Eventful Event, at least for me
I finished my engine/transmission swap at the HQ parking lot with the tech people giving me a break and coming back after dinner to see if I had finished.
Well, I finished the swap, but not for my surprise the engine was barely running with ignition and fuel issues. I even got stranded with my hotel in sight when I went around the block for a test drive at 1:30 am!
So, there was no point to continue. Then I went on to work the rally.
What a eventful work assigments!!!
1st. If you look at the fantastic pic of Keaney's roll, I'm the guy with a black t-shirt at the yellow tape. The car ended up almost blocking the road on a blind turn. So, I went down the road to warn the oncoming hot traffic to avoid a certain T-bone. Thanks to all the drivers, they really reduced and all went well.
2nd. After that we were assigned to run what??? the finishing of SS4.
When we got there we parked our cars (me, another marshall and the radio guy) on a closed entrance of a property. Here comes an old man on a tractor pulling a trailer. The wife of the radio guy asked him if we were on his way. He said "no". After, get a hay bale, here comes the old man on the tractor. Then the radio guy asked him "how are you doing?", his response "better". He put the tractor/trailer inside another fenced area, and comes back. He came saying "this is my property". The radio guy approach him to say why we were here. That was the cue for the old man start cussing like a mad man. The radio guy said nothing, just staring, probably astonished as I was. BTW, I was fixing a sandwich at my truck looking to this bizarre picture. Before anything, the old man slapped the radio guy big time, throwing his glasses somewhere. His wife came trying to find the glasses saying the we will leave his property. The old man then start to cuss her and demanding that the radio guy to take his hand of his pocket. The radio guy said "if you hit her I'll kill you". At this point which was less than 15 seconds, I put the sandwich back in the truck and was ready to interfere to get us out of there quick. That's when the old man pulled a gun out of his pocket, still demending the radio guy to see his hands. I turn to the right and there is coming from the old men's property a pick up truck full of people with rifles on the cabin rack.
I turn to the other marshall and said: "we all need to get out of here and quick". I told the old man that we are leaving and one guy from the pick up truck asked the old man to talk with him. We all got into our cars and run down the stage.
Obviously, the ham guy has the right connections. He called somebody, and in 5 minutes another ham working on the rally showed up. He was some kind of law enforcement officer, he put his bullet proof vest, got his guns and went back to meet the local sherrif at the old man's property. The old man was arrested.
We pushed the end of stage about 200 yards and after about one hour the notified crews were allow to run the stage.
I feel sorry for all the individuals involved in this incident. No matter what it's bad for us.
Lessons I learn at this event:
1. Do not finish you engine/transmission swap at the parking lot with the tech people behind you. Chances are that you will not run.
2.Always stay really far from the road. Kearny's car rolled like a toy in a sandbox at the playground. If it wasn't uphill, with a high bank and on deep sand it would be a lot different.
3.Do not even look at your local old man, or you could be in serious trouble. Walk away fast and call for law enforcement back up.
From the South CS reports.