Caucasian Challenge

Torok nyaralas, gruz szenvedes / Holiday in Turkey, mess in Georgia

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(HU)

A batumi hotelunkbol irok, ahol csak a portasfulkebol tudok netezni, a mellettem 13 centimeterre ulo recepcios nem kifejezetten illatos.

A sapancai hotelbol a szervezoi autok meglhetosen keson indultak Sinopoba amit teteztunk azzal, hogy az egyuk auto felfedezo turara indult, gondoltuk, hogy megnezunk egy alternativ utvonalat. Abbol a szempontbol jo otlet, volt, hogy csodaszep tajon vezetett keresztul, viszont kb. 2 oraval volt hosszabb. A Pace car 02 pedig fek problemakkal kuzdott kilyukadt a fekcso, elfolyt az olaj es szinte fek nelkul ert be a kempingbe.

A sinopi pihenonap sokaknak a szerelesrol szolt, a 01-es Pajeronak tovabbra is szorult a fekje, amit a Beer Team tagjai hihetetlen kreativitassal javitott meg. Az errol keszult viodeot hamarosan kozzetesszuk, javasoljuk elmelyulten tanulmanyozni!

Hogyan csiszoljuk meg egy Pajero bekoszolódott fékdugattyúját csiszolópapir hiányában?

Kellékek:

– egy Lada, leszerelt kerékkel
– a Mitsubishi fékdugattyúja, amely véletlenül pont illik a tengelybe
– tengeri homok, motorolaj és egy rongy
– Peti, aki hármasba teszi az autót és kezeli a gázpedált
– Tibi, aki igen nagy hozzáértéssel csiszolja a dzsuvát a dugattyúról

Mondanunk sem kell, az autón a fék azóta is kiválóan muködik… erre azt hiszem nincsenek szavak 🙂

A versenyben vezeto Beer Team lelkes emberei ezen felul megoldottak a Mazda fekproblemajat is, igaz, az auto igy elveszitette a hatso fekeket, de meg igy is egesz jol muzsikal. Mondanunk sem kell, ezt sem hetkoznapi modon oldottak meg, egy csavarkulcs nyelebol kiutogetett vasgolyoval zartak le rendszer serult reszet.



Mazda fékhiba feltárás... / What makes the break leaking on the Mazda?






Kicsit megfáradt fékcsövek... / A bit rusted brake tubes...



Koszonet erte!

Ok maguk is szereltek, a helyi szerelonek beszerzett emelokeszletet (egy vastag gumigyuru) epitettek be az autoba, hogy batran vaghassanak neki a hegyeknek.



Szétmentek az emelőpogácsák... / The suspension lifting rubbers died...





... de Tibi komolyan veszi a kérést, miszerint rajzolja le, mit hozzunk a szerelőtől. / Tibi drawing the part we need to get from the mechanic.


Aki nem szerelt az elvezte a 40 fokos meleget, a hideg soroket es a kellemes tengerpartot. Este a szervezok megleptek a csapatokat egy paprikas krumplival, amely ugyan a vartnal alssabban es nehany kezet leforrazva de elkeszult es jo fogadtatasra talalt, dacara a kirarolag helyi osszetevoknek. Iden is felejthetetlen erzes volt a csillagos eg alatt a tabortuznek mulatni az idot a duty freeben bevasarolt ellatmany kortyolgatasaval.

A 07-es Pajero az L&L`s csapattal a fedelzeten tegnap reggel erkezett meg Istanbulbol, a motor ugy tunik rendben van, viszont most a hutojuk lyukadt ki. Kicsit elveszettek es elkenodtek voltak, de megnyugtattuk oket, hogy a kocsinak jo karmaja van es minden megoldhato. A lengyel Awanturnik csapat elkiserte oket a szereleohoz es delutan 5-kor mar a csapatok utan indultak a 720 km-es etapra.

Az amerikai Yeevan Express autoja tovabbra is remes hangokat hallatt, de megis megy es az elsok kozott ernek be a legtobb szallashelyre. Ugy tunik, hogy kihagyjak a mai offroad szakaszt es holnap csatlakoznak hozzank Mestiaban.

A sinopi pihenonapon a 01-es Pajeronak sikerult szorakoztatni a parton hevereszo csapattarsakat es helyieket, miutan egy hosszabb tengerparti homokozas utan nem sikerult a kemping melletti patakon atkelni. Segitsegukre sietett a Magnum R. Team vezetoje es komolyan felkeszitett autoja, es a csorlojenek nem okozott gondot kihuzni a felig a tengerbe sullyedt Pajerot epp, mielott  a dagaly magaeva tette volna.



Az autó is ejtőzik egyet a tengerparton / The car relaxing at the beach





... majd megmentődik / ...then it was saved


A Sinop – Batumi szakasz kulonosebb esemenyek nelkul zajlott, becsulettel daraltuk le a kilometereket es fustoltuk el a literenkenti 520 forintos torok benzint es gazolajat. Az elso csapatok este 7 korul ertek a szallashelyre, ok talan szerencsesebek voltak, a tobbiekben jo 2 orat kellett a hataron varni, sokszor kozelharc-szeru jelenetekben reszt venni, hogy torokorszagbol ki, gruziaba pedig belepjenek. Sokak szerint ez rosszabb volt, mint a marokkoi-mauritan hataratlepes, bar nezopont kerdese. A zuhogo eso mindenesetre nem tett hozza a csapatok rozsas kedvehez.

A hataratlepes unalmas folyamatat feldobando a Csontbrigad aktualis pilotaja leamortizalt a kocsi vonohorgaval egy epp ott teblabolo Ford Mondeot a tulaj legnagyobb oromere. Rosszkor volt rossz helyen.

A hulla faradt csapatok megettek minden ehetot ami a batumi Hotel Mari ettermeben talalhato volt, majd nemi vodka es sor megnyugtato jelenleteben eltoltottek ott nehany orat mielott agyba zuhantak volna.

A mai Batumi-Kutaisi szakasz mar izelitot ad a gruz hegyekbol, aki birja szusszal es futomuvel az atkel a vadregenyes Borjomi-Khargauli Nemzeti Park teruleten… bizzunk benne, hogy szep ido fogadja oket.

Folytatas kovetkezik, kepek akkor lesznek, ha lesz internet es nem ul mellettem 10 centire a komoly szagu portas ember aki mar turelmetlenul nez, meddig potyogok meg….

(EN)

I’m writing from our Batumi hotel where the only place to gain internet is the reception desk and just 8 inch from me is the receptionist guy who doesn’t exactly smell like a flower…

The pace cars started pretty late from the Sapanca hotel and we added a stupid idea to explore an alternative route to Sinop from the main motorway. It was a good idea in terms of driving through wonderful lands but it was about 2 hours longer. Pace car 02 had brake problems and ended up having no brakes in the middle of the mountains. Finally Zoli stopped by a group of road construction vehicles and asked for some brake fluid to be able to drive to the campsite.

Many of the teams spent at least part of their rest day in Sinop with repairs. Team 01’s Mitsubishi had brake problems which was repaired by the incredibly creative team leader of Beer Team. We show the video of the new, patented method soon, it’s well worth a look (see the video above).

The competition leader Beer Team solved the brake problem of the already mentioned Mazda, however the solution resulted a front brake only car… but it’s much better than having nothing. Needless to say this was an unconventional repair method too, they got a small steel ball from the handle of a tool to get the defected brake system close…

Thanks, guys!

They had their own repairs as well building a locally made rubber ring as a lift for their suspension. They do need this for the mountains knowing the ground clearance of their Lada ‘Silver Arrow’ is not exactly high.

Those not repairing anything enjoyed the 40C heat, cold beers and the pleasant beach.



The one and only refreshment drink in Turkey


The organizers surprised the crews with a beach cooked dish which got ready some hours later than expected and also did scald some hands but they seemed to like it despite being a Hungarian food made exclusively local (Turkish) ingredients. It was an unforgettable night again sitting under the stars, listening to the sound of the waves while drinking the booze we wisely bought in the duty free shop at the border.



Sinop campsite





Készül a vacsi... / Supper being prepared...


Earlier today Pace car 01 was the main attraction on the remote beach when the smart drivers tried to cross a too deep section of the sea and instantly stuck in the water. Just before high tide….

Luckily the driver of Magnum R Team was sunbathing near the spot and helped the guys out. The winch of the Land Cruiser (many call the vehicle the Death Star for its size) had no problem dragging the Pajero out of the sea.

Team 07, L&L`s arriver in the morning with the 2 exhausted members on board. They spent a fortune to get their cylinder head repaired in Istanbul – it seems to be OK but now their radiator’s got a hole for a change.

They’re a little bit lost and disappointed as they spend most of their time in repair shops, but we tried to cheer them up and convinced them the car has a good karma and everything will be OK. The Polish Awanturnik team escorted them to the local mechanic and at 5PM they followed the others on the 720 km etap to Batumi.

The truck of US team Yerevan Express still has that terrible noise from the engine but it runs and they’re one of the first teams every day. They decided to skip the next off road stages and spend their time in Batumi and Kutaisi and join the teams later in Tbilisi.

Not much to write about the Sinp-Batumi stage, we ate up the kilometers and smoked the most expensive petrol (2,3 USD a liter or 9,2 USD a gallon). The first teams reached Batumi at around 7PM, they might be the lucky ones. The others had to wait more than 2 hours at the border for whatever reason to exit turkey then enter Georgia. Some people said it was worse than the border between Morocco and Mauritania, but the “clusterfuck” situation (this was the point we learned this term from the US team) was spiced up with pouring rain….

To entertain us during the boring process of border crossing (or for whatever reason), team 66 Csontbrigad reversed their car at the wrong time and wrong place and crushed a Ford Mondeo to make the owner’s day.

Dead tired teams ate everything they found in the restaurant of Hotel Mari in Batumi then cheered with some glasses ofvodka and a couple of beers before they went to sleep.

Today’s stage gives a taste of Georgian mountains. Most teams who’s got the proper vehicle and enough power will cross the adventurous Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park – we hope they’ll have a  nice weather as the landscape is truly stunning there.

More to come, photos will be uploaded once we’ll have proper internet and the smelly receptionist won’t stare at me every second to urge me to drop the keyboard finally so he can continue playing Solitaire.

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