Peking to Paris: Tough Going for Team Lola
Team Lola Racing have been quiet of late, so not much in the way of team news to share. The rally has been tough going, driving through heavy rain, freezing fog and snow, which explains some of the radio silence, and I have seen a few pics of the WEVO head honcho propping up various bars, which probably explains the rest! Here’s a pic SH sent me of Hayden changing the generator, apparently just after he got out of the shower:
Some negativity entered the Peking-Paris as the teams left Iran. A few schoolkids started throwing stones at the leading cars while they passed, breaking a screen or two and clobbering one lady on the head. The sporadic target practice carried on into Turkey. Fun-loving groups of local kids on scooters turned out not to be so friendly, after they managed to box one Rolls-Royce driver in and steal currency, passports, travel documents, the lot.
To cap this unpleasantness, a female competitor was molested by two guys in a filling station, while outside, a gang robbed her husband. This is the sort of stuff you know goes on, but hope will not tarnish a positive event such as this one. Unfortunately, it takes all kinds to fill this world of ours. Here’s a happier pic from the Model A Blog.
Skytag reports Lola as en route to tonight’s stopover at Abant Lake in Turkey, with tomorrow a much lighter travel and liaison day. No results from the treacherous time trials held yesterday as yet, but reports away from the ‘everything is running along nicely’ main rally website say that many competitors found it all a bit too much to ask, given absolutely desperate weather on the ground and the oppressive shadow of recent events. These are hardy folks, but there seems little sense in forcing the word ‘fool’ before that description, if it is indeed how this has all played out. We wait to hear.
At this stage, I’m just looking forward to an update saying Lola and the boys are all OK. I have the texts sent, just waiting for them to come back into a cell phone service zone.