Stage 1: Archania – Fazo
Sector 1 and 2:
Sector 1 - Archania – Ziffa
A relatively fast part, starting at the presidential palace of Archania, the capital of Archana, driving out of the boulevards until you reach the Zambeza-river, at which points, the cars turn offroad in the direction of Ziffa, the town at the base of the Achra-volcano.
Sector 2 - Ziffa - Black Sands Lake
A steep climb from Ziffa up the volcano, dodging sharp black vulcanic rock that can shred your tires to bits. The checkpoint is at the huge lake that forms the caldera of the volcano.
My name is Allistair Duncan, and we are off! And so am I, in the helicopter I’ll be using the follow the trail. Konrad will be in the other helicopter providing back-up and I am in contact with out people at the checkpoints.
The Cossack has the honour of opening the Trek, and it – slowly – sets off this great event. The Sakura-Mathews America Factory Team’s ‘Empress’ is second, and drama almost immediately when at the very first turn the car goes straight and comes within millimetres of hitting a photographer! People look shocked, the car looks wedged stuck on some stairs; this is a truly horrible start!
I wonder it is ze driver error or if ze car is bad, Allisteer.
Yes Konrad, that is indeed the question here, are they dealing with a defect or were it nerves playing up? In any case, the Empress will need some time to get back on the road.
O mein gott, was ist das?
That, Konrad, is insanity. And it’s called the Sinistra Savage, a front-wheel drive muscle car. It humps and heaves while leaving the line, as if its front wheels are arms desperately clawing for grips while stumbling into a ravine. Luke Sinistra himself behind the wheel and looking determined. Co-driver Mark Jasper, despite being more experienced in racing, looking decidedly scared.
Another massive muscle car, Ardent Chesapeake GT Rally, starts the Trek, smoke bellowing from under the hood…
Ze organisation told me ze Ardent has no exhaust. It is for reasons.
Not sure it that is going to gain them any advantage to have the exhaust smoke coming out of literally everywhere…
What else is noticeable at the finish-line? The engine noise of the Bramble Flint , deafening when it took off, and the BM Feather sounding like an F1 car really. For a while, at least, since the BM pulled over about 500 meters further, after a bang and losing its exhaust system, with driver and co-driver getting out looking puzzled. Some repairs already seem in order…
Let’s see if anything is happening further into the sector.
…
We’re flying above the SOCAUT Pyrénées from Team Pyrénées at the moment and that engine does not sound right at times, but so far they are not slowing down. But oh, what is that in the distance near the bridge over the Zambeza-river? A three-car pile-up – I presume they did not agree on who could go on the bridge first…?
Ze cars involved look to be ze Epoch M30, ze Pengting Torra, and ze RM Skylight
It’s hard to tell from here who’s to blame, but the damage looks significant. The Epoch is on its roof, half in the water, the Penting looks like it has broken its steering and the RM is smoking from a broken radiator. At least no one looks seriously hurt from here, they are losing time shouting at each other though. Let’s hope they can get their cars on the road again.
…
In the mean time we’ve got information that the first cars are passing the first checkpoint! Alphabetically, the top ten currently exists out of:
ACA RoadCruiser 440 PI SO
Ardent Chesapeake GT Rally
Bramble Flint Chert
Bruce’s Loose Nut Jar
Keika I Safari
KMC Avventurer
Ligrani La Follia
Sinistra Savage Concept
SOCAUT Pyrénées V8
TSR Ultra Rally Safari Edition
Also from out colleagues at the check point: there’s a patch of white sand on the road next to the checkpoint and they tell is the LSV Buccaneer spun out and ended up in the ditch 200 meters before the check point, dropping down some positions.
…
Let’s fly over to the second sector, with the old volcano to be climbed by our adventurous racers. The climbing on the difficult underground is causing immediate problems for the old Bogliq, which clearly overheating. Team There and Back Again will have to stop for a while.
Ist ein Moldavian box on ze wheels. I give zem no chance for this Trek.
Now, now, Konrad that’s a bit harsh, a little bit of overheating is not the worst that can happen.
Here’s the FAAL Mesaia almost losing control, but managing to scramble back of a dangerously steep embankment. A light, and I dare-say sensible, front-wheel car.
Not like ze Sinistra.
No, Konrad, not like the Sinistra. And ooh, less luck there for the Ninomiya Evron Coupe, they seemed to have hit a rock hard which shredded a tire and threw the car on its side. I hope they can repair that without losing too much time.
A bit further the IP Brigadeer and Ponni Weekend, both briefly stopped on the side of a trail, looking for issues in the engine. It looks the Ponni at least can get going nearly immediately again, but cutting of the route of the Ferreira Family Crashing Team’s car, which clearly hit a big boulder with a bang to the underside of the car. They are not stopping, but we heard the stone upon metal even from up here.
We are close to the Lake and second checkpoint now, and there seems to have been another incident between two cars! The JHW Sparrow and the Deer And Hunt look like they’ve pushed each other off two sides of a steep embankment, both string to speed up a small trail with smoother surface. It looks like both cars have issues getting unstuck from between sharp rocks. This will not do either of them any good.
I am curious for ze standings.
So am I, Konrad! Let us hear which cars are still in the top ten! Sector 2 checkpoint, please inform.
Top ten, alphabetically, consists out of:
ACA RoadCruiser 440 PI SO
Ardent Chesapeake GT Rally
Bramble Flint Chert
Bruce’s Loose Nut Jar
Caliban Thunder ‘Scafell’
Keika I Safari
KMC Avventurer
Sinistra Savage Concept
SOCAUT Pyrénées V8
TSR Ultra Rally Safari Edition
erfect car. It’s light, versatile, it’s relatively new and it…
