MDC 2003 full success?!?!

[Klaus]

Beside all other frustrating and disgusting things from the MDC-organisation side( you will read one day my comments about this in the newspaper, called "The dark side of the biggest event in the Middle East" of so).
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Our "team" was a full success, everybody induvidually did his best, was in time, worked hard and acted according our responsebilities we had from our club-side to the MDC organisation.
But of course there is allways one in a team, who doesn't comply with all above mentioned things.
It's like in the real world; the directors or organizers are never wrong.
I forgot who said this once, one US company chairman: teamwork is, when a bunch of people in my team do what I say!
Oh god - not again.

Enjoy duning and keep smiling.

Klaus

[difflock]

Hey Klaus,

I agree with you. I will not do it agaim for next year challenge. Talking about the dark side, here is mine:

What we have been asked to do and did:
- 68 hours of real work and driving
- It was not just me but me and one mechanic also volonteered.
- 2700 kms covered in 4 days.
- We build, at our expense, a special bike rack for the occasion in order to make it easy to the marshalls to load unload.

What we got in return:
- 90% of the fuel paid by myself because always to far away from camp when I needed some.
- 90% of the food...same story as above
- No decent accomodations
- No time to enjoy any part of the race or the bivouac action at night (not even one evening)
- No invitation for the gala dinner
- Arriving the last day at 20h00 at DIMC with a recovered bike on the truck and not finding any one to help unload because every one was too busy getting ready for the gala dinner (I was realy p...... )

The best of it all is when I knew the bikers had to pay about US$ 500 as a mandatory fee/provision for the recovery !!! Why should I provide a service free of charge if the bikers have to pay to get it?? does not sound logical to me. Even if I had to do it again, I would only do so if no advantage is taken by the organizer (s) and if I work free of charge to recover, the people I recover should not have to pay for it.

All I wanted in exchange of my services with Dhabi, was a little exposure of the truck to the media. I did get nothing at all. After dropping the last bike at DIMC and since I was not invited for dinner, I stopped at the Mc Donald station on the highway back to Abu Dhabi. The truck got more exposure in 30 minutes there as dng 4 days in Liwa and on top of it I had some hot food in my stomach and a decent toilet....

Klaus, feel free to use my story in your press article.

Difflock

[Klaus]

Exactly, thats what I mean.
After I came home, first had a good shower and nuts in my own bathroom after 4 days; and a decent meal to recover from suffering also from having a cold drink without extra paying for it. Also then I recognized I feel like nuts and treated like. Misused and abused by the MDC-org.
It seams to me that WE have to be thankfull for being allowed participating at this "great" event and not them for getting it done.
Nothing in return, the sponsors millions go somewhere else.
I am totally pissed off, I tell you.

Klaus

[RonThompson]

I fully agree that organisation, especially where the Marshals were concerned was less than 100% perfect.

I heard about the Gala dinner by chance, so went along, but believe me, you didn't miss much. I was lucky, having been on the Start Team, so I finished at a reasonable time, but for the guys on sweeps and so on, the old idea of a separate evening for Marshals is probably better. I understand they might go back to this next year.

The 24 hour catering WAS there, but only for cash-even for a bottle of water or a coffee.
It's probably (possibly) worthwhile writing officially to the 'organisation' people, setting out the grievances, in the hope that some will be addressed next year. I know I will be, but don't want to air them all in public!

Let's face it, the Marshals are among the most important people for the success of the rally, and as far as I know, THE most important UNPAID people.

And last of all, thanks to Klaus for solving our problem on the last day. We were already at Plan X regarding logistics (another organisational thingy-up), and pretty well deciding as a team to go home!

Still- I AM looking forward to next year, and hoping we can collectively do something to make things smoother and more acceptable.

[Paul]

Hi all,
I totally agree with u guys of how badly the mdc was organized. I was at the pc 4 marshalling on all 4 days, and we get back after a long days work, what do u get, is attitude from the caterers, and sometimes even no food, the first day we got back along with sweep team at 2 in the morning, and what did we have at our 24 hr so called restaurant, some left over macroni, thast all what u get after the whole day work. It was good that we had grabbed some sandwiches before reaching hameem froma small cafeteria. And our accomodation, nothing, we had to have our own tents, and we had to goall the way up the hill and camp. The toilets were such a mess that we used to come to the point where we have to set up our pc( pc4) and then wash ourselves with some water which we collected onthe way in a large container. Difflock, i don't see any reason why should give them free service when this is the way they treat us. At the gala, i saw them giving token of appreciation to the ppl who r sitting in the ac rooms and nothing for us who r in the hot sun all day long. I hope they doi make improvements to all these in the following year. We were fortunateenough to have a goodpc chieg Alan McGee, who did make a little bit arrangements for our snacks and our tents , etc..
MDC should give more prference to marshalls.

Paul

[Mani]

Oh , i thought this year will be much better then the last year but it seems to be nothing happen on improvement side, last year with Fouad we were have taken part in MDC same things did happen what you guys has discribed above, we all end up at liwa hotel spending our own for dinner and have dip in liwa pool, after Last MDC they arranged the dinner for Marshalls and Awarded then with cuflink buttons with big promises that next year it will be definatly good.

Lets see when they will cross over that promise
till then have fun and drive safely.


Regards
Inam

[Mani]

forget one thing " Marshalls are MDC Are like a Tent Pegs" thats all

[Klaus]

I forgot one thing:;
Tonight I spoke to one of the competetors, 1 guy of his servicrew died and 2 others are injured. He left for the funaral in India tonight. Did you heard about this?
The service car overturned.
I Did not read all the papers

Klaus

[JonME4x4]

Klaus,

Jean-Michel and I were on the scene where the service crew that had the accident - it was on Day Two I believe. We were alerted to the accident almost as soon as it happened and we alerted Rally Control straight away. A helicopter with a Medic was despatched immediately and arrived on the scene as quickly as possible. The most critical of the causaulties were medevaced as soon as possible. The accident happened on the Gayathi Gatch Road about 7.5km south of the SS2 Finish.

If you had seen the crash, you would have realised that anybody who was in the vehicle was lucky to be alive immediately afterwards. All three vehicle occupants were alive when medevaced to the Hospital, although one of them (I believe it must be the person who died) was in a very, very bad way. I'm sure that we are all truly sorry for the loss of the gentleman concerned and our thoughts are with his family.

There was nothing that the organisation could have done to prevent this tragedy and to imply otherwise is so very wrong of you. I'm not an accident investigator and I don't know the exact cause of the accident, but to me it looked like the driver lost control (perhaps caused by a blow-out on the front tyre) and the vehicle flipped on the gatch road. After bouncing once, it went over the side of the rad and down a forty foot slope, bouncing once on the slope and at least twice on the ground at the bottom. God knows what speed they must have been doing.

This type of emergency is where the priorities lie during the event - not people's food at the bivouac or having a nice toilet to use. At least you got food. Being with the sweep each day meant it was debatable whether we'd get any food or not.

I agree that not everything is rosy and that the organisation of things, particularly on the bivouac side, need a major improvement. However, don't criticise other aspects of the event where you don't know the whole story.

In the sweep team, we're compiling a de-briefing document to consolidate where we believe that things can be improved. We aim to make practical and constructive suggestions as opposed to whingeing on the sidelines.

Also, Jean-Michel, if you pass your receipts for fuel to either me or John Mitchell-Ross, we shall make sure that you get re-imbursed for the money. There were two tankers at the bivouac each night which could have been used. Although I covered a similar distance to you over the event, I filled up outside Desert Challenge fuel points only three times, including just before the start of SS5 on Friday and my journey home from Dubai after the event.

[difflock]

Hi John,

I do not like to elaborate on such topics but what is wrong must be said and can only be described as wrong.

Most important, that never came up so far but is a fact that I withnessed : if some decision makers at the camp had a little less beer all day long, some thinks would have been different......do not oblige me to mention names.

About the fuel, the least would have been to tell me. I learned from you, on the second day, that fuel was available. The first and second night, when I came back at 3 in the morning, all lights where off and no one there.

As for the accident, I do not agree with you. When you organise such an event, you become responsible for all what happenes including the policing of crazy driver who could put other peoples life in danger. Just spend a bit more money and hire more marshalls and make sure you get a bit more help from the local police.

As for the food, the only night I had a quick diner there, I saw by myself many people eating there without the right to do so. They where only friends of a friend of a friend. How tey entered the bivouac in the first place and got some free food in the second shows how all the organisation lacked of serious.

About the money I spend, it is not about what and how much I spend, it is about no one asking. Alltogether, as far as I'm concerned, it is just about no one saying thank you....one one thing I have to agree with Klaus, may be I should feel priviledged to have been allowed to work, may next year I will have to pay them to do the same.....looks like to many volunteers are staying the line to take over.

Difflock

[husain]

Klaus,

1st I do agree with you and every body else that the MDC was a big mess...
As for our team... I know that you did "ALL THE WORK" on your own 2 days in row... but that was because you didn't want to join anyone... stay alone.. leave alone... come on man.. at least you could give a call saying that you are leaving...
I don't know why you attacking anyone in your team!!! the idea of getting that job was that we have time to play on the dunes!!! "IF YOU DO REMEMBER" this point.. and I think that its what everybody did.. you used to dissapper man... So take it easy on the guy.... chill..
As for me.. am more than happy with our team... and thanks to every and each one in our team for the good time...

Regards

Husain...

[RonThompson]

Enough of the grousing!

...and a comment to Difflock: I don't think it is fair to expect the Organisation to police driving of all the hundreds of people involved with the rally-at all times. How do you suggest they do it?

[RonThompson]

...and a comment to Fouad: Why am I always shown as a 'New Board Participant'??

[RonThompson]

Thanks Fouad ;D

[difflock]

You police a race by hiring enough people to be based at key points where it is obvious that some crews or even participants will overspeed and put the lives of bystander in danger. The Desert Challenge is done with very little if no security at all on any leg in between 2 special stage or on roads going from the bivouac to assistance points. This is not acceptable. Other rally organizer will "spend some money" to have this roads monitor because they care about the safety of the spectators. Desert Challenge organizer (s) gave me the overall feeling that they just want to cash in maximum from the competitor and spend a minimum organizing the race.....but when it comes to the public safety, nothing should be spared.

Did you Marshall in other events ?If so you would know what I'm talking about.

Difflock