Fear not, Panamericana fans: the race is still on, but instead of starting today as planned, it will kick off mañana, as they say in Argentina. A 16,000-mile journey over unforgiving terrain is bound to require a few last-minute adjustments, and Rainer Zietlow and his team have made one. They’ve pushed the start time back by 15 hours, but they aren’t about to let a little snow and the possibility of volcanic ash stop them from reaching their goal, which is to drive from Argentina to Alaska in just 14 days.

Here’s today’s road (and weather) report from Rainer:

We have now arrived at the starting point of the TDI-Panamericana Endurance Challenge in Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city. There is no trace in the air of the volcanic ashes we were warned about the day before, but as a precaution because it’s always better to be safe than sorry, especially on a tour as challenging as this one, we changed the air filter on the Touareg anyway. On top of the threat of volcanic ash, it began to snow as we drove into the city of Ushuaia. There is not much, but it is cold enough for the snow to stick to the roads.

Since there has been snowfall in the Andes for the past two days, we decided to move the start time back 15 hours to June 30th.

Yesterday, we drove through Tierra del Fuego National Park to get a few shots for our video. Even though we had to delay the start date, the team is in good spirits, and we are excited to finally begin our tour tomorrow.

- Rainer

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the official start of the challenge. And remember: you can follow Rainer’s adventures online at www.tdi-panamericana.com, where you’ll find a map and live streaming video to show the Touareg’s real-time progress on the route, as well as photos and videos documenting the journey from start to finish.

RELATED POSTS

Countdown to the TDI-Panamericana Endurance Challenge: Rainer’s team approaches the starting line in Ushuaia

On the open road with Rainer Zietlow: a road report from the driver of the TDI-Panamericana Endurance Challenge

Did somebody say “road trip”? VW announces the TDI-Panamericana Endurance Challenge