Following the dramatic, if not traumatic, evacuation of the desert the previous day, it was decided to mount a reconnaissance into the desert to assess if any of the track could be used for a 300mph run to prove the damper modifications to the steering.

(Brian Palmer pulls in the winch cable for towing the Discovery clear. Photo: Jeremy Davey)

The recce party consisted of Andrew Noble, Brian Palmer, Andy Green and Martyn Davidson - fortunately the Supacats were manned and instructed to follow the Land-Rover Discovery. First entry was made at the Desert Police’s fort - good progress was made fior a few hundred yards until the track turned into a canal. Striking north the Discovery made progress for another hundred yards and plummeted vertically to its axles - no amount of diff-locking and varying ratios could extricate the vehicle. The Supacats were summoned to drag the team out with the power-winches - gloomily bets were laid as to the ratio of mickey-taking to practical help by the rescuers. Martyn’s choice of 5 minutes of embarrassment and 10 minutes of winching proved accurate!

(Flood waters on the desert access road. Photo: Jeremy Davey)

A second entry was attempted via the Jafr Well (famous for Omar Sharif’s past appearance in "Lawrence of Arabia"). By now the recce team were highly tuned to the subtle variations in desert surface. Plop! Down went the Disco again, but sufficient momentum and power was maintained to drive out. It was then decided to route along the main Jafr-Ma’an road before cutting in south of the desert. The team travelled on endless Bedouin tracks before heading north to climb and escarpment. Unfortunately a new and rather large lake appeared in front. During the ensuing discussion a tanker appeared and attempted a crossing. Skillfully avoiding being bogged down, the tanker driver backed out and found a new route east with the Discovery following. The team then crossed several ridges on a northerly heading before descending into the desert. Thanks to GPS (Global Positioning System) and a useful map donated by Jerry Bliss, the Discovery emerged less than 200m from the Fechers marking the 9.5 mile point on the track!

An awesome sight met the recce team - the track was flooded from Mile 0 to Mile 9.5 and the water was still advancing. The still waters created the perception that there was no horizon since the water mirrored the sky. It was immediately evident that our runs were over for the year. Each of the team members stood quietly, lost in their thoughts. All that effort by the Jordanian Air Force personnel and our team lay in ruins.

A short brief was passed to the Pit Station back at the air base, summarised by Martyn in one word: "Endex."

(A Supacat handling the flooded desert with ease. Photo: Paul Remfry)

The Discovery left the desert by the south escarpment and a new route was taken towards the twin towers at the fort. Frustratingly the lake had deepened and despite being only 2km from the fort and Supacat crews, the recce team had to turn south-east and try to drive around the lake. Little did they realise that several hours driving on rough terrain lay ahead.

The hours were spent driving along the escarpment and back down to probe for crossings. The base team seized the initiative and deployed vehicles with radios to maintain communications along the highway. Eventually the recce team got around the lake and with the aid of GPS plotted a route to the highway. Discussions by now had turned to spending the night on the escarpment. Although the team had no food, they had a fuelled Discovery with a serviceable heater, a case of water in the back, radio communications with base, Trimble GPS and a reasonably detailed map. The option of seeking shelter with the Bedouin was also discussed.

A by-now-rather-tired Martyn was relieved at the wheel and Brian took over. A level Bedouin track was found and good progress made. Suddenly in the distance vehicles were seen on the highway. The recce team had made it out of the desert and off the escarpment before nightfall, 30 km south of Ma’an. Messages were passed along the string of vehicles and all personnel were back at the air base by 5pm. In all, a normally 15-20km trip had taken just short of 300km!

Tribute has to be paid to the manner in which the base and Recce teams managed the unfolding events of the day, but the greatest tribute of all belongs to ‘Discovery 4’. Throughout the day the Land-Rover performed magnificently in the most inhospitable of terrain, cossetting the recce team in an air-conditioned environment.

The author of this article, Martyn Davidson, is ThrustSSC's Operations Manager and a Squadron Leader in the Royal Air Force. Martyn is an honorary platinum member of the Mach 1 Club.

	Sponsored by	This site best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 3