The news from day nine...

Wakening to bright sunshine and mosquito bites to make your eyes water the teams set about making an early start until the Lady Penelopes thought they ought to mention that the previous day they had no brakes and the steering column had about six inches of play...

Matt and Dave were summoned...upon inspection Dave turned a pale grey and Matt was heard to utter the words "clucking hell", or something like that...a decision was made that we were going nowhere until some fairly major surgery was performed...so the teams decided to relax and make the most of the sunshine while Dave and Matt set to work...

• It seems Oz may have contracted malaria during the night and has gone mental...

• Meanwhile Jenny decides to fend off the mosquitos with a feather boa...

• While Jim needs a lie down having slept for only 24 hours the previous day...

After 4 hours of sweat and toil Matt and Dave give up, proclaiming that the FAB1's brakes are completely shot and only 1 wheel actually stops turning with the pedal to the floor. Jenny takes a test ride and insists the brakes are better then they were yesterday and is itching to go...Dave turns a paler shade of grey and Matt is heard to utter the heards "clucking hell", or something like that...and the teams head off for Santa's grotto...with everyone giving the FAB1 a wide berth...

From here the teams go hell for leather having had word that Santa is a part-timer and only sticks around until 4 o'clock on Sundays...screeching in to Santa Land at 3.45pm the teams are distraught to find that Santa is nowhere to be seen...Greg is heard to utter the words "Santa you clucking funt", or something like that...before Sari (now back in her homeland) discovers that Santa is merely "asleep" and will be back at 4.00pm...

• Santa's grotto gets overrun by custard...

• Each waiting in turn to sit on Santa's knee and be granted a 24 pack of Stella as an early Xmas present we were slightly taken aback to hear Santa demanding an Extreme Trifle t-shirt, and a bowl of custard...after serious negotiations Santa's wish was granted in return for a photoshoot with the cars...

• It's official Santa definitely "cuts the custard" and next time your nippers complain they didn't get everything on their Xmas list just let them know it's a long way to England as the reindeer flies...

• Greg proves yet again that he'll go to any lengths to get what he wants...

• Having left Santa land we headed for the nearby town of Rovaniemi...pitching up tent we headed for a quiet unassuming bar...

• 7 hours of Karaoke and live music later everything went in to a sleepy quiet...but not before things turned ugly...

Next day...hangovers permitting...the teams would be heading for south towards Helsinki...

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