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On day two we finished the nine-hour trip with just 1 minute to spare before time penalties were imposed. Photo Gallery
Yesterday had started with an earthquake that shook us awake at our overnight stop in Katherine.
But today – day three, 668km away in Tennant Creek – started with a typical Outback dust storm that turned the sky an odd shade of grey above this rough and tough frontier town.
The strong winds and reduced visibility was a test as the cars in the Challenge headed for the halfway mark at Alice Springs.
It was an easy run today – just 512km and the temperature had dropped to 34 deg, making conditions in the cabin of the new Hyundai Santa Fe a little more bearable because we, like most competitors, have been running without air conditioning to reduce fuel consumption.
And the landscape has changed too, with the majestic rocky outcrops and termite hills replacing the open savannah country. But the number of abandoned cars and dead cattle was a stark reminder of just how tough life in the Northern Territory can be.
On day two we finished the nine-hour trip with just 1 minute to spare before time penalties were imposed. Today we time-managed our run a little better, sneaking into the finish with two minutes up our sleeve after 512km on the road, the last two hours we drove at 70km/h to correct too much speed earlier in the day.
Hyundai’s Team R had another impressive day on fuel consumption. The 2.2-litre all-wheel drive Santa Fe has an official combined fuel rating of 6.7l/100km. Our wagon finished the day returning 5.39l/100km, against just pipped by our second team car driven by rally ace Ed Ordynski with a fuel consumption of 5.18l/100km.
A the halfway mark both Santa Fes have used less than 5.4l/100km which is remarkable for a constant all-wheel drive which weighs close to 2 tonnes.
I now hand over the drive to Carsguide’s Karla Pincott for tomorrow’s start to the second half of the event, from Alice Springs to Adelaide. My advice to her: keep it smooth.
