day 5 morelia to guanajuato

Sam and Gabriel work through the rain to rewire the burnt out MSD  unit and fit an emergency exit sign on Sams door.

They are the real stars in our race.

The 12 Mats Hammarlund mechanics typically work 8pm till 1 am at service . Sleep about 4 to a room (or more) then they are back at the cars warming them up and polishing /rain-ex-ing  our screens and helmets at 7am prior to us jumping in at 8am.



They then have to zoom ahead to service where they set up their mobile workshop and lunch table and await the six cars that Mats is looking after .
After a quick one -hour service for brakes and fluids they then see us off into afternoon stages and get ahead on a motorway to the finish so they are ready to start again....theyre getting half our sleep and  I think i'm tired !!!

As a treat I gave our two boys our finishing medals today and made Sam the mechanic ride into the finish arch perched on the back holding our helmets through  all the cameras and razzmatazz


Sadly little news on Chip. His clutch is blown but
knowing him, he will be scouring the towns ahead to get back in the race as every day is a separate race  day within the race.

we complete all morning and afternoon speed stages passing our friend Kaming in the Dodge. He had mistimed the RH 3 and rather than hit the armco had opted for a mud run off into a tree. No injuries at all.

 and then head into Guanajunto to party.

Adrian Stevens LT Special Mexico

Sam meets up with a bunch of properly crazy mexican friends. Arturo and Co. They don't speak a word of english, Sam speaks about 14 words total in spanish but they do have a mutual language of beer and partying.

As the cars are firmly stuck parked up in the narrow streets we have to stay for  a few beers.

In our room - with Sam lying  in his underwear whilst on his computer -  I was commenting to him that it was amazing how he could communicate only with the booze when our door opens and in comes Arturo to carry on partying. He had just gone and asked at the front desk for the Stevens/ Burg room key !!


  We finish 3rd again and have again gone up a few more places overall.

off to aquascalientes