RTG Southern Cross Daily Dispatch low-res - Flipbook - Page 17
15 February to 5 March 2020
Day 8
Mt Kenya Safari Club to Lion Hill Camp (191.69 km)
23 February 2020
Photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
Rob Collinge and Thomas Hansen, Willys Jeep
2000m altitude means a chilly start to the day even on the equator. But more so when you add a
9am start to the mix and the sun has barely had a
chance to reach into the shadows.
As the morning progressed we drove higher and it grew
colder and, just before lunch, some of the open car crews
were seen reaching for their jackets. What a difference a
week on the road makes.
The unseasonably wet conditions here in East Africa are
making the dirt roads very muddy. Which has resulted
in the occasional 48 hour car mandated re -route. Today,
however, it was Gill Cotton, the Deputy Clerk of the Course
who, merely one hour before the cars were due to leave,
made the call to Andy Inskip at the MTC telling the Rally to
divert via the main road.
The mud was too thick through some of the villages and,
whilst it was beginning to dry out in places, the ruts this
created were something of a hazard. Especially to the low
slung rally traffic. So taking the long and, relatively, smooth
way round to the first Passage Control at Naro Moru, we
headed to the Regularity at Lengitia Farm.
There was also mud here for sure, but it hadn’t been
churned and folded into the same car stopping mass
which we’d just avoided. In fact, the sort of mud we found
throughout this section was just the sort that rally cars
were made for and it allowed for a certain amount of
showboating through the corners.
The short little Willys Jeep, for example, seemed to have a
great deal of trouble staying in a straight line, whilst Graham
and Marina Goodwin had trouble making one of the turns
and ended up stuck in a field. All four wheels of the Bentley
gripped by the mire. With the stopwatch ticking away in the
background Graham finally rocked his way to freedom.
The Second Regularity at Ngobit was totally different. It
was a straightforward hill climb, on exceptional new tarmac
and featured great views over the plains as we made our
way towards 3,000m and the lunch halt at Thomson’s Falls
Lodge. The schedule was relaxed enough for the crews to
both enjoy the buffet lunch and stroll down to the viewing
area with some lucky enough to be given the chance to pet
a chameleon.
www.rallytheglobe.com
