A race of attrition

You'll have to excuse my current lack of humour but just a couple of hours into the race, a very short distance before PC2, the engine blew up in Ian and Sheila's car, so their race is over. Some marshals from the PC tried to tow start the car but this resulted in an even bigger bang under the bonnet and something punching its way through the sump. Thus the engine drain was drained of oil, so there is no hope of rebuilding it and Ian and Sheila have been forced to retire from the race.

They have decided to stay down at the bivouac and help out at the race, since a) they've paid for it! b) Rick and Offshore Ian have given up their time to be there this week, c) the (real) dogs are in kennels which is all paid for, and d) as I write, the Al Thika offices are being torn down and rebuilt around me (we have ongoing construction here) so the bivouac is a lot more peaceful ;-)

So it's official. Ian and Sheila are piston broke.

Here's a photo from happier times (yesterday) taken by our old friend Craig McAteer who is visiting from the UK to support Team Saluki. Craig uses Canon cameras like me, but his memory cards all worked yesterday! Thanks Craig for this really great shot.

In other news, Mark Powell, Team Saluki, has blown a gearbox and is retired for the day but will almost certainly restart tomorrow, whilst Dave Mabbs and Xavier Caminada, Team FJ, are having some sort of engine problems in the FJ Cruiser. Their current status is unknown but "it doesn't look good".

UPDATE: Saluki's problem was not a gearbox, it was a blown engine. After 3kms!! And the engine was brand new. Dave Mabbs is definitely out. Other local competitors Mike Zeigler and Mansour Bilhilli are also out with....blown engines. Now I'm not a particularly suspicious person by nature but five local teams, all with blown engines, all within the first half of the first day. Quite a coincidence don't you think? Who knows...


As yet the floods, pestilence, locusts and earthquakes have yet to strike, but it is only Day One........

"Go Go Tommy"