Shopping in Ulaan Bataar

During the rally there are rest days approximately every 7 days. Great you might think, a chance to soak up local  culture. The hard reality is that a rest is for the cars not the humans who serve them. Old cars have problems even when the roads are good. We are putting the cars through severe tests by driving them at pace over hard and rutted and uneven and stony desert tracks

Some cars have already been severely damaged and left the rally. Break an axle or crash a gearbox and you're probably gone. 4 cars at least have rolled, fortunately without serious human injury: it can happen at any time. Cars are transported on low loaders to main towns to undergo specialist repair or await the arrival of key parts flown in. 

The moderately damaged pr,voice the mechanical version of 'walking wounded', cars that still go but not as well as they should: 'the rolling wounded'.

Car 89 was having trouble turning and the the team Martin and Martyn feared major damage to an axle but found that reshaping their mudguard attachment solved the problem. A mere 4 hour task (added to other routines) made for a full day - no breakfast, no lunch. 

Car 30 Neil and Richard have been losing power intermittently - enough to be a nuisance but not enough to stop them completing the ERA's programme. They attacked (for the umpteenth time) their electrical system. The day passed as spark plugs were adjusted and readjusted. They have hopes of achieving progress but no real expectation of improvement. 

A car which shall be nameless needed to replace the shock absorbers fitted by their top rated - and
reputedly very expensive - vehicle preparers. But the equipment was 5cm (2" too long) and exacerbated, rather than dampening, the movement: distinctly not fit for purpose. 

Our problems were rather modest - given our Day 1 catalogue of woes. The punctured tyre still wasn't taking pressure after two repair efforts - solved by the back up team. A minor supporting strut had come lose after we hit a speed bump too hard. And we had some problems starting: solved when we cleaned the solenoid and found a loose connection. 

So my task was to was to go shopping for car supplies. I with several others including Mr shock absorber  went to the recommended place: not a car part supply superstore but a car bazaar. 

Chaotic in appearance and completely uncurated: a reminder of a past style - and very similar to the equivalent in Beijing, the day before we set off. 

My extra task was to acquire this piece of equipment for the back up team (when they ask favours, you say yes). On arrival my companions were sceptical as to my chances. You can't look around in a car parts bazaar, you have to ask the right person. 

I took along Sula, a charming tour rep from the ERA local team (Nomads) She had no car knowledge but together we were able to gently interrogate stall owners. Suffice to say, it was a success.