Just can’t catch a break!

January 10, 2010 - 5:47pm - by Ramses Perez
Today we made our way back to Copiapo from Antofagasta. When we arrived in Antofagasta days earlier we spotted a Mc Donald’s! Our plan this morning leaving the Bivouac was to stop by Mc Donald’s on our way back to Copiapo. We parked the car and headed into the restaurant. To our big disappointment the breakfast menu was tiny croissants, a ham and cheese sandwich and a ham and Avocado sandwich. That was it, no Mc Muffins! No Big Breakfasts! No Hash browns! I miss Los Angeles.

To make the morning even worse we were stuck driving behind the “Carabineros de Chile.” These guys are the cops in Chile; we were severely warned about them in our briefings by the ASO. They are very strict, boarder line regime! During all the time here in Chile I have never seen one of those guys crack a smile. I was following the speed limit for hours when there was a stretch of flat land that a safe pass could be made. They were driving slower than the speed limit, our car was set lower than the speed limit on cruise control, so I made the pass.

I was followed for about 10 miles when I was pulled over. Two cars pulled in behind me with all of the cops getting out of the car. He asked me for my driver’s license, saw it was from California and immediately told me “around here we follow the law.” I did nothing wrong other than to pass them when they were going way slower. I explained myself and was told to get on my way. I followed them for another 80 miles when they finally veered off in to a small town.

Kyle, Kevin, Matias and I arrived at the Bivouac right at the time the cars were finishing. The special finished right next to the Bivouac with a mountain downhill finish. The first time check earlier in the day had Robby only 40 seconds behind the special’s leader. Soon after we heard he had dropped drastically and wondered what happened.

When Robby pulled into camp we learned that he had suffered three punctured tires. The inflation system has plagued them this rally. The tires are aired down to have a bigger foot print on the silt, if there is a change of terrain the tires need to be aired up. If the tires are not aired up quickly they are more vulnerable to be punctured. Robby was stuck again for a while after changing a tire because the Hummer sank. He finished 10th in the stage and sits 10th overall in the Rally. If the problems stop, he should be able to gain a couple of spots in the overall top 10.

The only brightside about today is that Robby gets to start 10th giving him a better starting position and less dust to follow. Tomorrow’s stage will take us to La Serena, another coastal town. Last year our Bivouac was in a Chilean Navy base, it was one of the cleaner camps we stayed at.