Syd Stelvio – Gaucho Trail Day 12: Salta to Cafayate – 215km
Day 12 was always set to be a short day, but would end up being foreshortened further still, after some last-minute rearranging of the route. After a long, hot day servicing cars on the non-driving day on day 11, when temperatures got into the mid-thirties, I’m sure all those who had laboured in the sun were happy with a bit of extra rest.
There had been much to do, far more than the previous rest day, with the cars now uttering the first murmurs of resistance at their treatment over the past couple of weeks. Patrick Watts had gone off to find a garage with a lathe, to turn up a new mounting pin for his suspension. His endeavours were successful, at least once he had uncovered the lathe in a hoarder’s paradise of a workshop. David Hewitt was going to town on his Datsun, refreshing fuel lines and moving parts of the fuel system around to help keep the components cooler in the heat, after fuelling issues had ruined his and navigator Dawn Hewitt’s test at the end of day 10. Others went about less intrusive work, but everyone seemed to be busy, preparing the cars for the next few days on the road.
Day 12 began as day 10 had ended, with a test at the Autodromo Martin Miguel de Guemescircuit, though this time a different test layout. There would be two attempts to nail the test, with two laps of the test layout each time, which if you have the regular number of fingers on your hand you will have counted up as four laps, so plenty of time to get your line through the corners nailed on by the last rotation of the circuit. Speaking of rotations, it was a clean sweep of tens for car 23, as the Cobra of Steve and Charlie Gray managed a perfect pirouette as they began the second lap of the first test. Not that it slowed them down, as they smoked the tyres of The Snake around the bends at every opportunity, as they enjoyed the fruits of the car that they have built.
Any seasoned gambler keeping an eye on the form of the cars on the tests on this rally would have put their mothers house on the fastest on each test being the Porsche of Lars and Annette Rolner, but the bookies favourite only managed a lowly third today, with the top slot shared by Patrick and Pam Watts on the first rotation, and then Filip Engelen and Ann Gillis on the second, with 2:46 being the winning time on each occasion. One car that definitely wasn’t going to set a fastest time, or even a pb, was the Land Rover of Liam Strong and Richard Heighes, as Liam, clearly not realising just how strong he is, managed to snap the gear stick during their attempt at the test, leaving them seriously hampered for a fast time.
With pulses well and truly raised, it was time to get back out on the road with the rest of the population and remember that speed limits are a thing as we joined in with the constant commute of busses, lorries and pickups that flood the roads in Argentina. The run out and away from Salta took us through many small towns and villages, filled with Spaghetti Western buildings, as though the town planning was handled by Sergio Leone himself. This was compounded by the rural elements of the drive, as we passed plenty of places where the road was hemmed in by Saguro Cacti, their long limbs stretching skyward, casting shadows of early American cinema on the ground.
The day would conclude with a reg that had been put together by the 48-hour advanced car, as a replacement for the two planned regs that had been lost, but before we reached that point there was a tremendous drive along the best section of link road of the trip so far. An 80km run on Route 68, surely one of the greatest valley roads on the planet, would keep everyone interested, as the tarmac ebbed and flowed, following the path of the Rio de Las Conchas. The river itself was one of the lesser features of the drive, as the road wound a route between the Andean foothills, with larger peaks, such as Cerro Morro, visible in the distance. It was a fabulous road, and despite the double solid lines in its centre it was the kind of road that dared you to push on and see just how much enjoyment you could extract from its bends. The views were phenomenal, and the geology changed constantly along the 80km run to the reg as a landscape dominated by various sedimentary rock, shaped further by tectonic activity unfolded before us. The colours between the layers of sandstone, siltstones and clay were striking, and before we turned off the highway the crews enjoyed a treat as the road ran through the Quebrada de las Conchas, or, the Gorge of the Shells, and its myriads of rock formations.
It seemed almost a shame to leave the highway and enter the dirt tracks on the way to the reg, though the 10 km section was a welcome break from the tarmac. Despite the fact that the changes of direction on the reg were arrowed, nobody managed to clean the section, nobody that is except Manuel Dubs, who is crewed with, well, Manuel Dubs. Manuel, you see, is solo crewed in his 1975 Toyota FJ-40, completing the rally on his own, with his navigator replaced by a music stand to hold the roadbook. I’ve no idea how he turns the pages though, as he has one hand on the wheel and always has his other hand gently cradling his pipe, not that it is doing him any harm as he sits inside the top ten and leads his class.
Tomorrow the rally continues to head south, and will travel up properly for the first time, as the route hits 3500 metres on the first real day that cars will ascend into the Andes, though that altitude is just an aperitif considering how high this famous range does get in places. It remains to be seen if the altitude has any effect on the cars, it could be a busy day for the sweeps. We shall see.
Syd.
