Madrid - Motril

Today everything went well. We left Madrid at 14:45 and arrived at Motril a 22:00 H.
Car so far ok. We had to visit a garage  because our battery was not well fixed and we had to remove our radio communication system.

Phase 0 done . BARCELONA - MADRID

Today at 4:30am we left home to meet 6 other Pandas on our first phase which is getting from Barcelona to Madrid.

Everything went fine except again our steering issues. BUT we went to a garage in Madrid and apparently the have solved it. Extremely happy but also tiered. The noise of the engine and exhaust contributes to get a quicker tiered.

Now a good dinner downtown Madrid and the party can start

Houston we have a problem

This week unfortunately we are facing some serious problems. The steering system is not working properly. When accelerating fast the car goes to the right. Many tests have been done but a clear diagnosis is not found so far. Five days before the start and we are getting very nervous as this weekend we planned a last off road test.

Testing engine

Today we have tested our modified engine. The outcome is that we have gained roughly 20HP which is fantastic achievement. Currently we have 73,4HP. To be honest much more would be crazy as now when accelerating fast in the second gear the wheels start to spin.

Logistically we are ready and we can not wait to start the new adventure. Unfortunately a last minute technical issue has appeared with the steering. Deadline to have it solved is 48H

Warming up engine for Panda Raid 2019

And here we are back for the Panda Raid 2019 edition which will take place between March 8 and 16.

As during the previous edition 350 cars will participate. Last year our number was 230  and this year we enrolled earlier so for 2019 our number is 83.

Last year my copilot was Robert, my brother. It was a great experience which I’m sure we will repeat in the near future. This yearm my friend Jaume will join me in this adventure. In the last 8 years we have gone together 5 times through different parts of Africa.

In those last 10 months many things have happened regarding the car compared to last year:

• New gear box with a more professional feeling and faster to handle
• Modified the engine installing a multiple point injection instead of the carburetor we had previously
• New and better breaks
• Professional suspension which roughly 20 cm more height. We are now also able to adjust the suspension (height) depending of the off road situation we will find each day
• Total new electric system and cabling
• Security bars in case of accident
• New professional exhaust system
• Double ventilation in order to avoid that the engine gets overheated in the dunes
• Painting internally redone and removed previous noise reduction materials by new ones which hopefully will fulfill their job better as before
• Many minor improvements which are too many to name

Currently we are in the process of getting the car certified for the technical inspection so that we can use it on the public road

As things always happen with these type of projects, you think that in 10 months you have plenty of time to do it and now we still have to rush to get everything done in time.

An important aspect of this year is that we have found a company who will sponsor our activity. More details in a couple of weeks.

We will also post this year more info via our Instagram accounts to make sure everybody who wishes can follow our daily activity.

Attached some pictures which shows some of the modifications we have done.