The KOBALAQ RIDERS project continues and the start of the ebent is getting closer and closer.

I'll explain it to you.

Kobalaq is a group of mushers (dog sled drivers) who have participated in many long distance races, from 200 to over 1000Km.

Miquei and I have known each other for many years. On one or two occasions, talking about what we would do when Miquei was leaving the dogs and I was retired, I had told him that we could find a Panda and join a raid in Morocco.

That day came February 28 and Miquei reminded me about the Panda. A month later we have a Marbella called Discovery, Disco in the privacy of the team, almost ready and we are enrolled in the Dessert Trophy Panda to be held in mid-June.

This project does not have the seriousness of long distance mushing races, it is to have fun and enjoy new challenges and learn new Skills.

Well, to the point.

When we decided to push forward, within ten minutes of proposing it, we started looking at cars and races.

We will not do all this alone, they help us, as sponsors, Nuria and Helena and Cesc act as Designer, Preparer and Mechanic.

The car search was done by Cesc and I, we looked at about 8 or 10 cars and in the end we decided on one that seemed to be very mechanically correct. Miquei made one of his Excel with the characteristics of all possible races. And in the end we select the race in which orientation difficulty prevails over speed.

In the race we can drive either of the two, as we want.

These days, you can see photos and videos, we are preparing the car. Basically playing.

For Cesc and I it is the most entertaining part. We look at the car and immediately come up with something else to do or add to it.

Miquei is getting familiar with maps, WP, and tracks on a new tablet, his phone, and three Garmin GPS.

We have already done a first training of 190km, mostly on dirt tracks. The mechanics hold up more than well, Miquei controls the route and informs about the peculiarities of the track and I try to get the hang of driving Disco on tracks.

Before the race we will do more training to prepare and arrive at the test with the homework well done.

Jose

Jose has told you almost everything. Finding a reasonable adventure after what we have experienced is a bit difficult, but yes, it is true that the idea of ​​participating in a raid with Panda had been around for a long time, and more so after Jose and Cesc were go to Mongolia with the “Cacharrillo” (Madrid-Ulan Bator).

I have to admit that my contribution to mechanics and inventions for Disco is null, and I think it’s better that way, as Jose and Cesc’s skills and knowledge are extensive and inexhaustible. And, since the first test, I've asked them for new support for the tablet and another for GPS.

Accustomed to how I was orienting myself with a manual GPS and the speed of a sled, it made me rethink the anticipation of the decisions to be made and observe that GPS devices have a gap between reality and the track "Painted." I'll have to get used to it.

It will be fun to have to say right, right! on the right!! ... the other right !!! ... Stop, stop, stop, ... we skipped the crossroads. We will have 2 stages following a track, two more "hunting" waypoints, and two more navigation (still do not know exactly what it means)

I will miss the long hours fighting with the icy wind, the endless waterways, the tireless trotting of the dogs and the thousands of miles. It's all over ... but the adventure continues.

Well, adventure or fun. We will always be located as in snow races, albeit differently. I remember that in the first races we went north, even mobile phones were forbidden ... Times change. We will sleep in luxury "haimes" instead of vans and, most importantly, we will sleep.

You can also follow us on the race WEB ... 😉😉😉 without losing hours of sleep.

I'm welcome when Jose tells us to get behind the steering wheel, especially if he tells me because he're sleepy. Anyway, new experiences and new landscapes that will surely be different but no less interesting (I hope)

Miquei