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Day 27- Lviv to Slovakian border then on to Kosice

Not to far today to drive

slept like a log last night. Hit the pillow and the next time I was awake it was just before 6:00am. We missed the phenomenal activities last night. The whole town came to the centre of the city to welcome us and take care of us it was fantastic from all accounts. This morning was almost as spectacular.

Jazz band, local musicians, people in costume and this amazing group of Cossacks dressed armed and shooting off their rifles. It was fun and we took tons of photos. The Ukraine did show us a great time. They are very different from Russians much more European in nature, and style. 

We checked results and we were 6th in the time trial. Many of the penalty cars are now trying to make a push to win the newly initiated European Championship. We go as fast as this Bentley will let us. We will do our very best to hold the car together as we are now quite attached. We have become a team. We try to work and preventing things happen but we aren't always lucky. If only she could talk and tell us where it hurts.

Today we drove out behind car 14. We stayed with them for about 2 hours. I finally said to Tony wow they stink. They must be leaking something. So he agreed and we decided to pass and as protocol would say, let them know they stink. However, we we sped up to pass the smell  did not dissipate. OH no, it's us sadly. So we pull over to check to see if our exhaust is leaking or something else shows signs of a problem. It's the carburetor float bowl needle value is flooding and causing a stink. Enough to make your nose burn and your throat scratchy. Another job for tonight. 

We knew it was weak as we had had times in Mongolia where we got strong whiffs of gasoline but this is now constant.

On we fly to the border of Slovakia and entering into Europe. Last time I hear it was a long process. This time they had a lane for us Allan's we all sailed through quickly and regrouped at a Time Control about 30km inside the border. Today they are closing the roads for us to do a time trial on our way into Kosice. It is difficult to imagine closing the road for 100 cars to race like mad up a mountain and back down again but the Auto Club here is very keen and they convinced the local authorities to permit it.

We also have to readjust our watches once again  once we get into town tonight, but I digress. We drove about half way up the mountain before we started the race. The organizers car decided to insert one of their cars in the route ahead of us. So we we held an additional minute. Off we went went the hand went down and push as hard as we could on the semi tarmaced, steeply inclined twisty road. We don't down shift in an old Bentley, you can't they're is no sycro mesh so on step hills your choice is to try and match the RPM's  around a tight steep corner and wait for the engine to pick up.  Not quickly mind you. Anyway the first half of the trial is all uphill the second down hill. We weren't fast on the way up but we flew coming down until Tony said we have no brakes. They were too to and were falling. We were at 1 km from the end so I tried to look around the treed corners to give him an idea of the type of twist and its intensity before he approached. Just ahead I spied the organizers 4wd. We caught him about 300 metres before the end. We slowed, he pulled to the side and we passed losing precious seconds. However, we also missed the finish line. We skidded on our non existent brakes past the approved line. Tony tried to react quickly but it wasn't possible so now we wait to find out whether we get penalized. I asked the clerk there but he said I needed to deal with it at the MTC tonight on arrival. So I quickly jotted down in notes the events as we understood it. Hopefully it will be OK. I am not sure there would be any way it could have been avoided.

We drove on into a major rain storm ducked into a gas station to put our roof up, many weren't so lucky, they don't have tops for their cars.

Phil in the Riley, the Chrysler number 12 and number 14 plus many of the Bentley's, don't have tops. ( SOme of the Slovakian crowd came to watch. In this photo.)

We drove into the centre of the city to a warm welcome although the rain probably deterred many from coming out. Their were still a good size group and then the same at the hotel to look at the car. 

Oh yes forgot to say, we had a slow leak today just before the start of the time trial. We noticed were had low air. We filled it but it is seriously losing air. So minutes before the time trial took off we over filled the tire and could only keep our fingers crossed we could make it through the time trial.  We did  but its another job for tonight. This is the mystery Russian tire so we will be glad to know what our inner tube is.  Finally we will be entirely on Michelin tires.

Anyway by the time we roll into town through the special arch the tire is low again. Time to change tires. So we are on change number 15. For this event we hold the flat tire record.

We finish the work about 8:00pm grab dinner then check the results. We did really well.

Beating both #12 and #14. Still need faster times to catch them

We have dropped some time on 4th but it only improved us about 1 minute 30.

Well tomorrow is another day. And we have 2 time trials...

Hope this makes sense my eyes are crossed....

Ciao

lee Ann

Time isn't on our side now, but onward and upward...we must go