The engine is humming, we push forward. I grab the knob on the short sports gear lever located between the front seats.

Second - gas - third - gas - fourth - gas ... The speedometer keeps moving upwards: 100 - 120 - 140 - 150 - 160 - 170 - 180 ...

"The Turtle", number 707, which is a strong Chevrolet, is coming faster than us. I can no longer spot him on the wide road that makes a slight curve far ahead of us.

Behind me it is still quiet and still because number 713, which was supposed to start after me, has not arrived at the technical inspection either and has therefore been excluded. Instead, a 1962 Studebaker Lark, number 715, will start 20 seconds after me.

For Ursula it is always grueling
Ursula tries the seat belt buckle again, moves the chin strap of her crash helmet forward a little and leans over the first page of her notes that she has on her lap. She clicks on the pea-sized light bulb that helps her read despite its small size. She adjusts the flexible arm that is attached under the glove compartment. This arrangement is simple but so cleverly designed that the light cannot interfere with my driving in the slightest or irritate me through glare. For Ursula it is always tiring to lean over her notes even though we are both sitting in specially designed seats.

They are made especially for us and follow the body along the sides all the way up to the elbow. That way we sit firmly in the curves and do not have to follow the car's roll. Above the elbow the side supports fold back so as not to hinder our arm movements. The backrests reach the shoulders and are cupped. Our seats are not as soft in padding as those in cars on the market, nor are they as elegant. But they have the advantage of being exceptionally practical and comfortable.

We often travel long distances, and such a special design is required. Otherwise, you would not be able to walk or stand upright after traveling 800 or 1,000 km. The factory did not want to install a writing tablet in front of the navigator's seat. It would be too dangerous. Such a tablet could cause serious injuries if you were to have an accident.

By the way, Ursula likes to sit with her knees bent and raised, and then it is not pleasant to have a hard object with sharp edges in front of her. The wide asphalt road slides past under our wheels.

Suddenly there is a downpour

- It's a shame that we're getting rained on, says Ursula.
- Yes, it's a shame, I answer. I can't take my eyes off the road. It stretches out before us without end. It's wide, has a nice asphalt surface and is in very good condition.
- When it starts to rain, it's best to drive slower so we don't risk anything. I haven't experienced wet roads in Argentina so far. I'll have to try that first.
- If it's like Greece, we can say hello home, Ursula mumbles. She does answer me, but her mind is occupied with her notes. She looks at her notebook and then at the clock.
- Tough left-hand bend after 1.5 km, she says. One hundred and sixty. She means the speed at which you can take this bend according to what we noted on the training trip.

I immediately ease off the gas and reduce speed. There we have the bend. I enter at 155 and then exit the curve at full throttle.
- Straight ahead 4.5 km, Ursula informs.
I immediately increase the speed to 180 km/h.

The night is pitch black

We drive ... drive ...
We chase ahead. Now no participant in Category G has overtaken us for a while. "The Turtle" must be far, far ahead of us. Then it will be easier for Eugen Böhringer and Menditegui to beat him with their 300 SE and perhaps overtake him. Hermann Kühne, on the other hand, cannot be far ahead of us. I have also tried to maintain the highest possible speed.

With the same type of car, one cannot go much faster than the other if they are equally experienced drivers and if nothing comes between them. In a place with poor visibility, a few cars appear in front of us again.

But before I have time to get there, it starts to rain. Suddenly, a downpour comes. The road, which has been fairly well lit up so far thanks to the headlights, immediately becomes darker. It looks slippery. I slow down and we continue at 160.

They are standing up to their knees in water

On our training drive we noticed this S-curve that must be especially dangerous when it rains because the road sinks down like a basin. The lowest point of the road - in the middle of the S-curve - is paved with concrete like a drain that runs across the road. I take my foot off the accelerator and lightly tap the brake a couple of times. The speed drops to 120, 100 and finally to 80.

- What does that mean? I suddenly ask when I see three cars standing so strangely on the curve. Ursula looks up.
- Oh my god! she says in horror. Three Mercedes! Menditegui, Böhringer and Kühne!
- I brake harder. As we get closer, we see that all six men are working feverishly. They are standing up to their knees in water. No one looks up - everyone is struggling to get the cars out.
- There's nothing we can do here, I say.

It is a self-evident duty for everyone in the team to help each other. But what are we two weak women to do when six strong men are on the move? One of them, Hermann Kühne's comrade Manfred Schiek, is a fully qualified mechanic. When three cars in the same team have been stopped, it is important that at least one continues so that all the chances are not missed.

711 has not suffered any damage

After a few seconds of deliberation, I shift into second gear and dive into the lake at the S-curve. I drive carefully through the water, which is not still but rushes over the road.

When we tested the track, we studied this spot particularly carefully. We cannot tell whether all three cars have been driving fast or whether two, Kühne and Schiek, are helping the other two but have managed on their own.

I listen anxiously to the hum of the engine. The machine is working smoothly and calmly as usual. 711 has not suffered any damage from the dip.

- It was bad luck, says Ursula. It is clear that Menditegui and Böhringer were far ahead of us.
- It doesn't have to mean anything, I answer. We are only on the first stage. A lot can still happen before we reach the finish line. If they get away soon, they have every chance.