So here is the first edition of Thursday Rally Photo during the Fiesta Movement. This was shot in Kazakhstan by Vaughn on real film, man 2006 was a long time ago.

Earlier in the day some random guy in Aktobe had professed to the road's phenomenally phenomenal condition, claiming "yeah sure, road good, president use all time." And like the rookies we are, we believed him. Now to be fair, we had consumed a fried chicken off the hood of the SEAT in the train station parking lot, so insanity from chicken grease was certainly a possibility. I think that same random guy took Neil and James to the airport as their Mini Scamp had exploded into flames somewhere in West-ish Kaz the day prior. I am not too sure, once again blame the grease.

So we bombed out of Aktobe, delighted with some prime asphalt to roll our minature rigs on. I was snoring away and Pat was behind the wheel when the road stopped being roadlike and became much more non-roadlike. There was some air, some swearing, and a whole lot of braking. And the funny part is that wasn't even the situation that created this photo.

A short time later, the Fiat boys (pictured) were in the lead on a fantastic stretch of pavement when they inexplicably locked up the tires. We all halted progress behind them and hopped out to investigate and throw rocks at random debris. We found RD sitting in this crater while Andy incoherently mumbled about how that was almost game over.

We concluded that it was a good time to camp. Dom and I drank some jet fuel that night and discussed how if we were in a movie this would have been the part where the heroes look to be down and out.

Happy Thursday