SUCCESSFULLY FINISHED !!!!!!!!

 International Trip

Uruguay - Argentina - Chile

Soon you´ll find here the updated raid chronicle

Members of the Friends of Microcars Uruguayan Association  have planned a very difficult challenge : several BMW Isetta driving from Montevideo to Santiago de Chile, through 1774 Km. of continental roads of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, even driving across the Andes mountains through Las Cuevas (Mendoza).

There are six Uruguayan drivers confirmed until now, who are counting with support from some local sponsors and Microcar Clubs from Argentina (CASYM) and Chile (Isettas Club of Chile).

Isettas Club of Chile will organize a raid which will include driving across the Andes mountains to Mendoza, go and return to Santiago de Chile.  Their raid will be completed with a round trip to Viña del Mar.

Our Scooter and Microcar Club of Argentina will be present as one of our members will participate by starting in Buenos Aires and joining to the Uruguayan convoy at Zárate until ending trip at Santiago (Chile), and it's expected several Isetta owners, also members of CASYM, to meet us at Mendoza. Then Chilean drivers will go back to Santiago together with Uruguayan and Argentinian tripulations.

Some vehicles are almost ready, meanwhile the rest are being repaired as soon as possible in order to comply with the scheduled date of January 7, 2002.  See article on Uruguayan newspaper "El País" , dated Thursday Nov. 22, 2001

• Trip will be performed on several journeys, starting at Montevideo on Monday 7, 2002. Initial idea was to cross to Buenos Aires through the Río de la Plata (obviously by boat), but it seems that taking Isettas a breath on the first travelling journey was not acceptable for their drivers and for that reason they decided to enter Argentina through Fray Bentos. First journey would be complied by finishing at Zárate after 470 Km.

• Following two journeys, Zárate - Río Cuarto (Jan. 8) and Río Cuarto - Mendoza (Jan. 9) will be driven by the Pampas, on flat ground or with minimum hills. Average of 55 Km/h will be intended to be kept. Distances will be 445 Km. and 312 Km. respectively. Starting at Zárate the representative from Argentina will be included. At this point, complications may afford due to the intense transit of the National Route 8, usually used by heavy trucks. Water floodings are actually causing great damage in the northwest of Buenos Aires province, specially round the Junín zone, where a bridge was destroyed by the river during mid November. This have turned impossible to perform the trip through National Route 7 as it was originally thought.

• Arriving to Mendoza, there's expected to meet the members from Isettas Club of Chile and get back together to Santiago during fourth and fifth traveling journeys (Mendoza - Las Cuevas and Las Cuevas - Santiago de Chile). Both journeys mean less kilometers than any of the previous ones (195 and 164 Km., respectively), however, the way ahead will be very tough and for that reason an average speed of 30 km/h was stated. It will undoubtedly be an important challenge for these little vehicles and their adventurous drivers.

Microcars will be brought back by truck.  Arriving Isettas will receive their very deserved rest...

We'll closely follow the alternatives of this International Trip and meanwhile we'll wait another guy from Argentina to join the convoy. Please don't lose your faith...

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