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Here's the info on the wrong way cars. On stage nine, we were given an additional instruction at the start of the stage for a truck in the road. This was at 4.88 miles in at a junction. We were supposed to take a left at this truck. Two cars did not make this left and went straight on. A short distance later (if you went straight) there was another junction where you could take a 90 left. This would put you reverse course, eight miles down the stage.
Jeff and I were chasing down Ralph and Jimmy when we hit a rock in the road and both right side tires went flat. We stopped to change the front (only one spare) and the jack packed up. After a few cars went by, I heard a car coming at us from down course. Jeff was up course and slowed the car coming his way and I stopped the car going the wrong way and got them turned around. Scary, but both drivers were looking up and understood what we were trying to get across.
After a few more cars, we heard the same situation happening again. This time however, both cars were going FULL tilt and the car that was going the wrong way had to take the ditch ten feet away from our dead car so that the car going the correct way didn't have to choose which car he was going to hit. If the driver of the wrong way car had not taken the ditch, there would have been a head-on collision at our car with a closure speed of at least 150 mph.
At that point I got on our radio and tried to call in what was going on. Eventually, the stage was stopped and things were straightened out so the stage could be finished.
I was very unhappy when we DNF'd but after what happened, I know that there are at least two teams that are alive today because we broke, where we broke. Well worth a DNF in my book. Unfortunately, the DNF cost us any chance we had of winning GN this year.
Mark Utecht
Jeff and I were chasing down Ralph and Jimmy when we hit a rock in the road and both right side tires went flat. We stopped to change the front (only one spare) and the jack packed up. After a few cars went by, I heard a car coming at us from down course. Jeff was up course and slowed the car coming his way and I stopped the car going the wrong way and got them turned around. Scary, but both drivers were looking up and understood what we were trying to get across.
After a few more cars, we heard the same situation happening again. This time however, both cars were going FULL tilt and the car that was going the wrong way had to take the ditch ten feet away from our dead car so that the car going the correct way didn't have to choose which car he was going to hit. If the driver of the wrong way car had not taken the ditch, there would have been a head-on collision at our car with a closure speed of at least 150 mph.
At that point I got on our radio and tried to call in what was going on. Eventually, the stage was stopped and things were straightened out so the stage could be finished.
I was very unhappy when we DNF'd but after what happened, I know that there are at least two teams that are alive today because we broke, where we broke. Well worth a DNF in my book. Unfortunately, the DNF cost us any chance we had of winning GN this year.
Mark Utecht