Compared to last year, this year’s Taiwan Cup looks to be on track.
Many readers will remember last year’s Taiphoon which came in well south of Taiwan, if I remember rightly, and then took a sudden right turn north. The result was torrential rain down Taiwan’s east coast. A section of the highway along the cliffs from Suao to Hualien collapsed, sweeping some tourist buses into the ocean below.
The Suhua highway that connects from Suao in Yilan to Hualien did suffer a further collapse last week. The road has been repaired although traffic flow seems to be restricted. The probability of any further road problems would seem to be quite low now. [Thursday update: heavy rain showers over this section of coast make a landslip more likely. If you are heading down there, take a train, or the Central Cross Island Highway, or come in from the Taitung end in the south].
This year there’s no typhoon. Rain showers, however, are forecast brought in by the seasonal NE wind/weather-pattern. Sunday should see some great racing although it could be a bit slippery here and there.
I’ll be helping out as a liaison for the international teams and am very much looking forward to having a chat with them. Many local teams will be a part of the action as well. It looks like I’ll be able to get some good shots of the racing on the day from one of the accompanying cars. It should be good.