Jun said “Damn it!”
Jun said to me on the phone
“So many slow buggies is in front of me.
Since I’ve got a flat tire, tons of buggies passed me during the fix yesterday.
I can’t overtake them.
Extreme nothing to do in this dusty condition but stand it.
My throat is getting better day by day, but now I also have a pain in my stomach. Besides, air conditioner in my car hasn’t been fixed yet, …………
I am worried about whether Alian will be ok…
Good grief!”
Stage5
Today was the bad day. First of all, the air conditioner broken when Jun left the camp ground and had to start the race without the air conditioner. After, he smelled the coolant of the radiator and the water temperature was up. He thought the radiator broken and got a hole on it but nothing. Jun continued the race with wondering about this.
Jun battled with his team mate sometime and the engine stopped suddenly. The engine started again at once. Then thhe car was on the land of soft sand like 2011. So he evacuated the air pressure of the tires. This decision gave Jun a harmful result later. The low air pressure tires did not mach up the course and Jun’s running pace did not increase then the tire went flat.
Slow buggies passed him during he was fixing the flat tire, and continued the race with them bothered each other. When Jun escaped from the rat race, Alain the navigator felt bad by the course shook his body from side to side. Jun drove the car with took care about Alain’s health and his concentration backed little by little. Jun increased the pace but flat tire again. They changed the tire quickly but the jack did not return. The bad day that small troubles bothered Jun, though he finished the race not much late from his team mate.
Jun’s health got way better and he still minded about his throat but he said the air passage got wider and easy. Today was the bad day but he could keep the best concentration power since the rally started.
Liaison:239km
SS:458km
Total:697km
T2 Autos Result:1st
Overall standings:28th
I made some mistakes about entry formalities to Chile.
Process
Dakar competitors get Argentine exit stamp on them passport and blue ticket at bivouac
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Next, They get Chilean entry stamps on them passport and blue ticket
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They showed blue ticket the immigration officer at mountain in the Andes on the border between Argentina and Chile
Return them passport at Chilecito
This is a photo from last year. Special stamp with the Dakar logo!
過酷な環境で長丁場ですから、最初から最後まで体調ばっちりと言う訳にはどうしても行かないのですね、人間も車も。そんなハードなダカールで集中力が必要とされる場面で発揮できたのは不幸中の幸いじゃないかと言う気がします。