Success or salt mines

After an inglorious non-finish in 2007, Australians David Morley and Paul Watson are preparing to head into the depths of Siberia to contest this year's 7100 km Transsyberia Rally, again driving a specially prepared Porsche Cayenne S under the Team Oz banner.

The Morley/Watson duo crashed out on the tenth stage of the 2007 event, Porsche Cars Australia technical manager Watson transported home with a broken back and journalist Morley wondering about ever competing again.

The Transsyberia Rally begins in Moscow on July 11 and finishes in Ulaanbaatar on July 25, covering some of the most gruelling off-road terrain on the planet.

Of a field expected to comprise 30 cars from 13 nations, 20 teams will be driving Porsche Cayennes. Last year's event was won in a Cayenne entered by Porsche Cars North America and driven by New Zealand racer Rod Millen.

The Cayenne S Transsyberia models have been further improved for 2008 with "numerous modifications to maximise safety and improve off-road capability" including revised sump guards, rally-spec shock absorbers, Porsche's PDCC active anti-roll bars, latest-generation off-road racing tyres and improvements to Porsche's traction management all-wheel drive software.

The array of safety and special rally equipment comprises safety cage, racing bucket seats, six-point harnesses, trip computer, fire extinguishers, sand ladders, spare wheels, toolkit, winch and driving lights.

The engine is in standard tune, producing 283kW and 500Nm and driving through Porsche's Tiptronic S six-speed automatic transmission to a lower final drive ratio. The software has been optimised for improved off-road performance.

For Morley, the decision about whether or not to enter again this year was simple: "Either stay at home and throw stones at the cat wondering what might have been, or tackle this bugger of an event again with Watto and try to make it to the end in one piece and in the one car."

The event is not to be taken lightly, Morley says.

"You can do all the training, car preparation and planning you like, but nothing prepares you for driving across what at times looks like a lunar landscape with nobody within hundreds of kilometres."

"It's you, a navigation system and an SUV trying to get to an end point through mud bogs that would stop a tank, water crossings that would make trout nervous and boulders sharp enough to splice coconuts. And you're doing this continually for a fortnight. It's utter foolishness and that's precisely why we're doing it again."

More information on the 2008 Transsyberia Rally, along with daily updates during the event, can be obtained from the official website: transsyberia-rallye.de

Porsche Cars Australia will also provide regular updates on the progress of Team Oz.

To comment on this article click here