THE INCA TRAIL
the big South American adventure rally
Day 30: Temuco Bariloche (488km)
In the Lanin National Park on the Chile / Argentine border |
Gauchos pause to admire Escort's style |
Capristano Porsche in Chile's Lake District |
and still more classic cars Today's rally route took crews quickly into the Lake District of Chile. If you collect picture-postcard scenery, then this is for you. At Villarica, the snow-capped Lican volcano was in splendid snowcapped form, quietly letting off steam for anyone who paused for a quick photo.
Onto gravel roads reminiscent of some of the best forestry stages of Wales, the route took in an easy border crossing from Chile into Argentina through the Lanin National Park, the Lanin volcano a spectacular backdrop. Our route will be crisscrossing the Andes for a while yet, keeping Argentine and Chilean border staff on their toes.
The Cerro Chapelco Regularity section for the Classics took crews up to the ski station above San Martin de los Andes. Alexa Scott-Plummer will have been pleased to finish her first day as driver of Sue Shoosmith's Austin A90, 'Wallace', with her Gold medal status intact. Sue has been called home because of family illness, leaving the A90 in Alexa's care. Into her navigator's seat moves Tony Humphrey, while Sarah Born, a newcomer to the skills of Regularity timing, joins David Garrett in his Mercedes from her parents' Land Rover Discovery.
At Bariloche, our rallying day ended in the town square, just 24 hours after the sixth running of the Argentine Mil Millas regularity event. The Inca Trail finish used the same finishing ramp and a procession of vehicle transporters took the 170 participants' cars along the road as we drove through and on to our overnight halt at the beautifully situated Llao Llao Hotel. Bariloche, with its stunning lakeside setting, is justifiably known as the Switzerland of Argentina.
But three Mil Millas crews were keeping their cars at our hotel, awaiting the Inca Trail's arrival there. Fresh from the Argentine run edition of the famous Mille Miglia were Clay Regazzoni and co-driver Claude Valion, together with French crews Henri Guyonnet-Duperat / Jean-Paul Decroix and Philippe Patenotte / Raynal Geoffroy. They are driving a set of three Mercedes, and will stay with us until we reach Rio de Janeiro on 29 November.
Limping in late today were Richard and Diana Dyke-Price. Their Healey's steering idler broke when they were in No Man's Land between the Chile/Argentine frontiers, so for more than 300km they had scarcely any steering lock to the left. Jingers managed an emergency weld there and then on the road but, as Dick says, 'There's nothing for it until a part can be flown to Ushuaia but to cruise gently', avoiding the challenging roads that they love to drive.
An improbably early arrival was made by the 1949 Ford Custom Convertible of Richard Secrest and David Brayshaw. Heading for the Chile/Argentine border on supersmooth gravel, the car suddenly ground to a halt. Why might the differential give way now? After a tow from Roland and Carole Guille's Discovery to the next village, they found the answer: broken rear axle - completely clean. End of rally for the Ford? Not on your life.
Bill took the axle off the car, got in a taxi with it to the next town, and sought out a welder even though this was Sunday. Bill insisted on having both sides of the break ground down, giving a wider surface area for welding despite the welder¹s insistence that it couldn't be repaired. But it worked. Four hours after they stopped with no power to the wheels, they were back on the road again. 'Yet again, these locals could show the people back home a thing or two about speedy repairs!' comments navigator David Brayshaw. But in their haste to catch up, they drove so fast that by the end of the day they had beaten their three-quarter time and ended up with a 300 point penalty!
Just a minor problem today for the Pauline Harris Porsche. They'd had a good day, but just as they arrived at the rally hotel Ann Locks opened the boot and found the battery smoking away. 'Just for once, I thought we'd got away with a trouble-free day!' But at least it was quickly fixed.
It really is Goodbye We heard today that Ed and Carolyn Hammond had decided after all not to rejoin the event after they rolled their Discovery on the road to Nasca. They'd almost done a deal on a replacement 4x4, but thought again. The only reason they'd escaped so lightly was the roll cage they'd got fitted. Any replacement vehicle wouldn't have one, and, they reason, they'd rather not make themselves hostages to fortune. We're so sorry to see this super couple leave us.
Luck of the Irish
Confusion set in when Barry Aughey, Eugene Courtney and Gerry McGuigan stopped for lunch. They were at the San Martin de los Andes Main Control at the same time as Caroline Seed and Caroline Readings. When they left, both crews thought that Gerry was in the others' car. But he wasn't: he'd been left behind.
After walking about five kilometres of the 200km road towards Bariloche, Gerry was found by Mark Human and Paul Marsh in one of the Course Cars, and they gave him a lift all the way home. As another Course Car came in, they noticed the green Hyundai Galloper heading rapidly back maybe hoping to find their friend somewhere back along the route after discovering their mistake.
Easily confused Rushforth Department
Was it was something to do with having three punctures in the space of ten kilometres and running out of tyres that morning? Deputy Clerk of the Course Peter Rushforth got into the Llao Llao Hotel quite late after doing a final recce of part of tomorrow's route, and checked in as quickly as possible, looking at the hotel's list and asking for his room key.
An hour and a half later, at the supper table, he asked Mark Appleton if he thought there were a few too many people staying in their shared room that night. 'I don't think so. Anyway, you've not checked in yet.' 'I have, and there were two toothbrushes already in Room 116 when I went up.' 'But we're in Room 405.' Light dawned. As soon as he could, Peter got back to the hotel to try to reclaim his baggage. But to no avail. The door to 116 was firmly locked, and it was gone 11.30pm.
In the morning, a stunned Kate Fenhalls said, 'I feel severely traumatised by the entire experience. The shock of finding a pair of strange Y-fronts in my mother's room has damaged me for life.' Rushforth, meanwhile, was more concerned about his missing shaving gear, which was still with the Fenhalls' when he had to leave at 7.30am the next day to set up his Time Control...