Report from IRDC Crew Mustarde & Barker


The following progress report was received earlier today from the service crew supporting David Mustarde & Rupert Barker, who were top placed Brits in 49th place in their Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

It must now be Monday here in the French mountains, as the petrol stations and shops are open. This means we can buy oil and, more importantly, brake fluid, which seems to be mysteriously disappearing and creating all sorts of driver problems. In fact, leaks of one sort or another have been our biggest problem to date, hot oil either from the engine or gearbox is dripping profusely from the rear end of the sump shield. We just don't have the time to investigate so we just top up the fluids and hope for the best.

Other problems? At some point, our driver reshaped the front offside wing, writing off a headlight and two spotlights, but repairs with the trusty hammer resolved the issue. From a performance standpoint, I hear rumours that we are somewhere in the top fifty, with two days to go. Can this be true? Our small 1300cc car doing so well against the might of ex-works Porsches and the like. If so, it makes the broken finger nails, missed sleep and abuse worthwhile.

2nd February, 2015