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Argentia,
Sept 23, 2008.
Targa is over! We finished pretty
much at the back of the pack - 5th out of 7th and the 2
teams finishing behind us had major breakdowns and a migraine!
I think Jeff is still a bit ticked off about running in
equipped, but I am happy that we completed intact! Hey, we
even finished above Eppie Wietzes! The highlights:
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Brigus
was a lot of fun, as were the other in town stages, lots of
tight curves, in many cases where you were going up right or
left handers into what looked like people's driveways.
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On the
last day in the second last stage, we did a 360! After
successfully managing to get through a triple caution, we
were distracted by our split time where we were ahead and
missed a simple right hander! We still made the time
within 4 seconds of the window.
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Interaction with all of the other competitors! From
team Tanner (Flying Miata) who carted around our box of oil
and tools to conversations with Ralph Gilles on his GTV and
where automotive design is going and Eppie Wietzes on his
races in Cortinas with Shell, every chat was
thoroughly enjoyable.
Here are some
links to the in car video that we took during the event:
GTV in Brigus
360 in the GTV
Links to
other reports:
Sept 11
Sept 12
Sept 18
Sept 23
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The one most
asked question among participants is: will you be coming
back? The answer for me is yes, however it does take a lot
of time and effort so a follow up won't likely be immediate.
Participating in Targa was my 40th birthday present from Alison
my wife and she deserves all of the thanks for the experience!
So, for the next time, here are the lessons learned:
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Some
support even when participating in Touring, would be a
really good idea, especially when driving a vintage car.
Even from the perspective of getting things like the JB Weld
for us and helping to inspect the car after the day is done,
an extra pair of hands would be invaluable freeing up time
for the driver and navigator prepare for the next day.
We could even update our site more often with a bit of help!
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Consider
a car with at least 6 inches of ground clearance.
After the event we went to a friends garage in the Goulds
(thanks Paul and Camilla) took off the sump guard and
pounded it back into shape. It was plastered against
the sump and as the engine rocked in it's mounts it made the
most horrible sound!
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Ensure
that you are as prepared as you car! Pino did a
terrific job getting the GTV ready with the fuel pump being
a minor issue. Jeff and I did run a few TDS rallies in
Ontario in July, but we had ne idea how grueling the week
would be. Getting the books from a team that had
previously participated in the event and working with
them on how to run would be invaluable for those new
to this motorsport.
Enjoy some of
the other pictures and video from the event!
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