Just when it seemed that the boys were out of the running, when all hope was lost and the towel was thrown in...
A new development!
OK, so Turkmenistan sucks, we figured that much out.
The fallen 'Ladybird' had to be towed across the country because the police state of Turkmenistan would not allow them to depart from the rally group.
That all changed when the rally entered Iran:
At the border, there was a group of young, Iranian men with their classic cars. They had gathered there to welcome the rally to Iran and to cheer them on. Garrick had heard of the club before and went up to introduce himself. He explained the situation of the 'Ladybird' and asked if the Iranian car club could help. The young men were exuberant and offered Garrick and Robert their help. The men explained that they had a shop and all the parts that were needed to repair the car and anything else that Garrick and Robert required to get back into the race...but there was a catch.
The shop was located about 250 km off of the rally route.
What to do?
Stay with the rally and get towed along, losing precious time, until a good mechanic shop could be found?
OR, leave the route and the safety and comfort of the rally association and go off to who-knows-where with a group of complete strangers (albeit, friendly and excited strangers) who claimed they could help repair the car and get 'Team Ladybird' back in the race? It was a difficult decision, but in the end, Garrick and Robert decided to take a chance with their new friends and leave the route.
It turned out to be a great decision.
The men from the car club tied the 'Ladybird' to the back of a Camero and towed it about 50 km, then hired a flatbed truck to haul the 'Ladybird' the remaining 200 km to the shop. At the shop, the guys immediately got to work for repairs. They worked through the night to get the boys back on the road as quickly as possible.
In the meantime, Garrick and Robert have been housed and fed and entertained and taken care of far beyond their expectations. Garrick made it clear that both he and Robert have offered, numerous times, to contribute economically to the undertakings, but have been roundly refused every time.
Conclusion:
The Iranian Classic Car Club in Mooshad is awesome.
Click here for a very short (and only, as far as I can find) article about the club
Iranian Classic Car Club
Hooray for the Iranian Car Club and middle eastern hospitality!
Showing posts with label Turkmenistan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Turkmenistan. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Oh, the Horror!!!
I received the sad news from Team Ladybird this weekend.
They're effectively out of the race.
In the end, it wasn't the rabid yaks, or the washed out roads of Mongolia that did them in. It wasn't a bad bowl of mutton stew, malaria or migraines.
It was a little bearing, deep within the engine which ground the car to a screeching halt.
They broke down in Uzbekistan, just outside of Turkmenistan, and ended up towing the car across the border. Turns out Turkmenistan is run like a Police State and the boys weren't allowed to veer from the course to get the car to a mechanic, nor were they allowed to go ahead of the rally or stay behind to fix the car. There was nothing they could do but tow the car along for the entire two days, being forced to stay with the group.
They have been told that there may be greater possibilities for repair in Iran and that in Turkey, there are a number of ace VW mechanics, but that's many days away and might be so expensive as to not be worth it.
As much as Garrick sounded disappointed, he also sounded a little relieved to be done with the rally. He said the schedule was grueling and the few days off they have had so far, were spent fixing the car, or making adjustments or doing preventative maintenance.
All that aside, he said it has also been an incredible experience: That everyone they have met has been excited to see them, friendly and welcoming; That when passing through small towns, the populations gather along the sides of the road to wave at them; That they have been made to feel like rock stars.
Garrick didn't know what the next steps would be, but he promised to keep us posted. Stay tuned for further developments.
They're effectively out of the race.
In the end, it wasn't the rabid yaks, or the washed out roads of Mongolia that did them in. It wasn't a bad bowl of mutton stew, malaria or migraines.
It was a little bearing, deep within the engine which ground the car to a screeching halt.
They broke down in Uzbekistan, just outside of Turkmenistan, and ended up towing the car across the border. Turns out Turkmenistan is run like a Police State and the boys weren't allowed to veer from the course to get the car to a mechanic, nor were they allowed to go ahead of the rally or stay behind to fix the car. There was nothing they could do but tow the car along for the entire two days, being forced to stay with the group.
They have been told that there may be greater possibilities for repair in Iran and that in Turkey, there are a number of ace VW mechanics, but that's many days away and might be so expensive as to not be worth it.
As much as Garrick sounded disappointed, he also sounded a little relieved to be done with the rally. He said the schedule was grueling and the few days off they have had so far, were spent fixing the car, or making adjustments or doing preventative maintenance.
All that aside, he said it has also been an incredible experience: That everyone they have met has been excited to see them, friendly and welcoming; That when passing through small towns, the populations gather along the sides of the road to wave at them; That they have been made to feel like rock stars.
Garrick didn't know what the next steps would be, but he promised to keep us posted. Stay tuned for further developments.
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