July 11, 2018. Liège,
Belgium
We did about 150 miles today wandering some back roads on the
way to Liege, Belgium. I was on my back making repairs or
adjustments three times but that's the point of driving to the
event as opposed to trailering there (which is what the vast
majority seem to have done).
Better to suffer your vehicle's indiscretions when the clock is
not ticking than when the rally begins and breakdowns can cost
you in the competition or worse.
The list included checking the rear axle hub bolts for
appropriate torque, a loose dipstick that allowed oil to spew
all over my engine compartment, the clutch cable adjustment lock
nut going missing and the cable going slack, an air filter
housing that kept coming apart and finally a loose exhaust
flange nut resulting in a blown exhaust gasket.
I'm tired just recounting it all. The last of the repairs was
done within minutes of the first event dinner at 8pm. I'm having
the time of my f'ing life and Lorraine is hanging admirably. We
now have to ditch the phone and GPS and do serious old fashioned
navigation using maps to find various specified passage control
milestones, which will be Lorraine's job as navigator. Wish us
luck and sleep.