"WOW!!"


That about sums up my sentiments towards the course I am about to race on, for plenty of reasons.
The past two days have been spent preparing for the race and getting some much needed practice time in with the vehicle and my co-driver Jean-Louis Juchault. The Peugeot has been acting up on us and has caused us to limit our practice time. However, the little bugger was up and running yesterday and good to go. After being granted the "green light" by the chief scrutineer for the race, we got suited up and headed out. We drove 30 minutes down city streets, weaving in and out of chaotic traffic, to get to the start of the course. My two filmmaker sons, Nathan and Trevor, joined along hoping to capture some excellent footage. They got more than they bargained for. Nathan and Trevor were keen to mount a camera within the vehicle. Regrettably, they were unable to get the mount locked in secure enough to trust their camera with it. As they continued to try and find a solution, eagerness to get moving grew amongst the team. After all, first the Peugeot was interfering with our ability to practice and now this, not to mention the race is right around the corner now. Finally, I informed them they would have to abandon their mission and do without. I, of all people, should know you should never tell a Funk that. Next thing I knew the tires were out of the space behind the seats and in my son went, electing to hold the camera with his hand while having his face jammed against a support beam. It was quite a sight. In a matter of seconds we were off. I decided to try and make it worth his while by giving him the opportunity for some excellent footage. Of course, in order to get great footage we needed to go FAST! By the time he swapped out with his brother, he was saying “Well, I definitely knew if something happened it was adios for me and on to the next world...get in and  just make sure you keep the camera rolling.” That only made my other son MORE eager to get in. All in all, I think they got some magnificent footage and I look forward to seeing it posted soon.

It was not all smooth sailing. About half way through the practice run, now Jean-Louis driving and me co-piloting, we ran into a serious snag. On the way up a treacherous cliff climb, our wheels sank into a rut and our car bottomed out. We heard the awful sound all drivers’ ears are accustomed to and knew we needed to pull over to have the mechanics check it out. Once we reached a plateau we pulled to the side and waved in the crew. Indeed, we had knocked off a muffler. We would not be back on the road for 1 ½ hours. The most enjoyable part of the mishap was the location it occurred at. We were up on a hill over looking beautiful ridges and valleys of jungle. Around us was a small farm, apart of a local village somewhere close by. Slowly villagers began to appear, seemingly out of nowhere, and venture closer to us. At first, many seemed alarmed by our presence – I would be too. But, within minutes we were goofing around and sharing snacks. They showed us their homes, small mud structures, reinforced with branches. They were especially interested in the cameras my boys were using. At one point a small army had gathered behind them to see what the viewfinder screens were displaying. Not long after, a woman passed by with a massive sack balancing on her head. The method and logic was not news to me but I could not quite come to terms with the size of the bag. I approached her and kindly gestured to feel how heavy the sack was. She obliged and I was absolutely shocked. I could barely pick it up and she had just walked two km with it balancing on her head…up a hill let me remind you.

Eventually we paid our respects and continued on the road, which consisted of dirt, rocks, sand, and mud. We passed through all kinds of beautiful villages. We saw all sorts of beautiful topography and all the time we were really cooking it in the Peugeot, which held up wonderfully. It was a great day.

 
Something I must say about this race:

WHAT A WAY TO SEE AFRICA!