The Himalayan Challenge - Day 1 & 2
Reports by Syd Stelvio. Photos by Gerard Brown
~~~~ Day 1: September 21, 2018 ~~~~
Delhi to Chandigarh
Easy does it
Given the late start today, there was plenty of time for the crews to enjoy a good breakfast and to mill around the carpark soaking up the admiration of the crowd and answering questions from the many curious onlookers who’d gathered around the ‘paddock’.
Kitchen staff, waiters and hotel domestics also stole a few minutes away from their duties to take a sneaky selfie next to whatever car or crew took their fancy.
At 9.45 am though, with just fifteen minutes to go before the cars were flagged away, John Spiller called proceedings to order. A short blast on his cavalry bugle got the crews into a loose circle after which a pair of Hindu priests arrived to bless each competitor, wish them safe passage through the mountains and dotted their foreheads with red paste during a moving Tilaka ceremony. A bracelet was then affixed to each wrist as a mark of honour and respect.
With the Gods now right behind them it was Bill Cleyndert and Jacqui Norman who were the first away. Given the green flag treatment by the magnificently attired, ‘rajput’ inspired, Imperial Hotel doorman complete with his signature beard, moustache, turban and tunic.
The run through Delhi was an entertaining one but it was also inevitably hot and typically chaotic however, armed with a precise roadbook and a few well chosen waypoints, the cars soon reached the northbound dual carriageway and set a course for the Passage Control in Karnal.
Even on such a busy road, where everyone is supposed to be heading in the same direction, the unique and unpredictable nature of Indian traffic meant that both crew members had to keep an eye out for potential hazards be they bovine, vehicular or pedestrian.
After pulling into the service station / rest area / shopping mall, which was an oasis of cool and tranquility, the crews had a chance to reflect upon ,and share their experiences of the first 140km of the rally. Monte Gingery declared that it was “just like the Mille Miglia. You see a tuk tuk you go round it, see a truck go round it. No big deal”.
Manuel Dubs agreed saying that “it’s all good fun, all part of the adventure” which he's also thoroughly enjoying having celebrated his birthday yesterday.
Meanwhile, the Subway sandwich franchise did a roaring trade as did the Costa Coffee concession. We all knew that this was to be the last vestige of the Western way of life for the next three weeks and we acted accordingly.
Leaving this sanctuary behind us was difficult enough but, aside from the culinary delights we’d enjoyed, an outside temperature of 36°c jarred with the air conditioning we’d began to take for granted. Nevertheless the rally steeled itself and rejoined the three lanes of trucks, rickshaws and cows on their journey to Chandigarh.
The next section was a mere 120km long and, within a couple of hours most of the cars had made it safely into the grounds of the Taj Chandigarh. Along the way though two crews were seen sat by the roadside with what appeared to be fuel vaporisation issues. Roland Singer and Hans Malus reckoned that their Saab had a “hot fuel problem” whilst Keith and Norah Ashworth were left scratching their heads after coming to a halt some 800m from the hotel.
Some cooling drinks were called for once Pete Stone had stamped the time cards and then the spanner work in the carpark began in earnest. For most crews there wasn’t anything which would keep them up too late but Keith Ashworth quickly realised that he would be doing a night shift this evening. He’d discovered that he’d blown the clutch on the Mercedes, but luckily, he had the necessary parts with him and along with all four sweeps and Bob “holiday maker” Harrod he set to installing it.
Andy Mudra and Gernot Woerle unfortunately had an even more trying day. Their 1928 Bentley which was misbehaving yesterday on the way from the warehouse, was still not right this morning, so the crew made the decision to head back to the Imperial and take a good long look at the situation. With a bit of luck they’ll rejoin us tomorrow evening and we wish them the best of luck.
Adam Tuszynski had some more unusual problems away from the car though, he’s still waiting for his luggage which was lost on the way from Frankfurt. It’s scheduled to be with him either late tonight or very early tomorrow morning. Until then it’s either a borrowed T shirt or some local costume.
After the gentle start we enjoyed today, tomorrow should be a little more challenging as we climb to a cooler 2000m and catch our first glimpses of the Himalayas.
~~~~ Day 2: September 22, 2018 ~~~~
Chandigarh to McLeod Ganj
Onwards and upwards
In a bizarre climatic twist, the rally woke this morning to rain of monsoon proportions with the accompanying low cloud and a grey sky.
The downside was that the open car crews would finish the day much wetter than yesterday. The upside was that it was also much cooler which made the closed car crews a lot less and bothered.
So, with just a little splashing around the roundabouts, the Corbusier creation that is the Chandigarh grid system swept us out of town onto wet, wide and fast roads and into the countryside of the Punjab. It was Saturday morning so we almost had the roads to ourselves.
The first passage Control in the Royal Tourist Dhaba in Bharatgarh served an excellent, if typically Indian, selection of chai and instant coffee along with savoury and sweet delicacies. The washrooms were clean and functional and after sampling either the catering or the sanitation the crews remounted and headed on up the soaking tarmac towards the second Passage Control at Basoli where Jim Smith and Pete Stone stood by the side of a very minor road, sheltered beneath their tailgate.
The hills were getting bigger now, just as the roads were getting smaller and village after village passed us by wherein hundreds of curious locals came out to cheer and wave us through despite the wet weather. By way of thanks Jonathon and Freddie Turner had thoughtfully brought boxes of pencils to hand out to the excited children.
By this point the rally had turned well and truly off the beaten path and in a day of firsts for the event not only did we see our first troop of monkeys but we also took in the first hairpin. We’re assured that over the next three weeks we’ll be seeing plenty more of both.
More of this broken tarmac was the route to the lunch halt at the Kings restaurant in Thanakalan where an excellent buffet was offered to the very wet crews. The rain might still have been pouring down but it didn’t seem to dampen the spirit of the rally.
After lunch, the first Regularity of the event soon appeared in the route book just outside of the village of Charada and with John Spiller and Rikki Proffit on the start line the crews launched themselves through the trees towards Gill and John Cotton lying in wait some 11km away. This was a narrow road and empty road but it was a challenging one and by the end of the day it had given us our first leader.
Another quick passage Control in Pirasaluhi, manned by Dr Delle Grimsmo and Dr Bushan Lal, ensured that everyone who went into the woods came out of them and they were then free to make their way to the night halt a further 80km and 1,300 vertical meters away.
Philip Lunnon and Michael Draper spent longer in the trees than the rest of the rally though. One wrong slot led them down a blind alley which quickly turned to an almost impassable track. Some considerable pushing and pulling was required from both the crew and the rally organisation, before they and their Bentley were able to turn themselves around and head for home.
McLeod Ganj is a suburb of Dharamshala and also is known as "Little Lhasa" because the Tibetan government-in-exile is headquartered here. Getting to it is no mean feat and needless to say it involves a lot of climbing with many steep hairpins, narrow streets and rickety bridges.
Everyone made into the Fortune Park Moksha in time for dinner though and after such an unexpectedly epic day, there was plenty to talk about in the bar and over dinner.
Tony and Lee Strelzow, Peking to Paris veterans, suffered no punctures today but swapped the misery of flat tyres for that of a leaky roof. They recalled that they just about managed to set the canvas covering of their Derby Bentley to an angle so that the water at least pooled into one place and then hopefully drained out of the floor.
Sadly, we heard that Margo O’Brien Coelho and George Coelho are looking for a hire car this evening. Their Volvo has lost its clutch and there’s no way of repairing it anytime soon.
Andy Mudra and Gernot Woerle are still absent. They’re with their Bentley in Delhi looking for a solution to the misfiring issue. The plan now is for them to shortcut straight to Manali and join us after the rest day.
As for the results; Manuel Dubs & Robi Huber - Rockne Six 75, Adrian Hodgson & Matt Bryson - Austin A90, and Alan & Tina Beardshaw - Sunbeam Tiger are equally placed on top spot, each of these crews having zero penalties so far.
The weather forecast for tomorrow isn’t too promising with more rain set to come so there are more than a few amongst us looking at our wardrobes and deciding what will best suit the conditions.
Reports by Syd Stelvio. Photos by Gerard Brown