Day 19 Thu 30 Jun 2016 Perm to Kazan (Russia) 590 Kms

The crowd outside the hotel, to see the cars

Today has been the biggest day of rallying so far.  There were three Tests (sections timed to the second) this morning and one this afternoon.  In addition, the overall time allowed was also tight and many crews would have been late.  They will probably waive these penalties.

The three sections this morning were open forest, but muddy and slippery.  Mark enjoyed these.  There was then a long run to the outskirts of Kazan where cars were started at 30 second intervals on a Race circuit.  This was fun too. 

The Escort that was in third place had a rear axle problem and has travelled on a truck to Kazan.  Rob Garnsworthy is still in second.  In fact, four of the first five places in the Classic category (and thus the de facto overall Outright) are Aussies.

The long drive through the day was on the roughest tar road I’ve ever been on.  There were huge potholes and washaways which had to be negotiated at snail’s pace to avoid damage. Trucks and cars wander all over the road trying to find the best path through. 

Tomorrow is a rest day, and as I write this Mark is down getting the car washed.  We have six new tyres here to get fitted tomorrow as well.  

Hopefully, tomorrow’s rest day won’t be as busy as the rest day in Novosibirsk after Mongolia.

The hotel we are at is the Korston Tower. It’s a bit like a Las Vegas hotel.  Lots of lights and glitz.