July 17, 2018
Bolzano, Italy
Another day and it's back into the mountains. Leg five included
three passes and we are right back in fatigue mode. 13.5 hours
behind the wheel and we missed our check-in. It's no consolation
but we had plenty of company on a very hard day.
Each pass is a grinding 1st or 2nd gear crawl in these tiny cars
with their systems pressed to the limit. Many cars experienced
issues on leg five including ours. The trusty Fiat withered at
the demands with the front wheel bearings going south. The cabin
of the car was a bad place to be as the bearings made a
deafening growl that reverberated in the interior.
In a stroke of incredible luck, a full set of bearings, both
inner and outer, we're available on the RAC support truck. They
had been donated by an enthusiast to the cause. As Lorraine
plotted our route for leg six, I was in the garage replacing the
bearings. All well past midnight only to be rewarded with a 6 AM
wake up call. But we are up and running! Next stop Brescia
Italy.
