Bolivia disaster

[ack]

 I have held off on posting this until we had our containers back. It's a long read if you're interested. I shared this with the other entries and people who were their to make sure what I wrote was accurate and all agreed it is.

[aircap]

Maybe it's just me, but I'd arrange to have some local talent help those 2 disappear permanently.

[jl222]

 Extortion laws in Bolivia?

 How about a picture of this thieving con artist.

               JL222

[TrickyDicky]

Just ... wow!  If I understand correctly these people had been involved in the previous Bolivia events, so you must have thought you had a good working relationship with a proven local operator?

And after all that shit you and Reg Cook are still planning to go back.  Who can resist 15 miles of perfect salt?

Jamie Williams, Jim Knapp and I are working on returning to Bolivia in 2024 ... Hopefully this will be part of Reg Cook?s ?Kiwi Can Do event? with FIA and FIM sanctions.

[TrickyDicky]

From Reg Cook's web site:

Marcello and Malena have joined and become a vital part of the CMR team.

Marcelo and Malena were born in Bolivia and reside there in La Paz . They well understand the culture and politics of the country, are experienced in land speed racing and are our trusted communication and administration arm, to assist in the huge challenge ahead.

Marcelo became interested in Land Speed Racing at the age of 5 after seeing drawings of streamliner vehicles in a Readers Digest. He nightly insisted his Mum read him the article in this magazine as his bedtime story, of the splendid cars and achieving records in Bonneville.

Bolivia being a poor country, magazines and books were and often are still scarce. Marcelo still remembers reading a Life Magazine left by a tourist advertising Craig Breedlove?s Bonneville records.  Marcelo was hooked on the sport, but had nowhere to view or share his passion with.

An interest in motor bikes during his early twenties led Marcelo to being awarded a National Title on his 250 Yamaha.  He went on to graduate from the Bolivian Industrial School to become a Kawasaki authorized service agent. Later while working and travelling in the US, he came across the Bonneville racetrack.  A dream come true!!

Marcelo has been involved with successful challengers at the Bonneville Salt Flats including the Ack Attack team.

In 2016 Marcelo assisted a Brazilian race crew who arrived in Bolivia to explore the Uyuni Salt Flats for its speed potential.  They brought with them a streamliner motorbike designed by Jack Costella. Costella himself arrived to witness the speed trials. No records were set during that year, but the real success of the event was letting the world know of this new playground for land speed racing.

In Bolivia 2017 Marcelo was involved in the recorded Land Speed Event with the Absolute motorcycle team taking home 3 world records.  Again in 2018 with another LSR motorbikes challenge achieving 3 world records.

...

As Marcelo?s wife, Malena became interested in LSR and is always in support.

Her career has been a secretary and worked in the US at the Houston Post, and in Bolivia with the USAID of the American Embassy, the United Nations and the European Union. She is bilingual which has proven very useful in her country, especially assisting at the LSR events.  Malena will be assisting Marcelo and the CMR team with translation, administration and catering in Bolivia

Marcelo and Malena have 3 children and one grandchild,

Maybe needs a rethink?

[stay`tee]

I along with two other Aussies were members of Richards crew at Uyuni,, Richard was flown to a hospital in the city of Cochabamba,, We gathered up Richards personal stuff and made the 400-500k trip,, While checking in on Richard Malena showed up, this was about midnight,, We decided to drive back to Uyuni and Malena asked if we could drop her off at her hotel, we spent about an hour driving the streets of Cochabamba as Malena was undecided, said she couldn't remember the hotels name, but was checking a map on her phone the whole time, she eventually asked to be dropped off in a surburban back street,, i became suspicious early on, now after reading Acks report, i feel my suspicions were maybe justified      

[manta22]

Unfortunately this thing is more the norm is South America than the exception. Corruption is rampant and if you are being robbed, going to the authorities to complain will likely open you up to more extortion by those same authorities.

The only country in SA where I feel safe is Chile. Corruption is not tolerated there and the police do not expect to receive bribes. I worked in Iquique for a couple of weeks in the mid-nineties and a bit later in La Serena for another few weeks. We were demonstrating our laser imaging system for a large fishing company there.

[Tonerjockey]

Wow!

I've had to pay off police in Costa Rica and Panama (& Chicago... 50 years ago) but never in Chile, Argentina, nor Brazil.

Not exactly what you went thru... still un-nerving and makes one rethink what the heck am I doing here?

You folks have great focus and persistence.

[kiwi belly tank]

What a friggin horror story! I had interest taking my liner to Bolivia once it shakes down ok but after reading this I'd have to sell my house to pay off my debt!
  Sid.

[Stainless1]

What a friggin horror story! I had interest taking my liner to Bolivia once it shakes down ok but after reading this I'd have to sell my house to pay off my debt!

Wow Sid, I didn't realize your house was that nice...     
Sorry folks, just trying to throw a little humor toward the disastrous situation.

[floydjer]

And I thought the time I gave a cop in Mexico $2 to watch my car while I sat in a bar was the height of corruption.

[kiwi belly tank]

What a friggin horror story! I had interest taking my liner to Bolivia once it shakes down ok but after reading this I'd have to sell my house to pay off my debt!

Wow Sid, I didn't realize your house was that nice...     
Sorry folks, just trying to throw a little humor toward the disastrous situation.

It's just a little shack I built by myself 25 yrs ago on the side of a mountain, you even have to cross a river to get to it so it can't be worth much especially with that forest behind me!   
  Sid.

[noboD]

It sounds as though you were lucky to come out of that alive. I have zero interest in visiting any foreign country. This one is bad enough when it comes to corruption.

[deanroberts]

omg Mike, I had no idea. This is just unbelievable, but I believe every word of it.  I was there to see more than a few of the things on you've written about.  Even with everything that went wrong, you made sure none of us knew the scope of it, and you made sure we all had as good a time as could be had.  Your generosity astounds me.

I loved being a part of this event, but this leaves me feeling empty, and just incredibly ... sad.

THANK YOU Mike!

Dean

[tallguy]

Mike, thank you for sharing this information with us.  It's more than merely sad, as far as I'm concerned.  Even though I'm
not personally directly involved with that experience, learning about it made me very angry.  I wish you and your team all the
best in your future racing efforts.