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London To Cape Town 2010

The tricks, the tools and a very can do practical approach.

Jim Allen | 22nd Mar 2010

Jim Allen

We have just spent the day with five of the Army's top Vehicle Mechanics and they couldn't have been more friendly and helpful. We started the day with tea and cakes, so I knew we were onto a winner!

Mac gave them a presentation about our London to Cape Town record attempt so that they would have an idea of what we needed to get out of the day in terms of training and advice. The REME guys (Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers) then led us through a brainstorming exercise, which I found very interesting and useful.

Lunch was all included in the day and it's the first time I have ever eaten in the Sergeants Mess!

Team Mechanic Jim Allen

It was good to see the training Land Rovers that are used when instructing new Vehicle Mechanics. They were prototype Wolf Land Rovers that had been taken down to the firing range and riddled with bullets before the Battle Damage Repair teams set about making them drivable again.

3M and Locktite had been invited in to show us their products, which were excellent presentations. The day went very fast and I could have spent a week there. The tricks, the tools and a very can do practical approach at looking at the problem and breaking it down to the very basics.

I personally got a lot out off the day and think it will be of great benefit for our record attempt. Thanks guys.

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