A well-oiled machine at work
There was a host of activity in the beautiful forests surrounding the tests. Many Romanians took a day off today, because this fantastic stage offered value for money – all teams drove the same route in the morning and again in the afternoon. All along the track you could see smoke rising from the hundreds of barbeques. Everyone, but fellow countrymen in particular, received enthusiastic cheers.
Yesterday’s stage was flat and fast, but today’s stage, high up in the Carpathian Mountains, was a different box of tricks. The roads were narrow and the surface was treacherously loose and slippery, with a constantly changing grip, making mistakes almost inevitable. You had to commit if you wanted to post a fast time…
Some came a cropper in this rocky terrain, but the Mitsubishi teams emerged from the fray undamaged but battle-scarred - mud, dust, rocks, and melt water all left their marks on the Pajero Evolutions.
On arrival in the camp a well-oiled machine sprang into action – the mechanics worked on the technical parts of the car, whilst others dealt with the cosmetics. The vehicles were rapidly dismantled, as spectators watched from behind the gates. Hoods, covers, wheels, and brake cylinders were removed and everything was washed and polished. Parts that were scratched or dented were replaced.
Not only the visible bodywork, but the undersides of the vehicles were cleaned and checked immediately for imperfections. The demonstration by these four perfectly organised ‘restoration teams’, each of which tackled one of the competition cars, took less than three hours in all. The vehicles are now back under their orange covers – as new and ready for the next stage.
