The second team, under the capable leadership of Michael Maruschke and Torsten Strauss, has successfully completed the section of the tour from Ekaterinburg and both Michael and Torsten have now returned safely to their home turf. Our assessment so far is very positive: true, there were one or two technical glitches

We start our journey to Rostov, the green city on the Don which is approximately 710 km away from Lipetsk. Such a distance can easily occupy two solid days of driving. So the hours are spent negotiating flyovers and junctions, and spending nights under the trees on tranquil side roads off

Early evening we have to leave the Kamenka family and head further to the East. We want to cover a few kilometres before it gets dark to avoid any time constraints over the next 1-2 days. We are accompanied by Ilya Golovachev of Kamenka who wants to visit his hometown Tambov

We arrive in Kamenka town in the early evening and find, to our surprise, a “SPAR” supermarket well-equipped with all imaginable food. After a longer discussion about safety at night we park the car in front of a motorway restaurant and assume that this is the best option. The appointment with

Friendly stewardesses, constant dripping tea pots, passenger queues for the toilets, and no beer served. The fully booked Transaero flight from Bangkok is heading with tired tourists toward Moscow. While for most passengers a long journey will end in the Russian capital, for me it is only a transit point for

I’m absolutely shattered. Not only the new time change (Ekaterinburg is again two hours ahead), but the last few days and weeks have been strenuous. Shortly after 9 o’clock I’m already in Torsten’s room. He, Rolf and Felix had picked Michael up at the airport late last night or rather early

Good morning Iveco. After a quick breakfast, we are greeted by the friendly staff at Iveco, and ushered into the workshop. Then follows the second odyssey starting with an inspection of the engine compartment, tests, and finally a test drive. With Rolf furiously accelerating and breaking, I can work only intermittently.

Today we are determined to get to Ekaterinburg. Ahead of us lie several hundred kilometres on possibly dodgy roads. So yet again it will be purely a driving and writing day. But the goal is within our grasp and that spurs us on. Today we will be reaching the Urals, and

So as not to waste any time, we are at Iveco’s front door promptly at 9 o’clock. It takes no time at all to explain the situation in Ekaterinburg with the spare part for the defective engine, and outline the problem. We are in luck, they have the part. We do

It would be difficult to underestimate our concern that evening over the immediate prospects for the remainder of the tour. On the road to Kazan we stop for a rapid breakfast which lifts our spirits a little. It was agreed with the garage that we should wait at a kilometre marker

As we leave the city behind us, we are greeted by a sensational sunrise. Just for a moment, everywhere is peaceful, the streets deserted. It is not to last. We drive through a varied landscape of forests, tiny villages and gas production facilities. We soon find ourselves confronted by the usual