LEG 4 - LEONORA TO LAVERTON

Good evening from Laverton, Western Australia. We are now spending two nights in this bivouac which will make our journey tomorrow a little easier. Today was another great day for the team - the HUMMER ran flawlessly, Josh was fast and Thad is nailing it in his role as navigator. In three Selective Stages, they posted 6th, 3rd and 2nd respectively. The overall result was third fastest for the day. Needless to say, the racers now know the team is truly competitive.

Tomorrow, Josh is third off the line. We have been told the day is the "toughest" out of the seven with 460 KM of Selective Stages and 85 KM of transit sections. Essentially, it is an all out race for the day with minimal breaks. It is also the second of three "Marathon Legs" - meaning the team has to perform their own service. Our support team can only refuel the truck. The long, all-out racing could favor Josh's experience with grueling endurance events.

Rod, Jason and I will be heading to various parts of the course in the morning to grab video, photos and update the action as cell service allows. Make sure you sign up for Twitter posts to keep up with the latest.

See you tomorrow!

LEG 3 - MT. MAGNET TO LEONORA

GOOD NEWS!

It was a redeeming and rewarding day for Josh, Thad and the H2 team and we are happy to report great news. The longest day so far on the rally, the guys had 4 selective stages and 7 transit stages, for a total of 745.68 km. The first selective east of Mt. Magnet was 122.59 and they took it relatively easy with the goal to warm up, settle in and focus on completing the day. By the time they entered the Agnew Service Area around 4 pm, they had made considerable time on a substantial portion of the field.

We saw them approximately 30 km into the last selective stage and they were moving fast. It was apparent that they were running a very competitive pace. We are now at the bivouac and checking the results as they keep coming in. Although these results are unofficial, here are the team’s result from each competitive stage today – 6th, 2nd, 5th, 3rd.

Tomorrow, we travel from Leonora to Laverton. There are 3 selective stages for a total of 301.17 and 163.81 transit stages for a total of 464.98. The progressive total of kilometers covered for all three days is 2390.17. We are waiting on tomorrow’s starting list, and because of the strong results, the HUMMER will have a much better starting position.

Jason Jacopian is working hard to get video posted tonight, but internet speeds have been challenging. With tomorrow's shorter stages, we are headed in early to get the video out and a mid-race update posted.

Stay tuned and good night from the Outback!

LEG 2 UPDATE - GERALDTON TO MT. MAGNET

It’s a tough day for the team. I’m writing this update from Yalgoo which is known as the entry into the Outback. The day was over 600 km with two special stages – the first 244.75 km and the second 134 km. We saw them pass approximately 25 km into the first selective stage and they were running hard and strong. Just beyond that point, they were able to pass the car that started 2 minutes before the #111 H2.

Rod, Jason and I headed from RK 25 to RK 134 – the start of the “Timed Crossing” – and were able to catch the race leaders and record splits. The first truck off the line started 36 minutes ahead of Josh, but last year’s winner (Riley #100) who started in third position had moved up to first place by this point and put almost 8 minutes on that first truck. Based on how fast Josh was running when we first saw him, as the clock kept ticking, we knew there must be a problem. He came through the “Time Crossing” at approximately noon, and told us he broke a brake line and needed brake fluid.

Approximately 20 km down the course there was a tough creek crossing with one stuck medical vehicle. The team stopped and surveyed the area, chose a line and proceeded on across the deep mucky bog. The section was seriously wide and the truck got stuck beyond their ability to get out on their own - up to the diff and skid plate. After several tries and assistance from other vehicles, a recovery vehicle with 20 feet of Snatch Um strap was able to move them a few inches – just enough to get #111 unstuck.

Needless to say, a disappointing day. However, despite a big penalty, tomorrow is a new day and it’s a long event.

LEG 1 UPDATE - PERTH TO GERALDTON

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Good evening from the coastal town of Geraldton. We are approximately 350 km north of Perth and settled in at the bivouac. The competition today consisted of short “special stages” (SS) – approximately 100 km total - as well as several transition stages. A "special stage" is where the competition happens essentially. The team ran into troubles midway through the stage when the insulation around one of the two mufflers basically had collapsed and clogged – causing the unit to become extremely hot and basically glowing when Josh was able to get a visual. After using one fire extinguisher, they made a wise decision to wait for the sweep to grab another extinguisher before continuing on. The team was down for approximately 30+ minutes but were able to pick off a couple trucks before the transition stage.

The second special stage was a short loop with many hard to see turns. In the first kilometer off the start, the team followed the deep ruts in the track, only to turn back as many teams had to do as well. Stories back at the bivouac confirmed that a majority of the field missed at least one or more turn. However, Josh reported that Thad did an excellent job navigating and we could tell from the in-car footage. There is no doubt that although he is new to it, he’ll make an excellent navigator for the long-haul.

The team is now working on the second muffler which was starting to develop the same problem as the left. Although the truck will be louder, the problem should be fully resolved. The H2 starts in 17th position tomorrow morning as we head east to Mt. Magnet. We have not been issued our road books yet, but will know the stages and distances shortly.

PROLOGUE

We are wrapping up the first "official" day of the rally. The Prologue was a short stage intended to define the seeing for tomorrow's start. The course was 15.84 KM through a forested area east of Perth. The truck was running great but a navigational error cost the team 4 KM. Fortunately, the Prologue does not count against the team for the overall scoring, but does determine Leg 1 starting order. So tomorrow, they will be starting near the back of the pack. But then again, nothing new in the world of Stock Full racing back home. Veteran racer Bruce Garland ran the fastest time - 12:04 with an average speed of 78.8 kph.

The Ceremonial Start took place in downtown Perth at sunset. The H2 attracted alot of excitement and interest as it stood out from the Patrols, Pajeros, and other smaller traditional rally trucks. Definitely the absence of a windscreen sparked several discussions on the pros and cons for racing across the Outback. And a final highlight - Rod Hall was given the Australian flag to officially start the division.

Tomorrow's race - LEG 1 - heads north to the coastal town of Geraldton. The total distance is 575.03 KM and consists of two special stages. Josh and Thad leave the line at 8:55 am.

We will be posting as possible, but we understand cell service is limited once we depart Perth. We will do our best with updating as connections allow. However, if you can't find us here, click on the homepage for rally update links.