Team Saluki Desert Challenge 2005
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RE: Team Saluki Desert Challenge 2005
Saturday 12th November 2005
Team Saluki start today in 4th place.
The service guys have played a blinder over the last day – when we say day we mean two days as they didn’t sleep on Thursday and you’ll be glad to know that they did get some sleep last night.
At the start of the day, it’s approximately 30 minutes between Saluki and third place. They start the stage but disaster strikes only 10Km into the even when the team report that the gearbox is making terrible noises. Tim has been underneath and confirmed it’s the gearbox and between the two of them decide that it’s better to return to the bivouac and replace the gear box rather than continue and risk the possibility of getting stuck further into the stage and suffering hours and hours of recovery. There was the possibility of the Saluki getting back on the course and saving on time penalties but we’ve been advised since the Saluki came back via tarmac it will be out of the race for today and suffer a time penalty.
So as we write – the Saluki is undergoing surgery by the service crew replacing the gearbox.
The Saluki will be back up and running tomorrow to continue the challenge hunting for new prey. You can follow the Saluki’s return to full health here
Regards
Team Saluki
Team Saluki start today in 4th place.
The service guys have played a blinder over the last day – when we say day we mean two days as they didn’t sleep on Thursday and you’ll be glad to know that they did get some sleep last night.
At the start of the day, it’s approximately 30 minutes between Saluki and third place. They start the stage but disaster strikes only 10Km into the even when the team report that the gearbox is making terrible noises. Tim has been underneath and confirmed it’s the gearbox and between the two of them decide that it’s better to return to the bivouac and replace the gear box rather than continue and risk the possibility of getting stuck further into the stage and suffering hours and hours of recovery. There was the possibility of the Saluki getting back on the course and saving on time penalties but we’ve been advised since the Saluki came back via tarmac it will be out of the race for today and suffer a time penalty.
So as we write – the Saluki is undergoing surgery by the service crew replacing the gearbox.
The Saluki will be back up and running tomorrow to continue the challenge hunting for new prey. You can follow the Saluki’s return to full health here
Regards
Team Saluki
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RE: Team Saluki Desert Challenge 2005
Yesterday was an eventful day:
Sunday 13th November 2005
The guys made the right decision yesterday by returning to get the gearbox replaced – upon removing the faulty unit it was found that the gearbox had stripped a tooth.
The popularity of last years “Landy Cam” where we mounted a camera on the dash of the Saluki and played it back to the campsite in the evening. This year, thanks to the kind people at Sony we’ve taken this a step further – we’ve mounted their latest high definition broadcast camera on the roll cage in the back of the Saluki which gives a view between the guys and out the windscreen. The audio side of things has the noise of the V8 engine as well as the in car communication between Mark and Tim.
The Saluki cinema is up and running this year and we’re playing back the in car footage on a large overhead projector to a screen about 2.3M across. This is a great camp site attraction with large crowds visiting the Team Saluki camp and watching the footage. It allows the majority of people their first glimpse of what it’s like to race through the dunes through the eyes of the Saluki and this includes the majority of the support crews.
Interest in the footage especially since it’s in high definition format is very high from both international broadcasting companies as well as individuals alike.
Onto the racing…
Team Saluki incurred time penalties yesterday due to the gearbox problem started the day down in 18th place. By PC1, the Saluki was charging through, biting at the wheels of one of the Kamaz’s.
At PC2, the Saluki had clawed back to 10th place.
The supporters were attempting to catch the Saluki at PC3 but during the run from PC2 to PC3 the Saluki had almost 100Km travel offroad, the supporters about the same distance but on the road. The Saluki beat the majority of supporters to PC3 by two minutes – it was getting hungry and was on the hunt.
At PC4 – the service point the Saluki screamed in, got it’s time card stamped and left the service crew standing idly. They’re in 6th place. Given the work the service crew (Ard, Dave, Mark and Streaky) have put in over the last couple of days the relief on their face is easy to see.
Waiting at the finish point we’re disappointed to hear Paul – the Team Managers phone ringing along with the words – “oh oh”, everybody’s heart sighs – they know it’s bad news as its got to be either Tim or Mark with a briefing of their status.
The Saluki is bellied out and is up it’s axles in deep soft sand – even the assistance of fellow competitor Dave Mabbs couldn’t reach the Saluki. The Saluki is waiting for assistance from one of the Kamaz’s. One of the marshals was tasked with going in to help assist the Saluki but before the marshal can reach them – the call comes through from Tim that they’re moving again. A passing sweep team assisted with extracting them from the soft sand and enabling the Saluki to continue its charge towards the finish line. They’ve lost 25 minutes.
At PC5 the Saluki storms through heading for the last competitive section – the run to the finish line where the Saluki supporters are waiting to cheer them on all standing above the underpass. When the Saluki crosses the finishing line the guys look shattered.
This evening – in car footage will be shown on the Saluki cinema enticing visitors to the Saluki camp.
Summing up the days racing, Tim comments that “We worked very hard to finish – repairing an ignition that killed the car, tying down loose spare tyres en-route, and bonnet clips that came undone. “
Remember – you can see the travels of Car 208 (Team Saluki) on our Iritrack link here
http://odis.usei-strasbourg.net/doub...lang=en&mode=0
Regards
Team Saluki
www.teamsaluki.com
Sunday 13th November 2005
The guys made the right decision yesterday by returning to get the gearbox replaced – upon removing the faulty unit it was found that the gearbox had stripped a tooth.
The popularity of last years “Landy Cam” where we mounted a camera on the dash of the Saluki and played it back to the campsite in the evening. This year, thanks to the kind people at Sony we’ve taken this a step further – we’ve mounted their latest high definition broadcast camera on the roll cage in the back of the Saluki which gives a view between the guys and out the windscreen. The audio side of things has the noise of the V8 engine as well as the in car communication between Mark and Tim.
The Saluki cinema is up and running this year and we’re playing back the in car footage on a large overhead projector to a screen about 2.3M across. This is a great camp site attraction with large crowds visiting the Team Saluki camp and watching the footage. It allows the majority of people their first glimpse of what it’s like to race through the dunes through the eyes of the Saluki and this includes the majority of the support crews.
Interest in the footage especially since it’s in high definition format is very high from both international broadcasting companies as well as individuals alike.
Onto the racing…
Team Saluki incurred time penalties yesterday due to the gearbox problem started the day down in 18th place. By PC1, the Saluki was charging through, biting at the wheels of one of the Kamaz’s.
At PC2, the Saluki had clawed back to 10th place.
The supporters were attempting to catch the Saluki at PC3 but during the run from PC2 to PC3 the Saluki had almost 100Km travel offroad, the supporters about the same distance but on the road. The Saluki beat the majority of supporters to PC3 by two minutes – it was getting hungry and was on the hunt.
At PC4 – the service point the Saluki screamed in, got it’s time card stamped and left the service crew standing idly. They’re in 6th place. Given the work the service crew (Ard, Dave, Mark and Streaky) have put in over the last couple of days the relief on their face is easy to see.
Waiting at the finish point we’re disappointed to hear Paul – the Team Managers phone ringing along with the words – “oh oh”, everybody’s heart sighs – they know it’s bad news as its got to be either Tim or Mark with a briefing of their status.
The Saluki is bellied out and is up it’s axles in deep soft sand – even the assistance of fellow competitor Dave Mabbs couldn’t reach the Saluki. The Saluki is waiting for assistance from one of the Kamaz’s. One of the marshals was tasked with going in to help assist the Saluki but before the marshal can reach them – the call comes through from Tim that they’re moving again. A passing sweep team assisted with extracting them from the soft sand and enabling the Saluki to continue its charge towards the finish line. They’ve lost 25 minutes.
At PC5 the Saluki storms through heading for the last competitive section – the run to the finish line where the Saluki supporters are waiting to cheer them on all standing above the underpass. When the Saluki crosses the finishing line the guys look shattered.
This evening – in car footage will be shown on the Saluki cinema enticing visitors to the Saluki camp.
Summing up the days racing, Tim comments that “We worked very hard to finish – repairing an ignition that killed the car, tying down loose spare tyres en-route, and bonnet clips that came undone. “
Remember – you can see the travels of Car 208 (Team Saluki) on our Iritrack link here
http://odis.usei-strasbourg.net/doub...lang=en&mode=0
Regards
Team Saluki
www.teamsaluki.com
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From:
RE: Team Saluki Desert Challenge 2005
Press machine playing catchup.....
First up a word of thanks:
Many thanks go to Mike Smith from HP, who, when the Team Saluki laptop decided to go the same way as the gearbox and stop working, he responded with amazing support.
From the Moreeb Hill campsite – a call was made to Mike’s mobile to see if he could assist us continue our communication with the external world. Not knowing his location – we were amazed to see him walk into the Saluki campsite within 10 minutes with a spare laptop which we could use. The last few days communications would not have been possible without the assistance of Mike and HP.
200Km from the nearest town on Sunday night at 9pm and the laptop is there in 10 minutes. An amazing response.
Huge thanks go out to Mike (and HP) for their assistance to Team Saluki.
And the final days report:
Monday 14th November 2005
Starting the day in 15th place, the charge is on for a long run from the Liwa campsite back to the finish at Dubai. The Saluki is built for running fast – and this is where the vehicle can show off its power.
The majority of the support crew clear the campsite and head up towards the Service area. The Saluki is flying and is straight through the service area whilst the service crew are still 30Km from reaching it. The service crew about turn and head towards the finish.
The long straight runs have the engine in the Saluki running right on the limit of the power band – which of course means that fuel consumption to the engine increases. Miles per gallon in the Saluki is not exactly great but running like this for extended periods of time soon drains the tanks and finds the guys switching between fuel pumps to get the last drops of fuel out of the tanks - with minor assistance from the marshals the Saluki is soon approaching the finish line.
It’s managed to complete the rally and make it all the way to the end. The Saluki crossed the finishing line after starting in 15th, it crossed the line in 8th place for that stage. Tim immediately looks for assistance with some petrol burns he’s received on his leg which is swiftly cooled by the waiting crew of Saluki supporters.
Overall this puts Team Saluki in 15th place at the end of the rally. The team are happy to have finished and crossed the line - when along the way other vehicles and teams have dropped out and failed to reach the finish. The challenge wouldn’t be a challenge if it was easy – Team Saluki yet again have taken part and more importantly completed the event and got to the finish line under their own power.
The challenge is was a massive effort – as it always is, keeping Team Saluki running. As an example of the involvement required - the support personnel have driven approximately 12,000Km in the last five days in support of the Saluki.
Thankfully, the vehicle and support teams are now having a well earned break – until the next time that the Saluki is released from the Kennel to hunt down some more prey.
Thanks for sticking with us throughout the whole event, we hope you enjoyed following the Team through the Challenge and we hope you will check in at the site to keep up to date with future developments.
Regards,
Keith Hopgood on behalf of:
Team Saluki
Saluki - bred for speed and endurance in the desert
www.teamsaluki.com
First up a word of thanks:
Many thanks go to Mike Smith from HP, who, when the Team Saluki laptop decided to go the same way as the gearbox and stop working, he responded with amazing support.
From the Moreeb Hill campsite – a call was made to Mike’s mobile to see if he could assist us continue our communication with the external world. Not knowing his location – we were amazed to see him walk into the Saluki campsite within 10 minutes with a spare laptop which we could use. The last few days communications would not have been possible without the assistance of Mike and HP.
200Km from the nearest town on Sunday night at 9pm and the laptop is there in 10 minutes. An amazing response.
Huge thanks go out to Mike (and HP) for their assistance to Team Saluki.
And the final days report:
Monday 14th November 2005
Starting the day in 15th place, the charge is on for a long run from the Liwa campsite back to the finish at Dubai. The Saluki is built for running fast – and this is where the vehicle can show off its power.
The majority of the support crew clear the campsite and head up towards the Service area. The Saluki is flying and is straight through the service area whilst the service crew are still 30Km from reaching it. The service crew about turn and head towards the finish.
The long straight runs have the engine in the Saluki running right on the limit of the power band – which of course means that fuel consumption to the engine increases. Miles per gallon in the Saluki is not exactly great but running like this for extended periods of time soon drains the tanks and finds the guys switching between fuel pumps to get the last drops of fuel out of the tanks - with minor assistance from the marshals the Saluki is soon approaching the finish line.
It’s managed to complete the rally and make it all the way to the end. The Saluki crossed the finishing line after starting in 15th, it crossed the line in 8th place for that stage. Tim immediately looks for assistance with some petrol burns he’s received on his leg which is swiftly cooled by the waiting crew of Saluki supporters.
Overall this puts Team Saluki in 15th place at the end of the rally. The team are happy to have finished and crossed the line - when along the way other vehicles and teams have dropped out and failed to reach the finish. The challenge wouldn’t be a challenge if it was easy – Team Saluki yet again have taken part and more importantly completed the event and got to the finish line under their own power.
The challenge is was a massive effort – as it always is, keeping Team Saluki running. As an example of the involvement required - the support personnel have driven approximately 12,000Km in the last five days in support of the Saluki.
Thankfully, the vehicle and support teams are now having a well earned break – until the next time that the Saluki is released from the Kennel to hunt down some more prey.
Thanks for sticking with us throughout the whole event, we hope you enjoyed following the Team through the Challenge and we hope you will check in at the site to keep up to date with future developments.
Regards,
Keith Hopgood on behalf of:
Team Saluki
Saluki - bred for speed and endurance in the desert
www.teamsaluki.com
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