THE INCA TRAIL
the big South American adventure rally
DAY 15: Cusco Ayacucho (584km)
Don't look down!
Paul and Jayne Wignall at full tilt on MedaL section |
Towards the end of a long day: Pauline Harris's Porsche is none the worse after its brush with a sharp drop |
Category A cars, however, had set out the previous day: their journey was split in two, in deference to the age of their vehicles, with a part-way overnight halt at Andahuaylas. Around midday on Day 15, they made their restart from there, joining the rest on the route for today.
Meanwhile, around 30 crews picked up on John Brown's suggestion of another alternative. Some had cars they were nursing to get them to Lima for a proper repair. Others simply wanted a more relaxing option. One crew had suddenly realised just how afraid they are of heights not recommended for a trip in the Andes. So while the majority set out on one of the toughest days of the event, this group, together with one of HERO's dedicated mechanical back-up crews, drove to an overnight halt at Nasca, then took the Panamericana to rejoin the body of the rally at our next rest halt, the Lima resort of El Pueblo.
This route, from La Paz to Lima, was the toughest section of the 1970 rally: 2,000km of primitive dirt roads, climbing to almost 16,000 feet, and run non-stop all the way. The time allowance then was just 25 hours.
From Cusco to Huancayo, the Category A cars are indeed following almost exactly the Inca Prime of the World Cup Rally. Hannu Mikkola, in his works Ford Escort, managed the trip in just 12 hours 20 minutes.
It was a tough day for the classics in Categories B, C and D who drove the entire Cusco Ayacucho leg in one go, and most of it on gravel. But for them and for the 4x4s, the landscapes were stupendous ever-changing in character, with shelf-like, unfenced twisty mountainside roads and some of the biggest drops imaginable. The Abra Huayllaccsa Medal Section was brilliant: hairpinning all the way up a mountainside from 5,875 to 13,500ft.
Then, after lunch, where the Category A cars joined in more of the same. The Abra Tocctoccasa Medal and 4x4 Explorer Section climbed, descended and swooped up and down for 130km before finishing just outside Ayacucho.
For crews who made it to the town's splendid Plaza de Armas, another surprise was in store. A great turnout of local folk it was Saturday, so they were in the mood to party and, at 8.00pm, they turned on a fireworks display. For tired crews who had been on the road since 5.00am, it was good to know that they had arrived at last!
Knight in shining armour
For Pauline Harris and Ann Locks, this was their lucky day. In an incident reminiscent of the one that put Andrew Cowen out of the 1970 World Cup Rally, they were unsighted in dust and sun. The road made a turn but they went straight on. Their luck was in, though. At this point in Andrew Cowen's story, the car continued straight on, landing 40 feet below on a house, writing off the car and severely damaging its occupants. But with the help of a handy bush Pauline managed to bring the car to a halt, its front wheels in mid-air. They were rescued from their precarious perch by Vic Quayle's Toyota Land Cruiser, which towed them back to safety.
Vic plays this down a little: it was just one of a string of incidents that he's been involved in over the past few days. He started the morning as he meant to go on: just 2.35km after leaving Cusco's main control this morning, a Mustang fell foul of a nasty gulley across the road at a T-junction. Vic produced his trolley jack, and the Mustanng was freed.
Thanks, Vic!
More 4x4 adventures
Anna and Jonathan Pelly-Fry are enjoying the Inca Trail in the event's lone Audi. Their 2001 Audi Allroad has been doing sterling service, including offering a seat to HERO's official photographer Mike Johnson over the past few days.
Most of the river crossings at this time of year have been quite dry, but today one of them proved an exception. As they arrived there, Mike wanted to set up a photo so he needed to be dropped on the far side, while the Pelly-Frys went back for the shot. Back on the other side, they were beseiged the entire village, it seemed, wanted a lift across. They were happy to get in anyhow even with the doors open: not something the couple were keen to experiment with, as the water was quite deep. Eventually, they reached a compromise, and Mike got his shot as well. A good thing they were quite firm in their resolve, or they could be stuck there still, playing the Good Samaritan.