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 | |  | August 27, 2011 - A final check of the undercarriage.
The car's just back from the alignment shop, where they set up the caster and rear toe. The control arms are set for maximum camber using the factory adjusters, leaving the extra adjusters on the V8Roadsters control arms for me to play with. I'm taking a last trip to the track tomorrow to just double-check the handling balance and scrub in the race tires a bit. I haven't spent anywhere near as long on the handling setup this time as I did last time, but that's because the car is such a good, solid platform now. I've been experimenting with it for about four straight years. So I know how to quickly make the adjustments I need to make it work the way I want.
Meanwhile, Brandon is busy doing the last-minute prep on Nancy. Mounting emergency triangles, packing his on-board tool kit, etc. He's also chased down a couple of odd noises. The one thing that is giving him trouble is the trip computer. It's a Terratrip, and we originally purchased an interface box so that it could use the car's electronic speedometer signal. But it turns out that the NC Miata doesn't actually have a separate speedo signal if the car's fitted with ABS. The car figures out road speed from the wheel sensors, and it's all passed around via the CAN-BUS network. So scratch that idea.
Then he discovered the Vehicle Speed Sensor that's used on the non-ABS versions. So he ordered one of those and popped it into the trans...and it's didn't work. It turns out there's a small pin in one of the shafts of the transmission that triggers the VSS, and it's not there on the ABS cars. The hole is, but short of disassembling the transmission it's not an easy retrofit. So now he's going old-school and putting a Hall effect sensor reading off the driveshaft bolts. Lots of fun!
The big trailer with the cars on board will be leaving Grand Junction on Wednesday morning. Almost there...
entry 929 - tags: trip computer, alignment, suspension | | |  | August 29, 2011 - More preparation work.
The cars have to carry some tools with them, just in case. We don't plan on actually using these, but you never do. It's not a full complement of tools (and you can't see them all here) but it should allow us to do most of what we may need at the side of the road. The support vehicles will have a much fuller kit, although everything does have to fit in the back of a pickup along with our spares. We did manage to cleverly come up with two cars that have absolutely nothing in common with each other, which does make this task a bit harder.
The past weekend was actually fairly low-key. The car's in good shape, so it's just a matter of packing by this point.
entry 930 - tags: tools, preparation | | |  | August 30, 2011 - Today was spent in packing and prep time.
The trailer got a few stickers so we can find it in a parking lot. Both cars got washed. All of the spares were gathered up and packed in boxes and buckets, with clear labels on the top so we can quickly find something without unpacking everything. With a large service crew, this is important! We even put a license plate on the trailer.
Everything was packed up by the end of the day, and I pulled out of the lot at 6 pm to head home. We're hitting the road at around 7 am tomorrow. If you see the big while trailer on the road, honk and wave.
entry 931 - tags: trailer, packing, spares | | |  | August 30, 2011 - Of course, the tow vehicle had to be properly attired.
Only semi drivers can actually see the Martini on the hood when we're driving, but I know it's there.
entry 932 - tags: truck, Martini | | |  | August 30, 2011 - The Targa Miata, ready for the Targa.
Now, how about the strategy for the race? One thing to remember is that the Targa is an endurance event. As another competitor has pointed out, you can't win the race on a single corner but you can lose it. You have to get to the end. Also, the winner isn't the fastest car, it's the one with the least number of penalties. That's important to remember. You have to go fast enough to minimize your penalties, but slow enough to survive. Walking that fine line is a real challenge.
A refresher in how the race works. Each stage is given a minimum base time or an average speed, if you like to look at it that way. If you complete the stage over this time or at a lower average speed, then you are penalized. If you finish faster than the minimum, then you don't get any penalties. It doesn't make any difference if you crossed the line right on time or if you came in two minutes early, all that matters is the 0 penalty points. The times get more aggressive and difficult to beat as the week goes on. Nobody will finish the race without penalties, the organizers make sure of that.
There's also the Trophy time, which is the base time plus 40%. If you finish every stage under this time, then you get a Targa plate. It's a reward for consistent speed, and I'm happy to say there's one hanging on my wall from 2008.
We've made some bold statements about winning the whole thing, but really the goal is to run a clean race. Last year, every single Open division car had problems of one sort or another that kept them from finishing a stage. This means big penalties. If someone in that class had kept it together enough to get a Targa plate, they also would have won the division. Heck, the Open division winner only managed to get the steering wheel of his car to the finish line!
So our goal for this race is to finish, get a Targa plate and pick up fewer penalties than our competition. The last is partly up to them, of course, and we're definitely going to have to push as hard as we can and still finish. We'll have a better idea of how hard that will be after the first couple of days.
entry 933 - tags: strategy | | |  | September 6, 2011 - Did you know that the Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world?
Over 40 feet on the day we rolled through. That's high enough that you have to put training wheels on your boat so it won't fall over when docked. And yes, in case you're wondering - we're in Newfoundland now.
I had two hard deadlines on the trip out: pick Janel up in Cleveland, where she was going to fly after working in Pasco, WA all week. Then meet our ferry across to the island on Monday night. These were non-negotiable times. So Jim (Janel's father) and I drove hard for two days to reach Cleveland. We then pushed hard for another day, putting us near Portland, ME right on schedule. The idea was to give us a full day's buffer just in case things went wrong - a mechanical failure with the truck, trailer problems, difficulties at the border, etc. As we got closer, we had lots of time in hand so we took the scenic route through Maine and New Brunswick - thus the picture of boats. Even then, we rolled into the ferry docks with about 10 hours to spare. Mission accomplished!
Now that we're in St. John's, the rest of the crew will be arriving over the next few days. Meanwhile, we're enjoying our favorite seafood restaurant and recuperating from nearly a week in the truck.
entry 934 - tags: travel | | |  | September 6, 2011 - The video project is on!
Thanks to a lot of pre-ordered DVDs and posters, Adam Costa's raised enough money to bring extra crew. This means more footage and a better final product. It's not too late to order a copy. Everyone involved is pretty excited about this. Also exciting is the fact that Adam has released some raw footage from the Summer Camp, including both the Targa Miata and Nancy on the track and Bill talking about the upcoming race. This was before he went all lumberjack and was removed from the driver's seat by a log acting in self-defense.
Big noise from a little car
Bill speaks
entry 935 - tags: video | | |  | September 7, 2011 - A bit of sightseeing for the team as members start to arrive.
From left, we have Zach Bowman, Brandon Fitch, Keith Tanner and Jim Rinderle. Janel Tanner is behind the camera. We spent the day running various errands such as changing the oil in the trusty tow vehicle and picking up an extra tarp for use when servicing the cars. Then everyone went out for a big dinner to bond as a team. Zach's going to fit in just fine.
Tomorrow morning, Brandon and Zach go to Targa school to learn the ins and outs (and lefts and rights) of the event while Keith and Janel do a few more jobs and get their heads into race mode.
entry 936 - tags: Team | | |  | September 8, 2011 - So, what's in the parking lot of your Holiday Inn?
Yes, that's a Murcielago and a Maserati MC12 parked beside a mere Ferrari 430. The Enzo is down at the Comfort Inn as part of the Targa school. All of these cars are running in the Touring division, which means they are in the same class as Brandon and Zach. This is possibly the only time a Miata has ever taken on a MC12 in direct timed competition.
As for the Targa Miata, it's changed from a very fast car to an extremely fast car. I took it for a quick run down the road and made an involuntary comment the first time I hit full throttle. I'm going to go do a bit more tuning later this afternoon to tweak the zones I couldn't reach at altitude, as it's running a bit rich in those areas. And of course, with all this power, the forecast is for rain.
entry 937 - tags: targa, 2011 race, exotics, tuning | | |  | September 9, 2011 - Looking for updates on the race?
Here are where you can find various members of our team posting.
Zach's Autoblog posts
Adam Costa's Kickstarter feed
Official results and entry list
and of course, this site.
Zach and Brandon spent the day running practice stages while Keith and Janel re-familiarized themselves with the Newfoundland roads and the car's different personality. The last members of the service crew come in tonight and then it all begins tomorrow morning.
It looks like the supercars are running in the newly created "Hot Tour" group instead of competing. It's pretty obvious from looking at them that they'd be leaving expensive carbon fiber shards all over the island if they tried to take all the stages at speed - the low speed bump in front of the hotel is about all the Enzo can handle. So they'll be running the closed stages, but without timing and likely limited to the same speed levels as Grand Touring cars are. So we'll get to watch (and hear!) them being driven properly without having to worry about seeing them get destroyed.
entry 938 - tags: race, preparation | | |  | September 10, 2011 - Zach and Brandon report having a good time on the practice stage yesterday.
They seem to be bonding quite well as a team and are having fun. It wasn't completely without problems, though - their Terratrip started showing signs of a weak signal at speed. That should be easily solved with some adjustment of the sender.
Not everyone's problems are so easily solved, however. This Audi failed to execute a corner and needs some suspension work. There also used to be a very large intercooler and (one would assume) a radiator in front of the engine. Ouch! This is one of the other Open class cars, and let's hope it's the biggest drama they have all week.
entry 939 - tags: 2011 race, practice | | |  | September 10, 2011 - Targa car parking.
The only way to get a picture of the supercars without a mob in front is to take it first thing in the morning. Even at 11pm, they were surrounded by gawkers and there was a lot of traffic in the parking lot as every gearhead in town descended on the hotel to check them out. Both the Lamborghini and the Enzo are heavily modified, so there's some real firepower here. They sound like it, too - the Enzo sounds more like a piece of industrial equipment than a car.
The front corner of the lot has turned into unofficial Targa parking, with a Mustang and a Kia joining the two Miatas and the exotics. I figured it was the safest place in town to park, nobody would look twice at our little Miata. Today, we're moving on to scrutineering and the cars will spend the next week tucked away inside at night.
Everyone from the team has arrived, underscoring just what a big effort this has become. Trying to find a restaurant that can seat a dozen people on a Friday night is not easy!
entry 940 - tags: 2011 race, exotics | | |  | September 10, 2011 - Zach, hard at work studying his navigation.
Zach, hard at work studying his navigation.
entry 941 - tags: 2011 race | | |  | September 10, 2011 - This was pretty much the standard view of the Targa Miata all day.
With the hood open, it's a crowd-stopper. Lots of questions about how nose-heavy it is and comments about shoehorns. It should be a big hit on the stages.
The day was fairly low-key. We registered, breezed through technical inspection and spent the day doing light service work such as filling camelbaks and cleaning glass. Janel and Zach sequestered themselves to do their homework and work through the route books, translating the symbols and notes into what they'll be reading to their respective drivers. Lots of homework. Meanwhile, I spent the day talking to visitors and other drivers. We also took a very useful driver/codriver navigation class that was poorly attended by other teams - that's their loss. Mark Williams, who gave the class, mentioned that he'd seen some of our videos from last time and was really impressed with Janel's navigation.
Brandon continued to do battle with the Terratrip's moody speed sensor, finally solving the problem by swapping out the driveshaft nuts with some bigger ones for a stronger signal. Fairly late at night, he and Zach headed out to do the calibration and reported success.
entry 942 - tags: 2011 race, terratrip, odometer | | |  | September 10, 2011 - We're not the only Miatas in the race.
Team Hammerhead is back with their two cars, taking on Brandon and Zach in Grand Touring. One of the Hammerhead cars is guaranteed a class win by simply finishing, as they're the sole entry in Grand Touring Unequipped - that means they don't have a rally computer. The other is running in Grand Touring Equipped, just like Brandon and Zach.
entry 943 - tags: 2011 race, hammerheads | | |  | September 10, 2011 - Here's our big competition in Open.
Jim Kenzie and Brian Bonniere have won the event three times, including last year. There's also a twin-turbo Supra driven by Andre Comrie Picard which should be quite quick, and Jim pointed out a Honda Civic with a modified Type R engine that is worth watching. The cool thing is that all the other competitors are super friendly and helpful. It's something I remember from last time, and that I really enjoy about this event.
Tomorrow, we run the first Prologue stages. These aren't scored as part of the event, but are used as shakedown for both the teams and the timing crews. We'll be running fast but leaving a big, big margin of error. You can't win the Targa on the Prologue, but you sure can lose it by crashing. Janel and I will both feel a lot more relaxed and comfortable once we've made it through those stages at higher speeds - it'll help us get rid of the jitters.
entry 944 - tags: 2011 race | | |  | September 11, 2011 - Meet the full team.
From left: Zach Bowman, Brandon Fitch, Tom Tanner, Laura Tanner, Jim Rinderle, Trevor Holt (kneeling), Keith Tanner, Janel Tanner, Sam Sharp. We're all posed in front of a Miata. Really. It seems like a lot of people - and sometimes, it is! - but it's really handy to always have someone available to check out of the hotel or go pick up some batteries while the others work on the cars. Plus it's a family affair. Besides the obvious Tanner group, Jim Rinderle is Janel's father.
entry 945 - tags: 2011 race | | |  | September 11, 2011 - The last time we saw this Nissan, it was upside down on the final stage of the 2008 race.
And it's back! Great news. Unfortunately, while the Audi was back together this morning and displaying quite a bit of creativity in fabrication, it doesn't appear to have run any stages today. That doesn't matter at all in the race results, but it's also not listed for start tomorrow. I hope we see it.
entry 946 - tags: 2011 race | | |  | September 11, 2011 - So, how did it go?
To keep the suspense to a minimum, very well. Both Janel and I were a bit nervous pulling up to the start line of Flatrock, even though it was a stage we'd run twice at legal speeds while checking out the car. But it's been three years since we ran a stage at speed. For me, I got a big shot of adrenaline about the time I hit second gear after a gentle start. I also spied one of our camera crew by the side of the road and remembered what I was supposed to be doing.
I was quite cautious on the first bit, taking things a bit carefully on the corners as I felt out the car. There are some real consequences to the first part of this stage, and it's taken a few scalps over the years. The car felt good, although the approach speeds were higher than before! Once we turned into the woods and away from the ocean, I put the hammer down. And this car has quite a hammer. After the stage, I was talking to a couple of other experienced drivers and they asked how the car was "up the hill". Hill? I asked a few questions and found out that the wooded section was uphill the whole 3 km or so. I'd never noticed. I lifted because my speed was high enough (we maxed out at 177), but the car shrugged off gravity. Just after that conversation, we ran over the same road again as part of a transit and I realized they were right. It IS uphill all the way! Not that you could tell from the way the car pulled. It is a rocket, and it seems to be propelled by sheer noise. The video is going to be epic.
Janel was a bit shaky from adrenaline after the run and I was giddy. What a rush.
entry 947 - tags: 2011 race, prologue, Flatrock | | |  | September 11, 2011 - After Flatrock, we stopped for lunch at a local school for our first meet-and-greet.
And we got to meet lots of Targa fans. This is Stephen Strickland and family, who are part of the reason we're here. We've been lucky enough to meet a number of our supporters, the people who made this whole race possible.
entry 948 - tags: 2011 race, prologue, supporters | | |
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THE DIARY