RtG Japan Daily Dispatch - day00 - Flipbook - Page 10
18 September to
16 October 2025
Day 4
Shiretoko Rest Day
We’ve been on the road for three days now and,
whilst they haven’t been too demanding, we have
crammed a lot in. Today was a good opportunity
for a bit of relaxation and appreciation of our
surroundings.
The Shiretoko peninsula is a UNESCO World Heritage Site,
listed for being the southernmost point where sea ice
usually forms in the Northern Hemisphere. The local Ainu
people call it “the end of the Earth,” and it’s as wild and
remote as the name suggests.
Rest day or not, there was still some work to be done,
and getting on top of the cars’ maintenance was high on
the list of priorities. The garage was a hive of activity this
morning, with both crews and sweeps doing whatever they
could to keep the rally rolling along towards the finish line.
Stephen and Collette Owens’ 1965 Porsche 911 SWB
needed a new clutch cable. Stephen, along with Owen
22 September 2025
Turner, set to the task in an air-cooled corner, where Bob
Harrod was running through a few spanner checks on his
911, some nine years younger than its stablemate.
Jorge and Ezequiel Perez Companc were giving their 1939
Chevrolet Fangio Coupe a thorough going over. They paid
particular attention to the brakes, whilst Michael Lutolf
was rigging up some extra support for his wing-mounted
headlights, after the pounding the pretty little Citroën had
taken yesterday.
With the jobs list completed there was some time for lunch
and sightseeing. There’s a lot of wildlife here, and bears roam
wild around the town. Given the right weather, boat trips can
be arranged to view them as they forage along the shoreline.
Sadly, today, thanks to yesterday’s storm, the boats were
confined to port. There was a Plan B; an easy drive to the Five
Lakes and stroll along an elevated walkway with impressive
views over a thick bamboo forest and out to the sea beyond.
And the hope that you’d catch a glimpse of a bear going about
its business, whilst being safely penned in beneath you.
Photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
Jorge and Ezequiel Perez Companc, 1939 Chevrolet Fangio Coupe
“What bears?”
www.rallytheglobe.com
