Sunday 13th November 2005
The guys made the right decision yesterday by returning to get the gearbox replaced – upon removing the faulty unit it was found that the gearbox had stripped a tooth.
The popularity of last years “Landy Cam†where we mounted a camera on the dash of the Saluki and played it back to the campsite in the evening. This year, thanks to the kind people at Sony we’ve taken this a step further – we’ve mounted their latest high definition broadcast camera on the roll cage in the back of the Saluki which gives a view between the guys and out the windscreen. The audio side of things has the noise of the V8 engine as well as the in car communication between Mark and Tim.
The Saluki cinema is up and running this year and we’re playing back the in car footage on a large overhead projector to a screen about 2.3M across. This is a great camp site attraction with large crowds visiting the Team Saluki camp and watching the footage. It allows the majority of people their first glimpse of what it’s like to race through the dunes through the eyes of the Saluki and this includes the majority of the support crews.
Interest in the footage especially since it’s in high definition format is very high from both international broadcasting companies as well as individuals alike.
Onto the racing…
Team Saluki incurred time penalties yesterday due to the gearbox problem started the day down in 18th place. By PC1, the Saluki was charging through, biting at the wheels of one of the Kamaz’s.
At PC2, the Saluki had clawed back to 10th place.
The supporters were attempting to catch the Saluki at PC3 but during the run from PC2 to PC3 the Saluki had almost 100Km travel offroad, the supporters about the same distance but on the road. The Saluki beat the majority of supporters to PC3 by two minutes – it was getting hungry and was on the hunt.
At PC4 – the service point the Saluki screamed in, got it’s time card stamped and left the service crew standing idly. They’re in 6th place. Given the work the service crew (Ard, Dave, Mark and Streaky) have put in over the last couple of days the relief on their face is easy to see.
Waiting at the finish point we’re disappointed to hear Paul – the Team Managers phone ringing along with the words – “oh ohâ€Â, everybody’s heart sighs – they know it’s bad news as its got to be either Tim or Mark with a briefing of their status.
The Saluki is bellied out and is up it’s axles in deep soft sand – even the assistance of fellow competitor Dave Mabbs couldn’t reach the Saluki. The Saluki is waiting for assistance from one of the Kamaz’s. One of the marshals was tasked with going in to help assist the Saluki but before the marshal can reach them – the call comes through from Tim that they’re moving again. A passing sweep team assisted with extracting them from the soft sand and enabling the Saluki to continue its charge towards the finish line. They’ve lost 25 minutes.
At PC5 the Saluki storms through heading for the last competitive section – the run to the finish line where the Saluki supporters are waiting to cheer them on all standing above the underpass. When the Saluki crosses the finishing line the guys look shattered.
This evening – in car footage will be shown on the Saluki cinema enticing visitors to the Saluki camp.
Summing up the days racing, Tim comments that “We worked very hard to finish – repairing an ignition that killed the car, tying down loose spare tyres en-route, and bonnet clips that came undone. “
Remember – you can see the travels of Car 208 (Team Saluki) on our Iritrack link here
http://odis.usei-strasbourg.net/doubai2005/public/index.php?lang=en&mode=0Regards
Team Saluki
www.teamsaluki.com
