Hi
Today we are cleaning up the truck and getting it ready for the long trip back to BA. Tomorrow we travel to Chilecito through the Andes on dirt tracks and some tarmac. We will be traveling in the convoy for about 10 to 12 hours. Two more nights in the bivouac and then we are booked in hotels til we come home. Can't wait to have a hot shower every day and a bed to sleep in.
Thank you again for all your support it means a lot to us!!
The people here have been wonderful and it will be sad to leave them. We are wishing Darren Skilton and his driver Sue Mead all the best and hoping they cross the finish in BA.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
And so it ends ...
Glenna:
It is with great sadness I tell you that we won't be on the start line tomorrow.
Conor did an amazing job and everyone here is talking about his rise through the ranks. Unfortunately mechanical problems occurred and could not be fixed in time to finish the stage before the start tomorrow.
We appreciate all your support and are sorry that we will not be on the podium on Jan 16, 2011.
Thank you!
It is with great sadness I tell you that we won't be on the start line tomorrow.
Conor did an amazing job and everyone here is talking about his rise through the ranks. Unfortunately mechanical problems occurred and could not be fixed in time to finish the stage before the start tomorrow.
We appreciate all your support and are sorry that we will not be on the podium on Jan 16, 2011.
Thank you!
And you thought the race team was having an adventure....
From the assistance team:
Getting to the bivouac last night was an adventure. When we were within 5 km traffic stopped dead. We needed to get our service area set up so we put the dodge into 4 wheel drive and went off road.
Once we reached the road to the bivouac we were faced with on coming traffic in both lanes including ours. So we barreled down the middle of the road as our Dodge is 4 times the size of their cars. They move pretty quickly. It helped that Troy was yelling like a crazy person for them to get out of the way.
Getting to the bivouac last night was an adventure. When we were within 5 km traffic stopped dead. We needed to get our service area set up so we put the dodge into 4 wheel drive and went off road.
Once we reached the road to the bivouac we were faced with on coming traffic in both lanes including ours. So we barreled down the middle of the road as our Dodge is 4 times the size of their cars. They move pretty quickly. It helped that Troy was yelling like a crazy person for them to get out of the way.
The Dakar Spirit
Yesterday when the guys were stuck in stage 2 with radiator problems an Argentinian team stopped and gave them their extra radiator and all the water they could spare. While our team couldn't use the radiator - it was too small - it's the thought, and spirit of the Dakar, that counts
Blog - Toronto Star
http://thestar.blogs.com/autoracing/2011/01/toronto-driver-going-strong-in-dakar-rally.html
Marc Coma of Spain rides his KTM motorcycle during the seventh stage of the third South American edition of the Dakar Rally 2011 from Arica to Antofagasta Jan. 9, 2011. (REUTERS/Eric Gaillard)
In Saturday’s Toronto Star Wheels section, I wrote a feature on Georgetown’s Lawrence Hacking, who – in 2001 – became the first Canadian to finish the dangerous and grueling Paris-Dakar Rally.
The Dakar, as it’s now known, is as grueling as ever but perhaps not as dangerous because the threat of terrorism was removed three years ago when the race was moved from Africa to South America.
In the article, Hacking – who did the Dakar on a motorcycle – said he hoped someday to become the first Canadian to finish the contest on four wheels.
The news today is that a fellow from Toronto driving for the Toronto-based Team Chinook is in the process of beating him to it.
Conor Malone and co-driver Tom Frank have passed the half-way point of the 15-day event that began on New Year’s day in Buenos Aires. They are still very much in contention to finish the rally; on average, fewer than half the 500-plus starters make it to the end.
On Sunday, Malone and Frank started the day in 70th place in the cars class (89 were still in contention at that point) but were soon running 87th and two hours behind because of a leaking radiator that they managed to fix at the first check point.
Later, during a special stage through sand dunes, many of the cars got lost and missed a check point and had to double back, leaving Team Chinook in 70th place again at end of day.
Overall, Marc Coma of Spain was leading the motorbike division, Tomas Maffei of Argentina was ahead in quads (four-wheel motorbikes), perennial world rally champion Carlos Sainz of Spain was in front in cars and Firdaus Kapirov of Russia was leading in trucks.
While the top professionals, supported by multi-million-dollar sponsorships, contend for victories at the Dakar, the majority of the more than 500 entries are made up of non-professionals whose prime motivation is simply to get through it.
Several years ago Malone, an electrician in the construction industry, and his Toronto friend, Glenna Chestnutt, who works in insurance, decided to enter the Dakar. That they had next to no experience was of little consequence; they were both in their mid-40s, they had a dream and they were going to go for it.
And if they could raise money for a couple of charities, Prostate Cancer Canada (Malone lost his father to the disease) and the Minimally Invasive Surgery program at Toronto East General Hospital, so much the better.
Since then, they’ve secured sponsorships, launched a website, embarked on public relations campaigns to draw attention to their adventure and made arrangements to produce a documentary film and to publish a book on their participation in the rally.
Most important, they contracted with a U.S. company, Colorado Sand Cars, to build their Corvette engine-powered Chevrolet vehicle. When Chestnutt, who originally intended to co-drive and navigate during the Dakar, was injured in a ski accident last year, she stepped back from the rally car to drive the support truck and her place was taken by the car’s builder, Tom Frank. One of his employees at Colorado Sand Cars, Troy Dees, replaced Frank as chief mechanic.
As the saying goes, so far, so good. They have gone from the start in Buenos Aires to the west coast of Chile and now are on their way back to the Argentine capital. Keep your fingers crossed.
Hacking has been following their race and is cheering them on to make it to the finish.
In an email to me last night, Hacking said: "To get as far as they have is an incredible accomplishment. If they finish, which looks possible, it will be very good for everyone who is thinking of doing the Dakar.
"I really hope everything stays together to the end. It has been a tough go for them with at least one night spent in the desert and lots of repairs done, according to their twitter posts."
And that’s a key. To follow their progress, and to cheer them on, go to www.teamchinook.com
Marc Coma of Spain rides his KTM motorcycle during the seventh stage of the third South American edition of the Dakar Rally 2011 from Arica to Antofagasta Jan. 9, 2011. (REUTERS/Eric Gaillard)
In Saturday’s Toronto Star Wheels section, I wrote a feature on Georgetown’s Lawrence Hacking,
The Dakar, as it’s now known, is as grueling as ever but perhaps not as dangerous because the threat of terrorism was removed three years ago when the race was moved from Africa to South America.
In the article, Hacking – who did the Dakar on a motorcycle – said he hoped someday to become the first Canadian to finish the contest on four wheels.
The news today is that a fellow from Toronto driving for the Toronto-based Team Chinook is in the process of beating him to it.
Conor Malone and co-driver Tom Frank have passed the half-way point of the 15-day event that began on New Year’s day in Buenos Aires. They are still very much in contention to finish the rally; on average, fewer than half the 500-plus starters make it to the end.
On Sunday, Malone and Frank started the day in 70th place in the cars class (89 were still in contention at that point) but were soon running 87th and two hours behind because of a leaking radiator that they managed to fix at the first check point.
Later, during a special stage through sand dunes, many of the cars got lost and missed a check point and had to double back, leaving Team Chinook in 70th place again at end of day.
Overall, Marc Coma of Spain was leading the motorbike division, Tomas Maffei of Argentina was ahead in quads (four-wheel motorbikes), perennial world rally champion Carlos Sainz of Spain was in front in cars and Firdaus Kapirov of Russia was leading in trucks.
While the top professionals, supported by multi-million-dollar sponsorships, contend for victories at the Dakar, the majority of the more than 500 entries are made up of non-professionals whose prime motivation is simply to get through it.
Several years ago Malone, an electrician in the construction industry, and his Toronto friend, Glenna Chestnutt, who works in insurance, decided to enter the Dakar. That they had next to no experience was of little consequence; they were both in their mid-40s, they had a dream and they were going to go for it.
And if they could raise money for a couple of charities, Prostate Cancer Canada (Malone lost his father to the disease) and the Minimally Invasive Surgery program at Toronto East General Hospital, so much the better.
Since then, they’ve secured sponsorships, launched a website, embarked on public relations campaigns to draw attention to their adventure and made arrangements to produce a documentary film and to publish a book on their participation in the rally.
Most important, they contracted with a U.S. company, Colorado Sand Cars, to build their Corvette engine-powered Chevrolet vehicle. When Chestnutt, who originally intended to co-drive and navigate during the Dakar, was injured in a ski accident last year, she stepped back from the rally car to drive the support truck and her place was taken by the car’s builder, Tom Frank. One of his employees at Colorado Sand Cars, Troy Dees, replaced Frank as chief mechanic.
As the saying goes, so far, so good. They have gone from the start in Buenos Aires to the west coast of Chile and now are on their way back to the Argentine capital. Keep your fingers crossed.
Hacking has been following their race and is cheering them on to make it to the finish.
In an email to me last night, Hacking said: "To get as far as they have is an incredible accomplishment. If they finish, which looks possible, it will be very good for everyone who is thinking of doing the Dakar.
"I really hope everything stays together to the end. It has been a tough go for them with at least one night spent in the desert and lots of repairs done, according to their twitter posts."
And that’s a key. To follow their progress, and to cheer them on, go to www.teamchinook.com
Sunday, January 9, 2011
It looks like we are on Mars ...
from Glenna:
854 km today through Chilean mountains for the assist truck.
The landscape ranges from colorful canyons with farms at the bottom to flat sand silt and rocks for miles. It looks like we are on Mars. 100's of kilometers without any foliage. We hope to see the race truck shortly after we arrive at the bivova.
There are not as many people at the side of the road as there were in Argentina. But we still some in the middle of nowhere!
854 km today through Chilean mountains for the assist truck.
The landscape ranges from colorful canyons with farms at the bottom to flat sand silt and rocks for miles. It looks like we are on Mars. 100's of kilometers without any foliage. We hope to see the race truck shortly after we arrive at the bivova.
There are not as many people at the side of the road as there were in Argentina. But we still some in the middle of nowhere!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Smiling, signing autographs and holding babies ...
Glenna reports that Team Chinook members feel like celebrities (and so they should!)
"Everywhere we go people want their pics taken with us or want our autographs. At the entrance to camp people were passing their babies to us to hold while they took our pictures.
We were told there were no rooms left in the area but we found the Picasso motel just outside the Bivouac. Just had my first hot shower in 7 days!! Luxurious!!
Conor and Tom are doing great. They are 75th! So far. After spending the night in the desert they are looking forward to the rest day tomorrow. The lights took a beating so Troy will be spending tomorrow working on them.
"Everywhere we go people want their pics taken with us or want our autographs. At the entrance to camp people were passing their babies to us to hold while they took our pictures.
We were told there were no rooms left in the area but we found the Picasso motel just outside the Bivouac. Just had my first hot shower in 7 days!! Luxurious!!
Conor and Tom are doing great. They are 75th! So far. After spending the night in the desert they are looking forward to the rest day tomorrow. The lights took a beating so Troy will be spending tomorrow working on them.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Great fans - coasting downhill -sleeping in the dunes
From Glenna:
The people in Argentina were amazing fans. Everywhere we stopped we were mobbed and asked to be in photos - and we are just the assistance team. Conor has lost track of how many autographs he's signed!!
Jan 5 drama: It was the assistance team's turn to have some drama. We tried to make a 602 km stage with a 450 km tank of gas and 5 gallons in reserve. Luckily we ran out of gas at 4800 meters altitude. Troy removed the air filter and we put the car in neutral and coasted down on 32 km worth of gas!
Conor drove very well today and showed up at camp just after us. For the first time they got more than 3 hours of sleep! They started the toughest stage so far well rested this morning (Jan 6)! We are just waiting at the bottom of "the hill" for them.
Jan 6 - after the toughest stage by far so far, Team Chinook race vehicle team is sleeping in the dunes between waypoint 11 and 13. They will head out at first light on Jan 7 to finish the stage and make it to the starting line for stage 6!
The people in Argentina were amazing fans. Everywhere we stopped we were mobbed and asked to be in photos - and we are just the assistance team. Conor has lost track of how many autographs he's signed!!
Jan 5 drama: It was the assistance team's turn to have some drama. We tried to make a 602 km stage with a 450 km tank of gas and 5 gallons in reserve. Luckily we ran out of gas at 4800 meters altitude. Troy removed the air filter and we put the car in neutral and coasted down on 32 km worth of gas!
Conor drove very well today and showed up at camp just after us. For the first time they got more than 3 hours of sleep! They started the toughest stage so far well rested this morning (Jan 6)! We are just waiting at the bottom of "the hill" for them.
Jan 6 - after the toughest stage by far so far, Team Chinook race vehicle team is sleeping in the dunes between waypoint 11 and 13. They will head out at first light on Jan 7 to finish the stage and make it to the starting line for stage 6!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
A brutal day after a brutal night - still going!
At 3 am the truck rolled in. After a number of great sections where they passed a number of seasoned Dakar driver they were plagued by fuel problems. Then the alternator went at the end. At one point in the rally they need a tow and 15 trucks went by with none of them stopping finally the locals came to the rescue and got them going.
Troy sold his soul to get us an alternator from Robby Gordon's crew. Working til 6 am he got the truck back in top form.
At 7:33 am Tom and Conor hit the road in the pouring rain! It will be a long drive through the mountains and then a short but tough special ending up in Chile.
We leave after the race vehicle are gone. It will be a 9 hour drive through the mountains with no stops. We hope our gas holds up. Were counting on coasting down the mountains.
Troy sold his soul to get us an alternator from Robby Gordon's crew. Working til 6 am he got the truck back in top form.
At 7:33 am Tom and Conor hit the road in the pouring rain! It will be a long drive through the mountains and then a short but tough special ending up in Chile.
We leave after the race vehicle are gone. It will be a 9 hour drive through the mountains with no stops. We hope our gas holds up. Were counting on coasting down the mountains.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Men hate to ask for directions?
The ever dedicated assistance team spent 3 hours tracking down Peltor connectors in Cordoba so Tom and Conor can communicate during the rally.
... This being important because Tom needs to tell Conor where to go (literally and figuratively). Conor had forgotten the connectors - is this because he didn't want Tom to give him directions - you know how men are...
... This being important because Tom needs to tell Conor where to go (literally and figuratively). Conor had forgotten the connectors - is this because he didn't want Tom to give him directions - you know how men are...
Wardrobe malfunction: Behind the Scenes Stage 1
Or "The fireproof underware strike again..."
During the liaison section prior to the special timed stage Conor realized he forgot his balaclava so he called his assistance team to bring it to him. Even though it was 400 km out of their way they rushed to his aid! Unfortunately time got away from Conor and Tom and they remembered they were in a timed rally so they rushed to the start line. Our "MacGyver" Tom suggested to Conor that he pull his T-shirt over his face to pass the start line. This is the end of the story of why they were 40 minutes late for their first timed section of the rally.
With that 40 minute head start they gave everyone else, they went on to do very well!
During the liaison section prior to the special timed stage Conor realized he forgot his balaclava so he called his assistance team to bring it to him. Even though it was 400 km out of their way they rushed to his aid! Unfortunately time got away from Conor and Tom and they remembered they were in a timed rally so they rushed to the start line. Our "MacGyver" Tom suggested to Conor that he pull his T-shirt over his face to pass the start line. This is the end of the story of why they were 40 minutes late for their first timed section of the rally.
With that 40 minute head start they gave everyone else, they went on to do very well!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
A long night too on Jan 1
From Glenna:
Troy and I got the camp-service area set up after a bit of a fight for space!
Tom called around 10pm we needed to find a radiator cap and two connectors for the peltor speaker system, they were 3 hours away. Troy got the radiator cap from the Hyundi team and the head electrician made the peltor connector.
At 1am conor and tom arrived. Unfortunately the connector didn't work and the VW team was now asleep. The good news - the rad cap fit. Troy stayed up til 4am working on the truck. Luckily he's a night owl and could sleep in the car the next day
Troy and I got the camp-service area set up after a bit of a fight for space!
Tom called around 10pm we needed to find a radiator cap and two connectors for the peltor speaker system, they were 3 hours away. Troy got the radiator cap from the Hyundi team and the head electrician made the peltor connector.
At 1am conor and tom arrived. Unfortunately the connector didn't work and the VW team was now asleep. The good news - the rad cap fit. Troy stayed up til 4am working on the truck. Luckily he's a night owl and could sleep in the car the next day
Saturday, January 1, 2011
At the starting line - some early images
Just a couple photos from the starting line area, Team Chinook somewhere waiting ...
Here come the quads:
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