Dakar – lessons from the longest race on earth. Part 13

Before going to bed after Stage 10, Francisco, a South Racing staffer came to us with a serious matter.  What could it be?

“We think the engine is on its way out” he says.  Oh $%&^#!

The mechanics could change the engine overnight, but we would get a 20-hour penalty.  I did not care about the penalty, as I was here to finish.  If the engine blew up out there, we were not going to achieve our goal.  We thought about it.

“Go ahead” we told him.  He went back to tell the mechanics.  It would be a very long night for them.

30 minutes later Francisco came back.  The mechanics want to talk to you.  They were great guys and we trusted them.  They were reconsidering.  If something happened when changing the engine they did not account for, missing a part, time delays, etc, we could be out anyway.  We all talked and made a decision.  We’d chance it on the engine that was overheating.  We’d continue to watch the temperature and add water when it got hot.  

Fingers crossed.

January 15. I left my house on December 30, and I am still racing.  Stage 11.  

This race goes to 13 stages.  Ok.  Stage 11.  Today.  ok.  ok.  It’s ok.

A long stage.  But I realized a pattern.  When the stage was a lot of kilometers, it was faster.  When it was fewer kilometers, it’s not going to be a shorter day – just slower and harder and more technical.  No matter what, you’re going to be in the car all day. 

Suck it up, buttercup!

It was very fast in the beginning.  Then very sharp technical rocks.  Then fast again.  No flats.  I thought it was the easiest stage yet.  We did bend a suspension part in the back.  A rock flipping up no doubt.  Not a problem to drive that way.  Then the low voltage light came on.  Then it went away.  Another long day, but we finished in the daylight.  

We were 18th in SSV for the Rally, and 115th overall.

My neck was really hurting. I went to the physical therapist guy who works for RedBull.  He beat me up.  I ate a fantastic South Racing meal, as they had every night.  Something to look forward to after a hard day eating oranges and nuts at fuel stops for lunch.  I went to bed at 9:30 feeling okay.

Almost there.  Two more stages….  

I was trying not to let my underlying general fatigue come to the surface. 

Not yet.