Day 10 - June 21, Karamay to Turfan

Updates from David on Patricia's Rally progress.

782 km (of which 431km Special Section, cut short to 100km)

Just had an update from Patricia who has finished Day 10 safely and is now firmly established in a luxury hotel for tonight and the rest day tomorrow.

Sounds like China is impressing Patricia. I know you may not believe the following story is impossible, but I can assure you it is true:

Patricia is claiming that the motorways and infrastructure in China are a lot better than Kazakstan (very believable), better than Russia (believable), better than the UK (unfortunately believable), but get this ...... they are even better than.......Germany !

No, it can't be, her judgement has finally flipped. Motorways do not come better than Germany. Apparently, final proof came in the hotel bathroom - where they have proper mixer taps ...... "unlike the UK" .....

Hmm.. sounds like communism is working wonders in this part of China - which has nothing to do with the oil fields they are driving through of course.

Other news includes the fact that Coca Cola seems to be considered a Class A drug in China - people actually take the cans away from you if they see you drinking it and give you a lecture on healthy living ! Come on Atlanta, you've let down the side of Global Brand Omnipotence - pull your finger out. Patricia will be telling us next, that she cannot see a McDonalds either !!

OK, that is the geopolitical news over, back to the Rally....

The special section was cut short from 431km to 100km today because the Chinese decided they did not want people riding through a certain part of the country (no explanation offered). There was a lot of waiting around as "The Organisation" still seems to be struggling with logistics. One US competitor has pulled out after the fatal accident, feeling the infrastructure is not in place to cope with emergencies. Patricia does not seem too fazed, but I think is relieved that the Assistance van and her Dad have now caught up with her. I will make no comment about her Dad appearing just as they check into a five star hotel. (That is english dry humour by the way, before all of Patricia's family disown me for dishonouring Herbert!).

The Kamaz (Russian) team have pulled out of the Rally. It was a Kamaz truck that killed No.42. The locals were becoming increasingly aggressive towards the team who really did not seem to appreciate why it mattered that they had squashed an innocent rider stone dead. The truck driver was still complaining bitterly that he got an informal warning for the incident .... as he revved his truck up and headed back towards Moscow. Apparently Kamaz were also last in the truck ranking, so it was also more commercially honourable to pull out, than lose !

Tomorrow is rest day, so I expect much sleeping will be on the agenda in China....

Thats it for now folks.....

BBC World Service
China

Reminders if you are glued to progress and want up to the minute news:

Motors TV is a good watch each night (21.00 GMT and 23.30 GMT) , repeated the next morning (10.00 GMT) , if you have access to it...