Day 6

6. May 2000, Rest day in Thessaloníki

Day 6 is a rest day in Thessaloníki so there is not much to report about it. Thessaloníki is a typical Mediterannean harbour town with an old tower, part of an old fortification, but mostly new houses everywhere. On this Saturday the Greek youth is living la dolce vita on the main street running along the coastline. Cars in the city streets are driving at high speeds. We decide to take the day for a rest and only venture into the city once.

Our results so far are good as yesterday we came first in our class again and number eleven overall. This is mainly due to the high-risk driving of other competitors. We hear stories about several accidents and can see some major damage on the chassis of some of the other cars. I think everyone should drive the way he thinks is appropriate (as long as he does not risk others) but a one-minute advantage on a test track is not worth a lot if you lose 45 minutes getting pulled back on the street again.

Tomorrow, the London to Istanbul competitors will finish their bit of the rally and we will not see them on the route again. The Istanbul competitors happened to be the most high-risk drivers as they had to battle for the highest ranks yesterday but I expect that after tomorrow driving will become more civilised as the route and the countries we go through will demand it.