Cape-to-Cape team through the fertile plateaus of EthiopiaCape-to-Cape team through the fertile plateaus of Ethiopia

Rainer Zietlow and his team travelled through the Ethiopian beautiful landscape and rediscovers the joys of paper maps while the on-board power supply surrendered

Ethiopia – September 26, 2014: Goodyear is attempting to enter the record books with its sponsorship of the adventurer Rainer Zietlow and his World Record Drive from Nordkapp (Norway) to Cape Agulhas (South Africa).

The Cape-to-Cape team departed on Sunday September 21stfrom Nordkapp in their Volkswagen Touareg, fitted with Goodyear Wrangler tires.  On day five of the challenge, the Cape-to-Cape team crossed the Ethiopian border with quite some administrative difficulties.

As the driving team was astounded by the magnificence of the Ethiopian landscape and its fertile plateaus and lively small villages, they barely noticed that the on-board power supply gave out, making it impossible to use the navigation tablets. Going back to paper maps made the journey even more adventurous.

200km before reaching Addis Ababa, a solution to reconnect the navigator was found and the team had a brief moment in which it believed the worst was be behind them. This did not account for the thick storm which hit them shortly after. The road was flooded by the heavy rain and it did not last long before the Touareg ended in a deep mud puddle. Without any hesitation, Rainer and Marius jumped out of the car, both bare feet, Marius still equipped with his camera, and lifted the car out of its gravely trap.

At 2am they could finally take a deserved break, after having endured a hard time on the road which hit the Cape-to-Cape team consecutively with gravel, potholes and broken asphalt.

The team is now pursuing its journey towards Kenya.