BP
Great race home | Great
Race Schedule | Next
update
STAGE 12 , July 7
We're out of touch with the rest of the world
when on Greatrace, and it was only after we got the laptop
cranked up that we heard about the London bombings. Sitting
in Walla Walla we seem so far removed from the violence,
yet we realize that the freedom to do things like this
race comes at a price, and every day at every overnight
stop we honor the veterans and currently serving servicemen.
The race is sponsored by the National Guard (not at taxpayer
expense) and we're reminded daily of the type of people
who put their private lives aside to help keep us safe.
Once again the weather has been beautiful,
and the sunrise at Twin Falls was beautiful. We've gone
through lots of farmland, an alpine pass, some heavy chemical
and mining areas, more mountains, then the wheat fields
in eastern Oregon and Washington.
We can now say that the BP 88" Land Rover has taken
us from Washington to Washington, with no more fuss than
2 quarts of oil and frequent washings. This report will
be short since we have to get up very early tomorrow for
day one of the Grand Championship Run, the last two days
of the race.
In the last report we mentioned that we
were changing the way we calculated the stops, and the
first leg today had 16 of the buggers. We had a :01 second
leg, so it looks like we got that one fixed.
After two more good legs, we had another
so-so one to raise the score. Of the last 8 legs in the
last 2 days, we had 6 really good ones, as good as any
of the leading teams. Here's what we mean: today's leg
one was 1 hr. 23 sec. long, with 46 instructions or maneuvers.
We had a :01 second error after all of that. Leg 3, after
hours of driving, was 1 hr. 10 min. long with 33 instructions,
and that was an :03. All we need now are two good, complete
days to be in the money, and if we have everything figured
out now, it's possible. We're not in the running for any
awards, but we want to prove that the Land Rover is capable
of top scores as well as 100% reliability.
We were asked if we're having fun. While
you might hear a gnashing of teeth over our ability to
get better scores, especially since they are all but there
and the truck is performing brilliantly, yes, it is fun.
You sometimes have to dig deep to keep going, but the result
is spectacular. Great towns and scenery, huge crowds at
the stops, and good friends we're racing with.
The race for the lead is very dramatic,
with a huge spread of potential winners, and some intrigue
that we may talk about later. For now it's off to bed to
go get 'em tomorrow! With GR. it's never over 'til it's
over, anything can happen and usually does.
Steve at work this time. Head up but eyes glued to the
speedo as we traverse a rough ridge road, with a spectacular
view from the summit of the Eastern Oregon Blue Mountains
on one side, and the valley floor on the other. Roads like
this are driven with peripheral vision since enormous concentration
is required to hold the speeds as the road rolls and heaves.
If navigation sounds tough, try this sometime!
Steve & Janet
Greatrace 45
BP
Great race home | Great
Race Schedule | Next
update
