Luckily I'm not there to fix engines!
Jack Burnford | 22nd Mar 2010
Turning up late in an un-ironed shirt to meet the guys at REME for the BDR course probably didn't get me off to the best start! However, I was warmly welcomed as the only non-military person for the day as the guys started to look over the first of our exped vehicles. The bonnet went up dozens of clips came off, engine covers were abandoned, people put on overalls and got under the vehicle and everyone looked really professional as they went about testing how suitable the Discovery will be for the record attempt to South Africa.
We went in to the training room for a brainstorm which I'm embarrassed to say went completely over my head - luckily for the team I'm not there to fix engines!
A quick lunch in the Sergeant's Mess and then back to the huge warehouse where all kinds of great looking vehicles in varying states of disrepair were laid out as training aids for the REME recruits - Jim was in heaven, I was pretending to know what I was looking at.
That afternoon 3M and Loctite showed us some awesome products - sachets of stuff that when mixed quickly formed a compound similar to glass, ceramic or metal, glue so strong that even a tiny drop of it was too strong for two of our team to pull apart.
It was a great day - we bonded (scuse pun) well as a team, with the Army and over our favourite cars (sorry Mac - not a Land Rover in this instance, but my dad's Jag!) I just wish we'd had a bit longer there.
HOMEPAGE :: London to Cape Town
Other blogs by Jack Burnford
22nd Mar 2010 
Jack BurnfordLuckily I'm not there to fix engines!
Turning up late in an un-ironed shirt to meet the guys at REME for the BDR course probably didn't get me off to the best start!
18th Oct 2009 Jack BurnfordHeading north again
We've just crossed the border from Portugal to Spain heading north. It's the same border we were at a couple of days ago, the finish line.
13th Oct 2009 Jack Burnford14 hours on the road
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14 hours on the road:- 4 hours navigating with Jim at the wheel. 2 and a bit hours driving, then 8 hours sleep!
8th Oct 2009 Jack BurnfordHands on medical training
When Andy mentioned going on a medical course I had visions of sitting in a large, 18 century lecture room, overlooking an operating table many floors down like a scene out of Frankenstein.
2nd Sep 2009 Jack BurnfordWelcome aboard Jack
The first I knew of this expedition was when I got a call from Will saying he was going to be driving to South Africa in record time and was I interested?
Other London to Cape Town 2010 Blogs
8th Apr 2010 Mac MackenneyThe Elusive Left Hand Drive
Expedition progress is going well, but what we don’t yet have is the elusive second left hand drive Land Rover!
6th Apr 2010 Mac MackenneyLand Rover World offer to Help
I had an email from the Editor of Land Rover World magazine today with an offer to help us .
1st Apr 2010 Steve MackenneyFaults worth knowing about
After our day with the Army I found out what were the most likley faults on the Discovery Td5.
28th Mar 2010 Chris RawlingsBDR on my new Land Rover..maybe!
I wasn't sure what to expect of the day really, or what the Army would think of us and our expedition.
28th Mar 2010 Steve MackenneyTV Chef keen to help
I had a chat with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on Wednesday and he said he's keen to help.