What I know as of now....

I received a text from Steve at about 9am my time this morning, which is 5am his time. He said that they were running ninth yesterday, until they flipped the hummer end over end. He said his tailbone and back are hurting pretty bad. His tailbone is possibly broken as of now. This is terrible for an off-road racer. Sitting in one position for eight or more hours is uncomfortable for anyone, doing that while flying through the rough desert is even worse, and going through that situation with a broken tailbone is painful to even think about. However, it is great to know that both members of 327 are safe after flipping their vehicle. While they were stuck in the dunes for six hours in the middle of the night, he said there were at least four other cars stuck just within his line of vision. Supposedly 80% of cars were still stuck in the dunes by nightfall.

They got towed into the bivouac by a French team, which they were very greatful for. One of the great things about the Dakar rally is that people are always willing to help out a man in need. There was a lot of, I'll dig you out, then you dig me out, going on in the dunes yesterday, and I'm sure that's how the majority of cars were able to finish.

On Planet Robby it was mentioned that 327 got into the bivouac at 230 in the morning there time. I'm not sure if this is true or not. It was possibly later based on the text I received. When they came into the bivouac, they had no clutch, and fuel issues. It looks like the mechanics had a busy night. Steve said when they got in they had to fight to get a start time today with the ASO, and ended up receiving one. I think the only thing standing between them and the start now is the condition of the Hummer. I tried to call Steve a little while ago, but got no answer. No cars have started today's stage as of now, so it is too early to tell if they are going to be running or not. Even if Steve misses his start time, he has until an hour after the last car leaves the start line to start, so that might buy them a little extra time. I am thinking positive about the situation! Hopefully Steve was able to visit the doctor to get some pain medicine for his tailbone and back to help him stay comfortable throughout the stage. If I hear anything I will let you all know!

Thanks for reading!
Alison