s the car holding up?

Marc: She’s holding up nicely, once she gets up to speed it’s smooth sailing.

Blake: Well, put some speed on, we gotta make up for lost time.

Marc: Done and done.

(20 miles later)

Blake: Look sharp, maybe there’s a parts store here.

Marc: This place looks so backwater I wouldn’t be surprised to see a stable.

Blake: Nothing, nothing at all. Anyway, how are we on gas?

Marc: Still got plenty to tide us over. No need to stop here.

Blake: Doesn’t look like there’s much need for anyone to stop here.

Marc: Oh well, just means we don’t have to worry about anything going missing. A couple people have noticed things disappearing.

Blake: Any idea who’s responsible?

Marc: I’ve got a pretty good idea, I’m gonna keep a sharp eye out at our next stop. A little flash of a badge should encourage an apology and the return of any missing items.

Blake: Sounds dangerous.

Marc: Well, I’ve got Mr. Ruger Security Six backing me up. I’m certain it won’t come to that.

[Mikonp7]

Team Riot Uncontrol

during Leg 6

Paul “This is easy”
Aaron “Almost boring”
Paul “At least nothing will break”
Aaron “I guess. Hey can you give me the mic ?”
Paul “It all your’s”
Aaron takes the mic , turns it on and holds his smartphone speaker against it
Paul “What is your plan?”
Aaron " Psss. And play "
Aaron presses play and the van blastes loud music out the megaphone ( https://youtu.be/9ZrAYxWPN6c )
Paul "OH YES . We should have done this way earlier ! "
Aaron “We should get a wireless speaker at some gas station”

After Leg 6
Paul “Damage Report”
Aaron “Megaphone works. Van runs . Repairs seems to hold”

[VicVictory]

Day 1 Leg 7 Data

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

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

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

Length 14; Avg Grade 5; Max Grade 18

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[HighOctaneLove]

Day 1, Leg 7

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

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

Summary

Day 1, Leg 7

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

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