The engime is continuing to suffer from a lack of power. We only had one time stage today which was basically smooth fast track. I spent a lot of it at wide open throttle wishing the car would go faster. Hayden could have served me tea in the middle of the stage. The car basically can't pull itself past 95kph. It's very frustrating to be coasting along when you know that the car is capable of much much more.
Anyways, the stage was followed by 200km of smooth tarmac to get us to Ulaan Baataar, the capital city of Mongolia. This city is a vibrant mix of educated locals ready to burst into the global scene and various expats in the mining industry. When I was here three years ago, I called it a frontier town that bursting at the seams. Today, the streets are clogged with brand-new reasonably-priced cars owned by a burgeoning middle class. The difference is palpable. Hopefully mongolia can keep up with the necessary infrastructure to serve its people.
Btw, the Layzell's (car 55) time posted in the results is wrong. They were only 40 seconds faster than us. That means I should still be the class leader. I will be filing a protest in the morning. I hate to do it because I've become good friends with both the son and father, but it's only fair.
Tomorrow is a rest day so we will be checking the spark plugs, valve clearance, timing, jets, and throttle cable. I really hope we can fix the engine. I'd hate to coast along the rest of the rally in a car that should be a real contender.
If my protest for the Layzell's succeeds, and we fix the engine, then we should be able to hold on the lead.
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