RTG Southern Cross Daily Dispatch low-res - Flipbook - Page 19
15 February to 5 March 2020
Day 9 Lion Hill Camp loop (377.96 km)
24 February 2020
Today was a long day and yet again it was definitely another day of two halves. Fred Gallagher had
hinted that it would be something special, so had scheduled an early start but, for the first hundred
kilometres, there was no hint of anything out of the ordinary.
Photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
It was still dark then when most of the rally came down
to breakfast, but there was just enough light to see that
Rogier and Marjan Quekel were looking very pleased with
themselves. They had feared that they’d be sitting the day
out in the camp, trying to track down a new clutch for
their ‘stricken’ Mercedes. However, salvation had arrived
the previous evening, in the form of Jamie Turner, who
diagnosed and repaired a faulty master cylinder. After
polishing off some coffee and pastries they were free to
check out of the Main Time Control bang on time.
Having cleared the Nakuru environs we began a slow
climb into the hills through many little villages to the first
Passage Control at Lominira Splendor for a quick coffee
and a snack. The tarmac was good, the traffic was light,
so soon enough everyone reached the Second Passage
Control at Baringo View which, as its name implied had
breathtaking scenery for us to enjoy. This is Rift Valley
country and the scale of the landscape is immense.
The first Regularity was on the road to Kapsoo and,
on the way, we just noticed the altimeter tipping above
2,000m. Some of the cars were, by now, also feeling a little
breathless in the heat and thinning air, as the road went
ever upwards. And, to add to their distress, the tarmac
ran out as we approached the second Regularity, at the
Fluorspar Mine.
This was the days big ticket and is a section well known to
Ramesh Bhalla and John Lockhart–Mure, two key members
of our Kenyan crew. Many Classic Safari Rallies have used
this section, so the locals who came out to watch and wave
were well used to the sight and sounds of our cars crashing
through river crossings and slipping around hairpins. It
was certainly a tough section, testing the crews and their
suspension for just over 15km. Needless to say the Tuthill
Porsche factory team loved every minute of it.
Lunch, at the Samich Resort, was a touch under 2,800m
and came as a welcome relief for everyone. It allowed Alan
Beardshaw to get the car up on a jack and take a look at a
damaged oil cooler. Jamie Turner effected a running repair
good enough to get the Triumph back to the night halt.
Denis and Jill Wilson’s Rover had a slightly bigger issue
than getting into lunch on time. After a few kilometres of
struggling their V8 was dragged up the track – an incredible
feat in itself – to have its fuel pump replaced by the ever
vigilant sweep team of Malcolm Destro and Andy Inskip.
www.rallytheglobe.com
