Babushka Struggles in Japan

Poor Babushka started to struggle going up the Japanese hills. Initially Chris thought it might be the fuel, but the problem persisted. On the roadside he checked everything he could think of, then eventually Sputnik 6 (Kojiro) arranged breakdown assistance to a garage where the mechanics also checked all the possible causes for the loss of power. They thought maybe it was a piston or a piston ring but could do no more. Kojiro got up at 5.00am to collect Babushka and trailer her to his family’s workshop – a six hour round trip! He and his family are familiar with Austins as they have two! They all helped to identify the problem – the head gasket – which they replaced. They refused to take any money for the work, saying that they had heard of the journey and felt it was their destiny to be part of it. It appears that they have actually put the project back on the road at the final moment – Chris is due to take part in a Mount Fuji photoshoot before driving the last couple of hundred kilometres to TOKYO! At last!