It's Saturday, and Targa Newfoundland 2007 has officially ended. Unfortunately we didn't wake up to find that it was all a bad dream, the car is still wrecked.
Surprisingly, since the race is over, we managed to break down again. More on that later. Now, we're fine from the original incident, and the car is reasonably back together. We hammered the hood and fender out and fixed the radiator, so now it looks like this:
http://www.darlingtonmediaworks.com/garth/TN07_Sept14/source/07r105f406.htm
We ran the Torbay stage, topping out at 66kph, which is pretty slow, whether you know what a kilometer is or not. The car seemed to work okay and we made the ceremonial finish at the Keg down by the water, which really felt great. The other competitors have been unbelievably supportive and positive about our incident and our efforts thus far. It makes a big difference to have friends smiling and cheering for you when you drive a broken car across the finish line out of contention, and we really appreciate it.
We went and drowned our sorrows at the after party, but not before dinner at the Athenian Cafe in downtown St. John's. Nick the Greek got to chat it up with the owner who was very gracious and the food was tremendous.
Today was the Easter Seals Charity Autocross, so we took the car out there to give rides for charity. Brian and Greg were going to be doing the driving after a solid week of supporting us and generally putting up with fussy drivers. We owe them a huge amount for the invaluable assistance during this event. Without them our lives would have been infinitely harder and it likely would have affected our ability to compete. Thanks guys.
So, back to the autocross. Brian took the first kid out for a ride, and about two thirds of the way through the run we all heard a sickening crunch. The right front lower steering knuckle that we had welded up failed and the impact flattened the tire and broke the wheel, but that's it. We took it apart and Roy Hopkins welded it back for us so we could roll the car on the trailer at least. The back door of the trailer is shut, and it's staying that way until 76109.
In other news, Roy and Adrienne won overall in truly impressive fashion. It was really stunning to run a stage and gather points, and then see how few they collected. Just dominant really. Congratulations to them in every way.
We're off to the awards Gala tonight and then we get to check out the sights and sounds of Newfoundland at normal speeds.
It look like we'll be back next year, so maybe we can keep it on the road and bring home a better finish.
Thanks.
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3 comments:
Nick, Will, Brian & Greg-
What an awesome experience. I have to say the level in which you performed impressed me. But I never doubted that. Targa is a daunting feat to begin with and you have finished it with aplomb. Congrats to all of you and we look forward to having you back to DFW.
Safe travels.
Bill
Hey guys,
I've been keeping up with your story, great stuff! You guys did awesome!
Congrats!
Andy
Whatever the outcome of the race, "Newfoundland 2007" is and needs to be a proud and happy moment for you. If it isn't already, it will also soon be a memory.
Both the moment and the memory deserve to be celebrated with some Fort Worth barbecue. That probably can't happen for me until early November; but I'm looking forward to it.
Drive slowly enough to savor the sights that surround you along the way..drive safely; and when you get there, Welcome Home!
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