Exhausting work, the Desert Challenge

So THAT's a spanner. Got it.

So, we raced on Day 1 and had a rest on Day 2. But with the car apparently back in fine fettle, on Day 3, Ian and Sheila put the pedal to the metal. Back into the dunes and, unfortunately, back into the furnace. Again the heat was taking its toll on riders, drivers and co-drivers alike, and it was not long before Sheila was feeling unwell. Not only that, but the The Beast was being beastly and Ian was struggling to maintain momentum through the dunes. A distinct lack of power made the car difficult, even dangerous to drive, and after battling with the elements for a few hours, our dynamic duo decided they'd rather be the drive home duo, so that's what they did.

There's no point battling the terrain and the heat when you're feeling unwell and the car's not at its best. That's when accidents happen, and Ian and Sheila have enough experience in the race to know when to back off. Discretion is after all, the better part of valour. Just like the chocolate is the better part of a Crème Egg.



Surrounded by the beauty of the desert,
Rick saw the light.

So back to the bivvy they bowled, where Rick, Phil, Jason, Cristina, Kate, Beaky Mick and Titch threw themselves bodily at the vehicle and started taking things off. The vehicle, obviously, not themselves, for that would be smutty and vulgar and we're not THAT kind of team.

Ian was exhausted, Sheila was exhausted and, we soon discovered, The Beast was exhausted. Or rather, it wasn't exhausted, for The Beast's exhaust was not all it's cracked up to be. Or rather, it was, in that the exhaust was cracked, where it's not supposed to be. Sorry, I'm cracking up. So that explained the lack of power. Instead there was a lot of hot air, all of it in the wrong place, and where there ought to have been power, there was none, meanwhile there were noxious fumes where there shouldn't be. Think of it as Donald Trump.

Oh and did I mention the missing headlight? Not a major problem you'd imagine, during a daylight race, but it was the impact with the orange buggy which knocked the headlight out, which was the real problem. Damage here and there, bodies and body work bruised, but no personal harm done.


The Liwa Bearded Weirdies and Shunters Club

So the lads and laddesses worked through the night again to try to reassemble bits with bits and bobs with bobs. About 3am Bob came over and asked for his bits back, so that left us with a bit and a bob missing. Fortunately it's Bob a Job week in England so we gave Rick a bob and he got on with the job. By this morning (Wednesday, Day 4) though the team made a call; The guys were still working on issues with the car, and Sheila still wasn't feeling at her best, so the decision was made to take the day off.

Not something we usually do in the middle of a race, but we were well past the middle, by about 12 hours, so that was OK then, and we all had a nice cup of tea and a lie down. Jason and Phil decided to go to Qasr Al Sarab hotel this evening and enjoy some fine dining, but were refused admission because the 5 Star hotel 'does not accept walk in diners'. We're guessing that only applies when they walk in looking like hard working mechanics who've been under a car in the desert for 3 days and nights.


Phil's rubbish at Hide and Seek.

The upshot is that The Beast is now quite Beastly again, and Rick has once again been playing with welding rods. (It's safer than letting him shoot things - he's REALLY good at that!). So Ian and Sheila will be able to complete the DC by driving over the Finish Ramp, at at that point, there may be a special team announcement. (I'm not sure but I think Phil and Jason may have got engaged. But that's just a rumour which I started about eight seconds ago)