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 | |  | 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 | | |  | September 11, 2011 - Another stop before the second and third stages.
These were run through Torbay, which is a town stage that alternates fast roads with tight corners. I remember from 2008 that this was an eye-opener about the speed in close quarters. I actually remembered it quite well from last time, so I was less worried. And it went well. The car is still super-fast and I'm getting a better handle on exactly how tight a "medium right" corner is. They seem slower than I remember, but that could simply be due to the speed between the corners. Just like 2008, we finished the second run through the stage right on the tail of the car that started 30s in front of us. That's got to be a good sign. On that run, we hit 160 kmh. In someone's neighborhood.
So, how did we do? Well, these stages aren't scored at all. They're for shakedown. But we are given base times, which we used as a sanity check to get an idea of how we should sit in the class. And we beat our base time by approximately 17 seconds in all three cases. When the times were published by the end of the day, we tied for third on the first stage and fourth on the second. The times for the third stage don't appear to be printed yet. So we've got the speed, and we can afford to be cautious where we need to be cautious and make up for it on the easier sections. Excellent.
entry 949 - tags: 2011 race, prologue, Torbay | | |  | September 11, 2011 - Brandon and Zach had a busy day.
Navigating for Grand Touring is not an easy job, and it kept Zach fully occupied. The good news is that the Terratrip woes are behind them, so they don't have to worry about their equipment. Zach spent the evening working on his route books with Janel, so hopefully things will go more smoothly tomorrow.
A squealing noise on startup was getting a bit worse, so Brandon and Trevor dove into the engine to replace the idlers and the serpentine belt. We'd brought along spares just in case, and when everything was buttoned up the noise was gone. So that was worthwhile. Trevor is a great addition to the team. He doesn't just solve problems, he anticipates them and makes sure they won't happen.
entry 950 - tags: 2011 race, crew | | | September 11, 2011 - Sorry, something went wrong with the update to the site.
This is a blank entry. Carry on, nothing to see here...
entry 951 | | | September 12, 2011 -
entry 952 | | |  | September 12, 2011 - Time to start the race.
After an early start, we hit Holyrood for our first stage. It's not a long one, but it was quick enough in spots to give us a good workout. I'm still getting used to just how quickly the car will power down the straights, and it's sometimes a conscious effort to push that throttle all the way down. Still, it worked out well as we zeroed the stage.
The car felt a bit floaty at speed over the rougher pavement. So at the first service stop, I added a few clicks of rebound damping both front and rear.
Then it was on to Conception Harbour. We pulled up to the start line to find that it was marked as Condition 2 under clear skies. Odd. There was also a report of gravel on the road for 2 km in the middle. In retrospect, that explains the condition downgrade. I recognized a good portion of the stage as the old Conception/Colliers stage that we ran on the last day in 2008. That time, it was memorable due to a short stretch of oddly cratered pavement. We skipped that this time, but it was still enough to confirm that the shocks were working much better and the car felt good on the narrow uneven pavement. It's almost a point-and-squirt driving style, as I can't carry the speed through the corners I could last time due to the downgraded tire requirements and I carry a lot more speed on the straights.
We did see our first off. I came around a corner to see a triangle, followed quickly by the crew brandishing the OK sign. Shortly after was a corner covered in gravel, then skidmarks, then the back of a Subaru far off in the woods. Oops. We found out later the car has just a bent wheel, so everything's good for future stages. We did end up taking 5 seconds of penalties on the stage unfortunately. We were not the only ones.
entry 953 - tags: 2011 race, day 1, Holyrood, Conception Harbour | | | September 12, 2011 -
entry 954 | | |  | September 12, 2011 - Yes, we're shooting video.
This should give some pretty good visuals! You may have to wait for that, sleep is more important than uploading video.
After a short break, we took on Marysvale. This is a rough stage in the second half with lots of crests - typical of the roads in this area, it seems. There's a notorious jump/compression combo that claimed a Porsche fairly dramatically years ago, so I treat it with respect. Before we got there, though, we hit a dip hard enough to bottom out the chassis on the pavement hard. The actual "Porsche killer" (that's what we called it in the pace notes) seems to have been replaced with 30 meters of gravel, which was exciting in itself. We zeroed it.
After a short stop, it was on to Southern Harbour In. This was fairly quick and cresty (that's what it was called in the route books!) and it kept me working fairly hard. On some medium left-right-left sweepers, I was able to work the car's balance quite nicely - it's a good, friendly tool, which is exactly what we need. The car feels great. A bit more familiarity with the stages would make it easier to carry a bit more speed through the stage, but it was good enough to let us zero. And that's all that matters.
Then we stopped for lunch with some absolutely fantastic cod. Mmm.
entry 955 - tags: 2011 race, day 1, Southern Harbour, Marysvale | | |  | September 12, 2011 - Southern Harbour Out was the same stage as Southern Harbour In, but we were heading out instead of in.
Easy enough to understand. A Subaru was smoking dramatically when he went to launch a couple of cars ahead of us, looking like a blown head gasket. When it was our turn, we found him sitting by the side of the road about 200m into the stage. Safe and sound, just broken. Our target time for the way out was faster, so we pressed on over the crests and came across another stricken car near the end. This time, it was actually parked in the water! The driver was waving the OK sign so we kept going, but it was a pretty dramatic finish.
A correction - we took one second of penalties on Southern Harbour In. We zeroed it (with a faster time) on the way out.
To follow up on the water car - apparently, on the way out of the stage, my big Dodge and Jim got pressed into service to yank it out! The car took some damage on the way into the drink, so it won't be back for the rest of the race.
entry 956 - tags: 2011 race, Southern Harbour | | |  | September 12, 2011 - Now for North West Brook.
When we drove this stage in 2008, it was fast, rough enough to be interesting and we hit a lot of traffic. Unfortunately, a funeral service meant that 10 km had to be trimmed off the end, but we still got 20 km of some very high speeds. The Targa class has a 200 km/h overall speed limit, and we did manage to kiss it and have to lift off. Did I mention it's a FAST stage?
And what a great stage. Big long sections without any instructions, so it's just the driver and the road. This makes Janel a bit nervous, and she made the mistake of looking up as we approached a crest at 200 km/h. That got her attention.
Due to the high speeds, she can feel a difference in how I'm driving the car. The acceleration is much stronger, and when I'm approaching something unknown such as a crest I'll lift. With the older engine, I wouldn't have to drop as much speed to get comfortable with the upcoming challenge because I wasn't going as fast. So she's noticing a lot more acceleration and deceleration, and she's still getting comfortable with the sensations.
At 200 km/h (120 mph), stuff is happening pretty fast. On a racetrack, that doesn't really sound like a whole lot. But throw in a road with a lot of patches on patches and bumps and dips and blind corners, and it's very fast.
At the end, we were treated with absolutely gorgeous views. Wow.
entry 957 - tags: 2011 race, day 1, North West Brook | | |  | September 12, 2011 - Our trip in to North West brook was very quick.
Quick enough that we were 30 seconds ahead of our minimum average speed of 124 km/h at one point. I backed off, but needless to say we zeroed it. Remember, it's not the fastest car that wins. It's the one with the least penalties. I think we came across the line about 10 seconds early.
We lined up for the return trip, called Southport. I was looking forward to it - roads like this are like catnip to a driver, even if they do carry a high pucker factor - and Janel was starting to warm up to the idea. The car was working well, with just one point where we bottomed out. Quite a bit better from our 2008 visit.
Unfortunately, while we were lined up to start, the ambulance had to take off to take care of a local. It was going to take 30 minutes to bring in another ambulance, so the stage was scrapped for the remaining cars. Instead of a high speed run, we got to follow a marshal in a Corolla through the closed stretch of pavement. It was still quick, but less than 2/3 of the pace we would have carried. The saddest part was waving to all the people camped out on the side of the road to watch. They missed the chance to see the fastest cars go through other than in a noisy parade. I did try to give them some gratuitous acceleration noise just because.
This cancellation, combined with the shortening of the previous stage and an earlier one that was also truncated for a funeral, meant that we only got about half of the stage miles that had originally been planned. That's a shame. Still, it was a good day.
entry 958 - tags: 2011 race, Southport | | |  | September 12, 2011 - Time for a long transit to Gander, where we parked for the night.
The transit headsets I put together are a godsend, making life much better in a loud car.
It was a good day. We didn't get through it without penalties, which is usually a requirement for a good finish. But as it turns out, none of the Open cars did manage to clear it. Our 6 seconds of penalties put us in fourth in the division. The big Challenger that showed up in 2008 is leading with two seconds, followed by a BMW M3 (3 seconds) and the Civic (5 seconds). We're in a good place. We're being cautious and not taking big risks, and we're only 4 seconds behind the division leader.
Attrition is taking its toll already. The Audi is running, but it's not healthy and has 28 minutes of penalties. The Subaru with the blown head gasket was involved in another mishap after the head gasket failure and will not be returning. Jim Kenzie in his MINI is suffering from electrical problems and missed a stage today, which will give him approximately 8 minutes of penalties.
Our car is holding up well. The fuel economy is much better when we're not idling constantly. The skid plates did their job on the big hit in Marysvale. I can see skid marks on them, but nothing is damaged underneath. Perfect. There's a bit of oil consumption but nothing that can't be managed. And the weather is so far, so good. So it's been a good day.
entry 959 - tags: 2011 race, day 1, results | | |  | September 12, 2011 - The un-fun part of being a navigator.
While the cars were being checked over, Janel hid herself away to do her homework. This is why she's such a good navigator. She goes over every stage several times and writes down every word she's going to say. She's almost completely infallible on the stage and this is why I can have the confidence I need to go powering over the road.
Tomorrow's going to be a lot of fun. We're running Port Leamington out and back, which was one of my best stages in 2008. We run Bobby's Cove and back twice, which is a very fast, smooth and fantastic stage that I loved in 2008. Then twice through Gander. Three of my favorite stages in the entire race, back to back to back to back. This is going to be fantastic.
entry 960 - tags: 2011 race, day 2, navigation | | |  | September 12, 2011 - Zach and his homework.
He's got a lot more of it to do, and the surprising change to Condition 2 for the second stage today really messed with his calculations. He's learning fast, but it's been a challenging and frustrating few days. This isn't quite what he expected! However, despite the learning curve, he and Brandon are currently penalty-free and tied for first with two other teams. It doesn't get any better than that.
Brandon reports that the pace is good - fast enough to be fun, but without the risk of a Miata/tree incident.
entry 961 - tags: 2011 race, day 1, Nancy, Zach, Brandon | | |  | September 13, 2011 - Brandon, hard at work.
This shot is from Gordon the official event photographer, and he's pretty good at posting daily updates. You can see them here: http://www.gordonsleigh.com/v/Motorsports/Targa/Daily2011/.
There's one new rule this year: anyone spotted cutting corners and throwing gravel on to the road gets a 30 second penalty. On the second stage yesterday, it was pretty hard to tell where the road started on some corners thanks to the gravel present when we went through, but I believe that was a pre-existing condition!
I forgot to mention some extra drama for our team yesterday. As we pulled up to the start line for Southern Harbour In, my intercom cut out. 20 seconds of frantic messing about followed to fix the intermittent connection and I managed to get it sorted, but it got Janel all tense. Looking at the video, I was distracted as well. We took some steps to secure the wires to prevent it from happening again, but it sure wasn't a good way to start a stage.
entry 962 - tags: 2011 race, day 1, Southern Harbour In, Brandon, gravel | | |
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