Day 29 - I smell blood in the water ...

Late post:

• As of late Friday night, Clive was unaware of the final classifications but there had been talk of the 1st timed stage being excluded from the results because of the accident.
• As of Saturday morning, final classifications from Friday still have not been posted. 

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I woke today at 3.30am.   Of course, all I could think of was that this would be a day of competition.  So I couldn't get back to sleep ... such was my level of readiness.

Once we got to breakfast, I sensed that many of my competitors were not relishing the forthcoming day as much as I was.   They were complaining of fatigue, colds and general malaise whereas my mood was bouyant.   

Ces asked     "What's up with you?"

I said             "I smell blood in the water!"

She knew I was ready to race!    I'd been waiting for bloody weeks ....

Once we pulled away from the car park, I immedialty felt that the brake adjustments that I'd carried out the night before were bang-on.   The car was running perfectly.   The only dampener was that rain had started falling.

The rain was falling heavily as we made our way to the 1st stage some 170 kms away from the hotel.   We proceeded to the start line, where we were warned that the conditions high up in the mountains were very slippery. 

After the count down, we flew away from the line and began the climb up into the clouds and along the side of a mountain.  All was running well.   After about 30kms, I approached a hairpin left which marked the end of the mountain and indicated the start of a big drop.  The car started sliding ... almost uncontrollably ... until I steered hard left and released the foot brake ...  in an attempt to make the front bite and turn in.

The car responded, we made the turn, but immediately the back tried to overtake the front.   I had no choice but to steer directly towards the cliff edge.   Once again the front turned in, so now I applied power and maintained the opposite lock to keep us from dropping over the edge.

This "tank slapper" was repeated and repeated and repeated ... four times in total.   By the time we'd emerged from the bend and the car was under control, my early morning passion to win had turned into a simple desire to live!    Over the rest of the stage, the car was sliding everywhere, right and left.   Even on the uphill sections, the wheels would spin and the car would choose it's own route.

Later the same morning I would learn that another car had indeed left the road and this was driven by our friends Mike and Anne Wilkinson.   As I write I understand that the there was "only" a 90 foot drop ... so their injuries are minor.  The car is still being assessed.

The big scare put a halt to my early exhuberant pace ... the 2 later stages were slow but controlled.   I started today 9th in class and 15th overall so time will tell where we are now.

There are 5 short stages tomorrow and Time Controls along the route that you must "make" to avoid penalties.   The total route today including stages was over 700kms and that is a lot for an old car.  Accordingly, we expect some competitors to fall by the wayside tomorrow.  

Fugly is running very well and the radiator is holding position thanks to a number of cable-ties!

CD & Ces

(PS:  Stay safe, Clive.   It's the most important thing.   ... Peter  ... and I believe that I speak for all of your blog-readers)

Motor Sport is Dangerous.  But only while you're still alive.