TGDC Failure- Fast forward

Okay, now that all the hullabaloo of the Top 12 making it to the Top 3 has died down I wish to share with you my reasons for having failed to make it to the the Top 3.

My 'Be Prepared' motto was only for the Great Driving Challenge and not for the tasks at hand and for those 4 days at the Palms Hotel at Mumbai.

Everything was fine until that last crucial day and the final task when I realized what was missing and that we would fail. But, it was too late and what the Judge said was ringing as an after thought in my mind. It was as if he was repeating my sentiments exactly.

Firstly, my trusty camera of 7 years gave up the ghost and I just was not used to the one I got on loan from my family in Mumbai.

"Being Prepared" meant carrying your own laptop to continue blogging those 4 days at the Palms. My idea was to blog on the move and upload as soon as we got a decently strong signal. My travel kit also includes an Inverter which allows you to charge your laptop, camera and use other 220v gadgets within the car.

Day 3 at the Palms saw me up until 7:30am to complete my map for the Judge's inspection later in the day. Going to bed at 7:30am meant that I needed to be up at 9am to make it for the 9:30am Mental task.

My route or map could be prepared only at the last minute as it required meeting certain people en route at various destinations and frantic calls were made throughout the previous day to get the required appointments.

Later in the day we were given the Cedia for 3 hours to make a trip into Mumbai to "Capture the essence of Mumbai" Our plan entailed going to Film City as Bollywood is definitely an Essence and there after our quest for the best batata vada in town. It was all smooth sailing until then with the onboard navigation ensuring we made it well back before our 3 hour deadline. My plan was to allow Pavithra to do all the blogging with me definitely writing more about road conditions, travel plans and ofcourse on the virtues of the car. Unfortunately Pavithra blogged late into the night with the only lap top we had which was provided by TGDC and a 5am deadline. I was deeply fatigued due to lack of sleep from the previous night and should have written down my points on paper for Pavithra to blog later rather than wait for her to finish with the comp. Harry fell asleep sitting up in bed awaking well past the 5am deadline for the last blog before the Top 3 were selected . None the less, we learnt some valuable lessons and gained experience on the tour. The above are not excuses for our failure but a honest confession. We did well until then and were one of the quickest teams in the Driving test. Pavithra made up for me in the Mental test and I was 2nd quickest in the Physical Test. We failed in the Travel test as I failed to write about the car which was given to each of the Teams for the very first time. It was my fault entirely for not having stood up to the occasion.

We are looking forward to TGDC II if ever there might be one and the valuable lessons we learn't from the first episode are definitely going to give us the edge with the experience gained.

Our trip entailed visiting the Royal Palaces of Barwani, Mandvi, Gondal, Wadhwan and covering their collections of cars and other heirlooms. This with their express invitation was a very exclusive affair and We know now that we had one of the best Travel Plans in the Top 12. i hope to do this trip privately as it meant a lot to me. Visiting friends with a Heritage is after all not an everyday affair.

Until next time. God speed to the Top 3 on the road. Cheers!

Highway Raindance- Tip of the day

I know I've been away a while. Thought I'd write from experience about driving on our dangerous highways in low visibility situations which can arise from bad windscreens, poor lighting, weak wipers, rains, oil, sad signage & last but not least from ignorant highway users.
I was forced to try this as recently as 4 days ago on a trip to Pune from Mumbai. I left Mumbai at around 19:00hrs only to hit a constant drizzle on the Expressway. With bad wipers and a needstobereplaced windscreen visibility was near '0'. Adding to the woes was a fine spray from trucks and other cars with a lethal mix of diesel and oil picked up from the road surface and what have we- Multicolored reflections and no forward visibility. At any other time I might have opted to stop! Get out my trusty Travel pack and clean the windscreen and apply a final coat of tobacco from an old cigarette before continuing.Instead, I remembered an old trick and fished out my trusty RayBans. Voila!

GOOD VISION IN A DOWNPOUR
How to achieve good vision while driving during a heavy downpour. I can vouch for this!!
We are not sure why it is so effective; just try this method when it rains heavily. It is useful...even driving at night.
Most motorists would turn on HIGH or FASTEST SPEED of the wipers during heavy downpour, yet the visibility in front of the windscreen is still bad......In the event you face such a situation, just try your SUN GLASSES (any model will do), and miracle! All of a sudden, your visibility in front of your windscreen is perfectly clear, as if there is no rain.
Make sure you always have a pair of SUN GLASSES in your car, as you are not
only helping yourself to drive safely with good vision, but also might save
your friend's life by giving him this idea..

Try it yourself and share it with your friends!!.. Amazing, you still see
the drops on the windshield, but not the sheet of rain falling. You can see
where the rain bounces off the road... It works to eliminate the "blindness" from passing truck's spraying you too... Or the "kickup" if you are following a truck or car in the rain... They ought to teach that little tip in driver's training.. It really does work. Hope this helps. Drive safe.

TGDC-Auditions for the TOP 3

4 August 2009

Landed at Santa Cruz Airport on Sunday, 2 August 2009 and left for the serene and tranquil location of the Palms Hotel at Goregaon. After receiving a warm welcome and a welcome welcome drink we checked in headed for our respective villas. Coming from an air conditioned city its going to take a while to acclimatize to the Mumbai weather.

The auditions for the quest for the Top 3 will begin tomorrow after a formal introduction over cocktails and dinner to the other participants from the Top 12, the TGDC crew who have done a wonderful wonderful job thus far and of course the Judges and the hosts from HM.
The time has now come for all of us to prove r capabilities through the various tests that TGDC has lined up for us prior to The Great Driving Challenge.

Looking forward to finishing in the Top 3. The mood is upbeat, the competition healthy and friendly. The cheering followers are supporting. Let's do it!