| Tävlingsdag 5, tors 28 aug |
| Skrivet av Redaktionen | |
| 2008-08-28 | |
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Tävlingsdag 5, 28 aug 2008 "ca 500 km kvar av Australian Safari 2008" GARLAND MOTOR SPORT UPDATE: AUSTRALASIAN SAFARI DAY FIVE: THURSDAY, August 28, 2008 With around 500km left to run in the 2008 Australasian Safari, Bruce Garland knows he has his work cut out if he wants the top step on the podium. Steve Riley continues to hold tight to first place in the auto division despite his Mitsubishi Pajero being nicknamed ‘battle-scarred galactic-car’ because it is such a mess! In second place is Des Harrington in a Nissan Patrol, while Garland and Harry Suzuki are in third place in the all-new Garland Motor Sport Isuzu D-MAX. Their Swedish teammates Pelle Wallentheim and Olle Ohlsson are in fourth in the Tubus Racing Isuzu Vehi-Cross. “We’re really going to have to pull something out of the hat or the other guys need to strike some serious trouble, if we’re to have any chance of winning this thing,” says Garland. “But there’s still around 500km to go and it isn’t over until the fat lady sings – and she hasn’t started yet!” Despite the battle ahead, Garland is pleased with what has been achieved this week, in view of the long-term goal. He’s learned a great deal about how to race a diesel-engined vehicle as opposed to the petrol-engined versions he’s had so much success with in the past, as well as greater understanding of the fuel economy of a diesel engine in racing conditions. He’s also proved that the Garland Motor Sport-built prototype D-MAX is quick, strong and reliable. “This is a four-cylinder car and we’re matching times with two guys who have six-litre Chevvy engines in their cars. If we can mix it with them, then I think our race cars will not be too shabby against what we will be up against, come the international events. “We’ve also had no mechanical dramas compared with what Steve [Riley] and Des [Harrington] have been dealing with, which says a lot about our car. We did have some issues earlier this week – I’ve made some mistakes and Harry has made some mistakes – and that’s what has put us a bit further back than we might otherwise have been, but we’re on top of all of that now and we’ve learned so much, which will be handy when we run both cars in Dubai, and then going on to Dakar.” Garland says the nightly service for the D-MAX has been a simple affair because the ute has been running faultlessly: a general once-over, a tyre check, a change of air filter and some fuel. For Wallentheim and Ohlsson, it was a mixed day today. The guys had a puncture early on the first stage and decided to back off to preserve their second spare tyre. “It was the reverse of a stage we did a couple of days ago when we had a lot of punctures,” Wallentheim says. “It was very tight and twisty with a lot of pieces of wood close to the edge of the track. If you drive too wide, the wood punctures the tyres. So we had one puncture this morning, and we had a long way to go to the next service, so we didn’t want to risk another one, so we backed right off. “But on the second stage we increased our speed again, and that was a good stage for us, and so were the other two stages. We are having lots of fun.” As we talked, the rain was falling. Both Wallentheim and Garland are hoping for wet weather tomorrow because the two Isuzus work better on wet roads. Their concern, however, is that there is talk of a storm tomorrow and if it gets too windy, the helicopter that is part of the safety network will not be allowed to fly, which could halt the running of the event.
Competitors left the outback mining town of Meekatharra this morning, travelling around 600km south-west towards Mt Magnet, with four competitive sections totalling 471km. Crews leave Mt Magnet tomorrow (Friday), heading south-west to the coastal town of Geraldton before the finish in Perth on Saturday afternoon. Both Bruce and Pelle are competing in the A5 category of the event, for unlimited 4WD recreational vehicles and Extreme 4WD vehicles. Pelle’s VehiCross is in Category A5.1 for modified 4WD vehicles up to 3500cc; Bruce’s D-MAX is in Category A5.2, for modified 4WD vehicles over 3500cc. While the D-MAX engine is 2999cc, because it is turbo-charged the rules state that all diesel engines with forced induction will have their capacity multiplied by a factor of 1.5 (by 1.7 if petrol) as per the current CAMS Cross-Country Technical Regulations.
The Australian and Swedish crews are competing in the 2008 Australasian Safari as the first stage of their attack on the 2009 Dakar Rally in Argentina. After WA, the two crews will take two Isuzu D-MAX utes built by Garland Motor Sports to contest the UAE Desert Challenge in late October. RESULTS – LEG FIVE (after stage 19 of 24)
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