Friday I put the new Continental Wealth Management logos on the truck – a nerve-racking affair as I have only one set and one chance to get it right. Saturday we were out again in the race car, complete with our fireproof underwear and race suits, to have another crack at doing a rally stage. Dave Aldis and Natalie kindly agreed to be our ‘sweep team’ for the event and by 0830hrs we were on the stage. Once again, we needed to cover the 166km in 3 hours to meet limit time, and we very nearly made it. If I hadn’t manage to perch it on top of a dune about 15km from the finish and spent 34 minutes digging it out, we’d have been home with 17 minutes to spare – but as it was we were 17 minutes over, which would have meant a 2 hour penalty. And trust me, I’m getting too old to be doing that much digging. Oh, and when we’d finished one of the tyres was shot, and the compressor had stopped working. Deep joy.
So Sunday I went out with the idea of buying a winch, which together with a sand anchor (which Dave offered to lend me) would enable us to self-recover. But a winch is not without disadvantages. There’s at least an extra 50 kg dragging the front suspension down, plus the weight of the sand anchor, plus the worry that the current it draws can flatten the battery or worse, damage the alternator – a worry that can only be removed by fitting a 2nd battery. More weight, more cost. So I discussed the matter with Chris Cargill over at Icon and he suggested that I try his MaxTrax sand ladders. Having seen and used various types I was skeptical – most are too heavy or too difficult to use, or just plain useless in deep sand. But the video was pretty convincing, they were a whole lot cheaper and lighter than a winch, so I bought a set. If we’re lucky, they’ll do the job when we need them. If we’re really lucky, we won’t need them. Now I need to mount them such that they are quick and easy to deploy – add that to the ‘to-do’ list.
Lists are proliferating. Lists of jobs for Carwise to do (yes, it’s back in the shop again), lists of lubes and fluids (maybe someone like Total will sponsor these?), lists of parts to get from Nissan (maybe on consignment?), lists of stuff to go down to the bivouac the day of the prologue (26th), lists of stuff to go on the service truck, more stickers to get made, t-shirts to get printed, and lists of miscellaneous odds and sods we need to buy from here and there. So many lists, so little time.
The rally has finally taken over our lives. Each year, both Tim and I have been involved in the UAEDC, but for the first time we’re both competing. Increasing amounts of ‘work-time’ are being devoted to sorting out our respective rally vehicles, while the business is fighting back with equally urgent demands on our time. With only 12 days to go before the prologue, the heat is on.
So Sunday I went out with the idea of buying a winch, which together with a sand anchor (which Dave offered to lend me) would enable us to self-recover. But a winch is not without disadvantages. There’s at least an extra 50 kg dragging the front suspension down, plus the weight of the sand anchor, plus the worry that the current it draws can flatten the battery or worse, damage the alternator – a worry that can only be removed by fitting a 2nd battery. More weight, more cost. So I discussed the matter with Chris Cargill over at Icon and he suggested that I try his MaxTrax sand ladders. Having seen and used various types I was skeptical – most are too heavy or too difficult to use, or just plain useless in deep sand. But the video was pretty convincing, they were a whole lot cheaper and lighter than a winch, so I bought a set. If we’re lucky, they’ll do the job when we need them. If we’re really lucky, we won’t need them. Now I need to mount them such that they are quick and easy to deploy – add that to the ‘to-do’ list.
Lists are proliferating. Lists of jobs for Carwise to do (yes, it’s back in the shop again), lists of lubes and fluids (maybe someone like Total will sponsor these?), lists of parts to get from Nissan (maybe on consignment?), lists of stuff to go down to the bivouac the day of the prologue (26th), lists of stuff to go on the service truck, more stickers to get made, t-shirts to get printed, and lists of miscellaneous odds and sods we need to buy from here and there. So many lists, so little time.
The rally has finally taken over our lives. Each year, both Tim and I have been involved in the UAEDC, but for the first time we’re both competing. Increasing amounts of ‘work-time’ are being devoted to sorting out our respective rally vehicles, while the business is fighting back with equally urgent demands on our time. With only 12 days to go before the prologue, the heat is on.
