A New Year's Resolution

I've resolved to get the damn race car back on four wheels. However, six washers have stood between me and accomplishment of this dream since early November.

The washers are for the ARB front diff lock, which is made in Australia. Four of them are hardened conical washers, unique to ARB. Their agents here neither had the parts in stock nor showed any inclination to obtain them, so I contacted a mate in Sydney, Jon Harbour. He duly ordered them from his local ARB dealer (who had to order them from the factory) and two weeks later they were collected by TNT for shipment to Dubai. TNT then promptly lost them.

So I mailed Jon and asked him to repeat the order, and sure enough, two weeks later another set were with him. By that time, his planned visit to Dubai was only a few days away, and rather than give TNT another opportunity to lose them, we decided he should hand-carry them.
Well, you know how it is when you’re going on holiday, you always remember something that you should have packed, just after the plane takes off. In this case, it was the bag of washers, which were left sitting on his hall table in Sydney. They sat there undisturbed as Christmas came and went and the New Year was celebrated, until finally Jon bade his farewells to Dubai. By 7th January, the washers were once again on the move and, miracle of miracles, TNT delivered them in record time.

So now the front axle is being re-assembled by Rick at Carwise, and I should be able to get the car back at any moment. Friday is taken up with the Gulf New Fun Drive, for which we are Rear Sweep, but maybe Saturday we can take the Beast out for a blat.

The Saudi Hail Baja 2010 looms ever closer. Once again the Saudis have refused to allow Sheila to compete, so Ian Rodgers will fill the co-pilot’s seat for this event. Ian navigated for Ramesh Pereira in his ill-fated Patrol, which burnt to a crisp during the 2009 DC. Our two-day road-trip (a.k.a. ‘The Highway to Hail’) starts on 13th February.

Meanwhile, I’m still trying to sell my old T2 Patrol which came 2nd in class at the 2009 Hail Baja. I have a customer who plans to compete in it at Hail, but as yet no actual money – and the clock is ticking. Watch this space.