We have the car, we have the tickets to Peking and we have a plan to win!!! Work began in earnest just over 18 months back with David meeting Lady Edwin Gaunt in London on one of his many work trips.
Safe to say it was love at first sight and "Eddie" as she is now known was soon in the workshop being lovingly brought up to rally standard and then the long trip back to Australia where David and Michael began the long task of fine tuning this beautiful lady to bring them safely into the Place Vendome in the grand city of Paris on Saturday 29th June 2013 and not a day late.
Update Tuesday 26th March 2013
Last weekend we had a good luck party for Eddie with friends and family. Eddie will spend her last few weeks with David and Michael getting ready to leave Australia for yet another boat trip but this time to Beijing for the start of the rally on Tuesday 28th May 2013.
Update Monday 29th April 2013
We said goodbye to Eddie last week and she is now safe in her container and on her way to Beijing where she will be assessed as "rally compliant" and then be eagerly collected by David and Michael upon their arrival in Beijing. The ominious task of "Where Do We Put this??" will begin as the boys pack the car ready for crossing the start line on the Tuesday after they arrive.
Update Wednesday 7th May 2013
The bags are almost packed, the preparations are nearly complete and we are on the final countdown to leaving Perth in a couple of weeks time. Eddie has now changed ships for her final cruise into China. We are getting excited now to get the rally started...
Update Tuesday 21st May 2013
Eddie has arrived in China and has been cleared by Chinese customs (phew!!!). We have said our goodbyes and the boys finally start this amazing journey tomorrow. The link for the Yellow Brick will soon be available so that you can email the boys on their trip. Keep checking the page for more details as we have now only have 6 days till "Gentlemen start your engines!!"
Update Friday 24th May 2013
The boys, their luggage, the spare parts and Eddie are now in Beijing,China!! They have a busy few day ahead with shopping, packing and meet and greets with fellow competitors.
The Enduro Rally website http://www.endurorally.com has been updated with race results and some gallery pictures of the events so far. Unfortunately due to internal systems they have not been able to install the Yellow Brick trackers in the cars. Keep an eye on the website for the daily progress reports and all the news of the day.
Update Monday 27th May 2013
Last night the boys attended the meet and greet with fellow competitors and got to sample some of China's local delicacies. The jury is still out on what Michael ate...
Now, with just under twenty four hours to go, today will be a busy day. The boys collected Eddie yesterday and she got the boys back to the hotel safely, running very well. Today is scrutineering for the car, final packing, briefings and getting organised to leave Beijing and get the rally going.
Update Tuesday 28th May 2013
Today is the day!!! Eddie passed scrutineering with flying colours and the boys are now on their way after a very very early start this morning from the Great Wall. They arrived safely in Daihai China last night 15 minutes early and as a result have scored very well in the first day's results.
We will be putting up progress pictures as we receive them but due to the slow or no internet connection in the wilds of Mongolia we are not able to provide a link for email to be able to contact the boys.
Did you see the new countdown tracker on the bottom of the page? 32 days to go!!!
Update Wednesday 29th May 2013
Day Two has arrived and the boys travelled over much nicer roads today to Erenhot to arrive safely although dramas with the fuel system has cost them time.
Update Friday 31st May 2013
After surviving their first night in the Gobi desert camping the boys and Eddie have made it into Ulaan Bataar. The terrain has been very hard on the car with some problems such as an exhaust blow out and the continued fuel problems continuing to plague the journey. They have a spot in the workshop tomorrow to try to fix the problems so that Eddie can get up and go like we know she can. The boys are in the hotel tonight for a well earned rest and hopefully tomorrow will bring good news with the car. On a positive note they are doing well in the times, particularly with the time trials showing tonight on the Enduro website. Also, have a look at Day 4 picture gallery - there is a great picture of Eddie and a couple of very determined boys :)
Update Sunday 2nd June 2013
After the first rest day in Ulaan Bataar Eddie is hopefully on the mend and we hope to see some strong results this week from the boys - fingers crossed.
It was a very long day in the workshop yesterday to try and solve the issues.
Today they set off for Bulgan and six consecutive nights camping in some of the remotest parts of Mongolia before crossing the border in Russia next weekend all things going according to plan.
Update Monday 3rd June 2013
The boys, Bentley the Bear and Eddie had a very successful day yesterday with only one small hiccup with the alternator but fortunately Owen (AKA The Guardian Angel Sweep Mechanic) was very close by and was able to jump start the car.
When they arrived safely in camp (hooray!!) they were able to fix the alternator and fingers crossed they seem to have overcome the difficulties of earlier last week. The fuel system is running well and they were able to set up their tent in daylight and have a hot meal. There are a couple of great pictures of Eddie in the wilds of the Mongolian grassy plains on the Enduro website so check them out...
Our thoughts go out to those crews who have suffered accidents in the past few days. Fortunately no one has been seriously injured but several cars and crew are now out of the running with cars being too damaged to continue or being shipped back home to have the repair work completed.
Update Tuesday 4th June 2013
The boys have just called through ( on Michael's IPhone which has a signal - the satellite phone does not - go figure!!) to say that Eddie's fuel tank has a hole in it. She and the boys will hopefully tomorrow be able to repair the tank and the exhaust (which also has a hole in it). The terrain has been extremely gruelling on the car and the boys physically and they will join the list of injured vehicles however due to thorough preparation and the presence of the bash plate the repairs should be easy to make as it has protected the underside of the car from the majority of the dips, peaks and potholes.
Update Wednesday 5th June 2013
As I type this update Michael is heading into the next rally stop for tonight with the wonderful Nomad crew to shower, eat and get a decent sleep. David will head with Eddie in the truck to the nearest town (Ulaamgom - Google this one to see exactly where they are) and she will hopefully be able to be repaired and the boys will meet up again tomorrow and continue on this journey. They have one more day in Mongolia then head into Russia on Friday where the roads should be a bit kinder to Eddie.
We are able to pass on your good wishes to the boys and they are very much appreciated so keep them coming folks :)
Update Thursday 6th June 2013
A full day spent in the workshop today now sees Eddie's fuel tank repaired - for those of you reading the daily reports on the Enduro site we will just state that Eddie has a full bash plate under the car and it was this that on the extremely rough terrain came loose and pierced the tank - it was not due to an unprotected fuel tank.
The boys and Eddie and Bentley of course are presently trucking to the last Mongolian stop and should arrive later tonight for the last day in Mongolia tomorrow.
They will have some more work to do on the car on the weekend - their next rest day is in Novosibirsk ( try saying that one out loud!!) on Sunday to replace the existing temporary, working fuel pump as their fuel usage has been a little high.
Another shout out tonight to the wonderful support crew - sweep mechanics, truck and nomad drivers who have been so helpful in getting the boys to where they need to be - you have our respect and admiration for the job you are doing!!!
The road leading to Paris is getting closer each day!! 22 days to go.
Update Saturday 8th June 2013
“ Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ”- Mark Twain
What an apt quote for this adventure :) Today the boys, Bentley and Eddie said goodbye to Mongolia and Hello (or Здравствуйте) Russia!!
They will be driving to Aya tonight for a long awaited hot shower and a comfy bed. The sandstorms and below zero temperatures of the Gobi will not be missed.
They have one more day before a rest from racing day in Novosibirsk where Eddie will have the faulty fuel pumps replaced.
We are hoping for some more pictures to come through over the weekend and will pop them up on the gallery when they are in. We are already a third of the way through this experience of a lifetime.
Update Tuesday 11th June 2013
By tonight in Omsk the boys will have travelled 5204 kilometres, 668 of which will be today's task.
Eddie sure does have a big ask of her today with the kilometres for today being the highest in the entire trip. The roads are in good condition and there are no time trials being held today.
The boys certainly will be glad to see the inside of the hotel room tonight in Omsk.
Photos are still coming...
Update Thursday 13th June 2013
We have officially reached the halfway point of the rally and the boys left Tyumen this morning bound for Yekaterinburg. More work was done over overnight to repair the exhaust.
Our thoughts are with the family and the friends of Emma, a fellow competitor who was fatally injured yesterday in a traffic accident.
On a brighter note, the new pictures have arrived and are up in the gallery. Take a look at the amazing scenery...
Update Saturday 15th June 2013
The boys made the border crossing from Asia into Europe yesterday and for tonight and tomorrow they will be in Samara, home of the bunker of Joseph Stalin in World War 2 - although he never visited the bunker it was always at his ready should the need have arisen.
Eddie has had some fuel pump problems again however some roadside maintenance yesterday seems to have rectified the situation for the time being until we can get the new parts which are in transit and hopefully these arrive before the boys leave Samara on Monday otherwise they will be re-shipped (again!!) to Kiev in the Ukraine which is their last rest day before the finish line in Paris approaches two weeks from today.
Update Tuesday 18th June 2013
Day 22 and the last day in Russia today sees the boys moving three spots up the leader board with a firm grip on a bronze medal at the finish line. An awesome effort for their first Endurance Rally. Their stop for tonight will be in Vorenznh.
Did you read yesterday's report on the Enduro site? - " Living The Dream" and yes Michael did get quoted :)
Eddie is running well on the Russian fuel and we hope that this will continue into the Ukraine also. There are many cars that have major issues at this point and we hope that they can work miracles in Kiev on the weekend... fingers crossed.
11 days till the finish line in Paris - Hooray!!!
Update Thursday 20th June 2013
The boys said Hello to the Ukraine yesterday and were met with an amazing amount of people wanting to check out the parade of cars as they arrived at what is certainly one of the nicest hotels that they have stayed in.
With the assistance of the local car club enthusiasts they were able to get the crack in the chassis fixed and to their complete surprise very eager mechanics offering to help and jack up the car before they were even out of the car!! The Ukrainians do this for the sheer joy of being able to work on the cars and no payment is accepted.
Tomorrow is their last rest day in Kiev before the finish line in Paris next week....8335 kilometres down, 3912 to go!!!
Check out these quick little appearances by Eddie entering Kiev( with thanks Aleksandr Kolesnichenko for the video)
Safe to say it was love at first sight and "Eddie" as she is now known was soon in the workshop being lovingly brought up to rally standard and then the long trip back to Australia where David and Michael began the long task of fine tuning this beautiful lady to bring them safely into the Place Vendome in the grand city of Paris on Saturday 29th June 2013 and not a day late.
Update Tuesday 26th March 2013
Last weekend we had a good luck party for Eddie with friends and family. Eddie will spend her last few weeks with David and Michael getting ready to leave Australia for yet another boat trip but this time to Beijing for the start of the rally on Tuesday 28th May 2013.
Update Monday 29th April 2013
We said goodbye to Eddie last week and she is now safe in her container and on her way to Beijing where she will be assessed as "rally compliant" and then be eagerly collected by David and Michael upon their arrival in Beijing. The ominious task of "Where Do We Put this??" will begin as the boys pack the car ready for crossing the start line on the Tuesday after they arrive.
Update Wednesday 7th May 2013
The bags are almost packed, the preparations are nearly complete and we are on the final countdown to leaving Perth in a couple of weeks time. Eddie has now changed ships for her final cruise into China. We are getting excited now to get the rally started...
Update Tuesday 21st May 2013
Eddie has arrived in China and has been cleared by Chinese customs (phew!!!). We have said our goodbyes and the boys finally start this amazing journey tomorrow. The link for the Yellow Brick will soon be available so that you can email the boys on their trip. Keep checking the page for more details as we have now only have 6 days till "Gentlemen start your engines!!"
Update Friday 24th May 2013
The boys, their luggage, the spare parts and Eddie are now in Beijing,China!! They have a busy few day ahead with shopping, packing and meet and greets with fellow competitors.
The Enduro Rally website http://www.endurorally.com has been updated with race results and some gallery pictures of the events so far. Unfortunately due to internal systems they have not been able to install the Yellow Brick trackers in the cars. Keep an eye on the website for the daily progress reports and all the news of the day.
Update Monday 27th May 2013
Last night the boys attended the meet and greet with fellow competitors and got to sample some of China's local delicacies. The jury is still out on what Michael ate...
Now, with just under twenty four hours to go, today will be a busy day. The boys collected Eddie yesterday and she got the boys back to the hotel safely, running very well. Today is scrutineering for the car, final packing, briefings and getting organised to leave Beijing and get the rally going.
Update Tuesday 28th May 2013
Today is the day!!! Eddie passed scrutineering with flying colours and the boys are now on their way after a very very early start this morning from the Great Wall. They arrived safely in Daihai China last night 15 minutes early and as a result have scored very well in the first day's results.
We will be putting up progress pictures as we receive them but due to the slow or no internet connection in the wilds of Mongolia we are not able to provide a link for email to be able to contact the boys.
Did you see the new countdown tracker on the bottom of the page? 32 days to go!!!
Update Wednesday 29th May 2013
Day Two has arrived and the boys travelled over much nicer roads today to Erenhot to arrive safely although dramas with the fuel system has cost them time.
Update Friday 31st May 2013
After surviving their first night in the Gobi desert camping the boys and Eddie have made it into Ulaan Bataar. The terrain has been very hard on the car with some problems such as an exhaust blow out and the continued fuel problems continuing to plague the journey. They have a spot in the workshop tomorrow to try to fix the problems so that Eddie can get up and go like we know she can. The boys are in the hotel tonight for a well earned rest and hopefully tomorrow will bring good news with the car. On a positive note they are doing well in the times, particularly with the time trials showing tonight on the Enduro website. Also, have a look at Day 4 picture gallery - there is a great picture of Eddie and a couple of very determined boys :)
Update Sunday 2nd June 2013
After the first rest day in Ulaan Bataar Eddie is hopefully on the mend and we hope to see some strong results this week from the boys - fingers crossed.
It was a very long day in the workshop yesterday to try and solve the issues.
Today they set off for Bulgan and six consecutive nights camping in some of the remotest parts of Mongolia before crossing the border in Russia next weekend all things going according to plan.
Update Monday 3rd June 2013
The boys, Bentley the Bear and Eddie had a very successful day yesterday with only one small hiccup with the alternator but fortunately Owen (AKA The Guardian Angel Sweep Mechanic) was very close by and was able to jump start the car.
When they arrived safely in camp (hooray!!) they were able to fix the alternator and fingers crossed they seem to have overcome the difficulties of earlier last week. The fuel system is running well and they were able to set up their tent in daylight and have a hot meal. There are a couple of great pictures of Eddie in the wilds of the Mongolian grassy plains on the Enduro website so check them out...
Our thoughts go out to those crews who have suffered accidents in the past few days. Fortunately no one has been seriously injured but several cars and crew are now out of the running with cars being too damaged to continue or being shipped back home to have the repair work completed.
Update Tuesday 4th June 2013
The boys have just called through ( on Michael's IPhone which has a signal - the satellite phone does not - go figure!!) to say that Eddie's fuel tank has a hole in it. She and the boys will hopefully tomorrow be able to repair the tank and the exhaust (which also has a hole in it). The terrain has been extremely gruelling on the car and the boys physically and they will join the list of injured vehicles however due to thorough preparation and the presence of the bash plate the repairs should be easy to make as it has protected the underside of the car from the majority of the dips, peaks and potholes.
Update Wednesday 5th June 2013
As I type this update Michael is heading into the next rally stop for tonight with the wonderful Nomad crew to shower, eat and get a decent sleep. David will head with Eddie in the truck to the nearest town (Ulaamgom - Google this one to see exactly where they are) and she will hopefully be able to be repaired and the boys will meet up again tomorrow and continue on this journey. They have one more day in Mongolia then head into Russia on Friday where the roads should be a bit kinder to Eddie.
We are able to pass on your good wishes to the boys and they are very much appreciated so keep them coming folks :)
Update Thursday 6th June 2013
A full day spent in the workshop today now sees Eddie's fuel tank repaired - for those of you reading the daily reports on the Enduro site we will just state that Eddie has a full bash plate under the car and it was this that on the extremely rough terrain came loose and pierced the tank - it was not due to an unprotected fuel tank.
The boys and Eddie and Bentley of course are presently trucking to the last Mongolian stop and should arrive later tonight for the last day in Mongolia tomorrow.
They will have some more work to do on the car on the weekend - their next rest day is in Novosibirsk ( try saying that one out loud!!) on Sunday to replace the existing temporary, working fuel pump as their fuel usage has been a little high.
Another shout out tonight to the wonderful support crew - sweep mechanics, truck and nomad drivers who have been so helpful in getting the boys to where they need to be - you have our respect and admiration for the job you are doing!!!
The road leading to Paris is getting closer each day!! 22 days to go.
Update Saturday 8th June 2013
“ Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ”- Mark Twain
What an apt quote for this adventure :) Today the boys, Bentley and Eddie said goodbye to Mongolia and Hello (or Здравствуйте) Russia!!
They will be driving to Aya tonight for a long awaited hot shower and a comfy bed. The sandstorms and below zero temperatures of the Gobi will not be missed.
They have one more day before a rest from racing day in Novosibirsk where Eddie will have the faulty fuel pumps replaced.
We are hoping for some more pictures to come through over the weekend and will pop them up on the gallery when they are in. We are already a third of the way through this experience of a lifetime.
Update Tuesday 11th June 2013
By tonight in Omsk the boys will have travelled 5204 kilometres, 668 of which will be today's task.
Eddie sure does have a big ask of her today with the kilometres for today being the highest in the entire trip. The roads are in good condition and there are no time trials being held today.
The boys certainly will be glad to see the inside of the hotel room tonight in Omsk.
Photos are still coming...
Update Thursday 13th June 2013
We have officially reached the halfway point of the rally and the boys left Tyumen this morning bound for Yekaterinburg. More work was done over overnight to repair the exhaust.
Our thoughts are with the family and the friends of Emma, a fellow competitor who was fatally injured yesterday in a traffic accident.
On a brighter note, the new pictures have arrived and are up in the gallery. Take a look at the amazing scenery...
Update Saturday 15th June 2013
The boys made the border crossing from Asia into Europe yesterday and for tonight and tomorrow they will be in Samara, home of the bunker of Joseph Stalin in World War 2 - although he never visited the bunker it was always at his ready should the need have arisen.
Eddie has had some fuel pump problems again however some roadside maintenance yesterday seems to have rectified the situation for the time being until we can get the new parts which are in transit and hopefully these arrive before the boys leave Samara on Monday otherwise they will be re-shipped (again!!) to Kiev in the Ukraine which is their last rest day before the finish line in Paris approaches two weeks from today.
Update Tuesday 18th June 2013
Day 22 and the last day in Russia today sees the boys moving three spots up the leader board with a firm grip on a bronze medal at the finish line. An awesome effort for their first Endurance Rally. Their stop for tonight will be in Vorenznh.
Did you read yesterday's report on the Enduro site? - " Living The Dream" and yes Michael did get quoted :)
Eddie is running well on the Russian fuel and we hope that this will continue into the Ukraine also. There are many cars that have major issues at this point and we hope that they can work miracles in Kiev on the weekend... fingers crossed.
11 days till the finish line in Paris - Hooray!!!
Update Thursday 20th June 2013
The boys said Hello to the Ukraine yesterday and were met with an amazing amount of people wanting to check out the parade of cars as they arrived at what is certainly one of the nicest hotels that they have stayed in.
With the assistance of the local car club enthusiasts they were able to get the crack in the chassis fixed and to their complete surprise very eager mechanics offering to help and jack up the car before they were even out of the car!! The Ukrainians do this for the sheer joy of being able to work on the cars and no payment is accepted.
Tomorrow is their last rest day in Kiev before the finish line in Paris next week....8335 kilometres down, 3912 to go!!!
Check out these quick little appearances by Eddie entering Kiev( with thanks Aleksandr Kolesnichenko for the video)
Update Monday 24th June 2013
The boys have a big week ahead of them this week - it's the final week of the rally with the finish line this coming Saturday in Paris!!!
Five time trials today starting from Kosice and ending up tonight in Bratislava will entail some sharp driving and strong navigation skills to see them in on time and maintaining the bronze medal and 32nd position on the leaderboard. There are some new trophies up for grabs at the end for cars that took time out from the rally to have essential repairs done and this could make for an interesting week ahead.
FINAL UPDATE Saturday 29th June 2013
After 33 days and more than 12000 kilometres the boys, Bentley and Eddie finally arrived in the Place Vendome this afternoon. It was a much anticipated arrival with large crowds turning out to cheer all the cars over the finish line with tonight culminating the last three years of hard work, planning and preparation coming to an end. We are proud to announce that they have been awarded a well deserved bronze medal. Eddie will now have a much earned rest and will be heading back to the shores of Western Australia shortly.
The boys would like to thank everyone who has supported them especially over the past 33 days and your best wishes and messages have made home seem not so far away. The photos will follow in the next few days once we have a stronger Wifi connection.
Have a look at the souvenir book that the Enduro Rally Association have complied of all the teams and cars participating in the rally.