G-Force Motorsport

G-Force (Mis)Fortunes. Leg 1, 2 and 3

Tuesday, 05 April 2011 14:49

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Leg 1

We wrote about what effort it took the team to get here from Italy with the events being so close together…. all the paperwork, flying the cars out, shipping the T5 service truck, renting the chase cars… And it all looked to be over just for 4km. Peterhansel called it “beginners mistake” but it was an unseen and unwritten in the road book sharp blind kink.

crash_aftThe only word I can think of is ‘tragic’. Even though it is fist time in the event he was driving the only way he knows how – flat out.

Boris said that the car rolled heavily, deranging the back axle so much that it was impossible for him to drive out. But G-Force mechanics are the best possible – a mix of western professionalism and Russian resourcefulness, they came to the crew’s rescue fixed the car right at the special stage and got it to the camp.

Boris’s team mate Roman Briskindov didn’t get too much further before his steering broke and because he was unfamiliar with the mechanics of his rented car it took him a few hours to effect a repair. But at the first PC he was in an incredible 4th place, just behind Schlesser.

Leg 2

Boris’s car was repaired overnight – ready for Boris to start again on the second day, as in this event competitors are allowed to restart after a non-finish, something a little similar to WRC superrally. So the plan today was to use the rest of the event as an extended test to help Boris improve his sand driving skills and cars desert setup which will be invaluable for the teams Dakar ambitions.

Unfortunately a seemingly simple problem, yesterday’s roll damaging the A/C system meant that the temperature inside the cockpit – reached almost 70 degrees… 70 degrees while wearing a thick racing suit… and controlling a 400hp monster at 160kp/h on the sand… Boris made it as far as CP3 before admitting defeat and was treated by the rally doctor for severe heatstroke.

197451_10150139151597181_677252180_7146372_5427706_nAnd his team mate rally-raid newcomer Roman Briskindov in the rented G-Force who is continuing to impress international journalists with his debut T1 rally-raid performance, didn’t fare much better than Boris. Up until pc1 he was in an incredible 8th place and caught up with half a dozen other competitors but a small lapse in concentration meant that he caught a dip wrong and the G-Force Proto flipped onto its roof. One of the friendly Kamaz drivers stopped to pull them back on their wheels but although the damage looked pretty superficial, one of the ducts of the transmission cooling system was crushed. Sensibly he decided to call it a day and drove slowly back to the camp to get the damage repaired without it causing any more problems.

 

Leg 3

_047-1Once again all G-Force team started the day with positive outlook. The day was split into two stages which team thought would suit Boris as he was still suffering from the effects of the heatstroke. He finished 4th at the first section but by the end of the stage he realized that he hasn't fully recovered from yesterday's serious heatstroke. So the decision was made to pull-out and recover for the tomorrow’s monstrous special stage.

 And the day wasn’t too successful for rent T1 customer although it was by no fault of his. One of those technical problems pretty much expected on an event as extreme as this… the front differential failed. They decided not to risk getting stuck and were assisted by the team including Boris.

So tomorrow both G-Force Protos will be restarting!