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The rainy view out of our windshield for the day. » More Photos
For the past month or so we have been praying for rain during the event. We have known all along that the base times we would have to beat in the most modern class would be very, very difficult, and that rain would be our biggest potential advantage. The all-wheel drive system in our Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution does a fantastic job of letting us put all of the power down regardless of road conditions. It also does a fantastic job of keeping our car on the road through the slippery corners, although it cannot defy the laws of physics (regardless of what our competitors might think).
After two days of competition, we finally got our rain. Once it came, we weren't so sure we wanted it anymore.
We would face 8 stages in damp or rainy conditions through the day; three high-speed town stages through Mainpoint, Fredrickton, and Musgrave Harbor, a short run through the most narrow roads you have ever seen on Greenspond island, two more high-speed runs through the towns of Eastport Peninsula and Port Blandford, ending the day charging through another city stage in Clarenville.
Our car proved to be just as fast as we thought it would be in the rain. In the flowing town stages, where the base times were difficult and the average speeds were over 100kph, we were able to take the minimum of penalties. All we could hope on those stages was that our rear wheel drive competition would struggle on the same roads.
We took penalties on just two of these 6 stages. One was purely a case of having to drive slower than we wanted to due to the slick conditions, but the second came in a much more dramatic fashion.
The Targa organizers want the competitors to be able to enjoy some high-speed runs that really test the top speed of their cars. That said, there is a strict rule set down by the FIA (the sanctioning body of the event) that strictly prohibits
Broken roads, a rainstorm, and cutting lots of corners to make up time leads to 10lbs of dirt in your wheels » More Photos
It was entering one of these SRZs that got us into trouble today. I was intent on going as fast as possible before the SRZ in order to "put time in the bank", or get ahead of our base time. Being so intent on banking time, I missed the entry to the SRZ, which is policed by radar. My co-driver yelled at me to slow down, and so I got on the brakes HARD. That's when the trouble really started.
Running without the aid of ABS (my Evo did not come with it, as it's a rally sport car), and with flat spots on the tires from the night before, all 4 wheels locked up at well over 120kph. The rear of the car snapped around and the car was quickly facing backwards on the road. As our Evo spun, I put my foot on the clutch and reapplied the brakes in order to limit the damage. The car kept going backward, but stabilized and so a quick flick of the wheel and the car was pointed straight again. Pop it into 2nd gear and we're back on the road! This is a true testament to never giving up when things get hairy.
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