After everything was packed Jud decided that he would run the autoslalom. Spectators bought rides and the money goes to the Children's Wish charity. Brutus took 10 spectators around the course and Jud drove 3 times in a Porsche whose owner (Tom Collingwood) asked him to drive. At the end of it all Jud had turned FTD (Fastest Time of the Day) in both cars! Kids loved the ride just as much as the adults did. 

Right now the 'official' results show TeamVDG tied in third!

We won the Churchill award- the national award-with Team Audi Canada, Subaru Rally  Canada and TeamVDG!

We also won the Kenzie Award- the Marque award-GM cars got the lowest points!

The top 6 cars have gone to the impound. More later... 

This was the day of 100% chance of rain- and the weather reports were absolutely correct!

After getting only 6 hours sleep the team headed out of Marystown for the first stage. The whole day was made up of short stage, long transit, short stage, long transit...

Umbrellas were distributed-one each for Jud and Jim and one for Chris. The driving suits had to be kept dry and Chris had to talk to Jud at the car door as well as fill the gas tank with Art. 

The clutch's problem seems to have worked itself out with help from Stewart. (Thanks again Stewart!) Brutus was amazing- as was the entire team!

At the end of the day Jud and Jim received their Targa medals. Brutus has been driven to the compound for his technical inspection with all the cars that placed in the top 5.

The final results,showed TeamVDG tied in 3rd place with a fellow GM owner-Bobby Yuille.

The race itself is over. It's the tiny details that need to be covered. We will know more tomorrow.

 

Well the amazing crew (Chris and Art) dragged themselves to bed around 4 AM...which has prompted this Targa quote, "We would really like to go to bed the same day we got up!"

The clutch has continued to be foremost on their minds as the guys drove Brutus through the stages. The day went well and with a combination of driving and codriving skills along with our crew's support and talent in  coming up with fixes as well as  getting the right people to help, a total of seven points were accumulated! 

Thanks to Stewart and the Subaru team, Frank Sprongl's team and the Yuille Autoworks team  for all the help and support-not only in parts but in advice and physical labour. As well a round of applause to the spectators who helped in a pinch. Everyone just jumps in without hesitation.

At the end of the day TeamVDG is unofficially in 4th place.

Tach it up!

(Oh yes, the crew walked into the RV at one minute to twelve!) 

Last night the Newfoundlanders showed exactly why they are the friendliest people around-the car needed a special fluid so our CRO, (Competitor Relations Officer), Clare gave us a phone number of an owner who called an employee who went and opened the store and delivered the product to the Hickman dealership where the crew was working. When asked if thirty dollars would cover it he replied, "Oh geez b'y that's millions!"

It was a very late evening on Tuesday (or should I say -early morning!) with the crew working on Brutus.

Wednesday-the team took a few penalties at Musgrave Harbour and the car started showing some problems with the clutch. All the other stages were zeroed!  The crew will be working late again tonight to get the car working and in fighting form.

For the crew, today was a busy time since at each service there was something intense to do. We divided into two crews so that one could take care of getting the motorhome to a spot along the route and the other could follow Brutus.
Spectators were present en masse at the service areas- many with one objective- get a hero card from as many cars as they could. I think there were a lot of students taking the day off!

I find it heartening to watch crews from different teams working at helping each other-either by offering advice, parts or support-gives one that 'feel good' feeling.

At the end of a day of some fairly long transits we were able to trailer our car to Marystown instead of driving the whole distance.  

Some of the final standings were:

• #510 (Clarke) 0
• #401 (Buchanan) 3
• #30 

We have been receiving support through emails to my own address. I notice a positive response when one is read to the group. It's as though we are feeling not so alone. For that alone I say, "Thanks for your love and support." It's good to know we are being cheered on 'from away'! 

The car ran well throughout the day. The crew is working on the car in a heated service garage tonight-thanks to Hickman Motors. They're performing regular preventive maintenance-changing all fluids, checking tires and tightening anything that needs tightening.

The top standings at the end of Tuesday--#510 is leading the rally with 0; #401- 1; #304-3; #975-6. 

We slept in the arena parking lot (in the RV) with Brutus safely tucked up inside with all the other cars. By the sound of things the parking lot was quieter than the hotel!
 
We got to sleep in! The start of Leg 2 from the Gander Community Centre was 8:30 with our out time for the Appleton stage being 9:26. Four stages were run before lunch in Leading Tickles-an amazing campground made up of rocky crags and guarded by an eagle from its nest high above the beach.     
 
The Leading Tickles stage out was cancelled as we headed out to watch the cars start the stage out of Bobby's Cove. Actually it was more like listening to them. Each car has their own unique 'voice' as they maneuver the hairpin turns through the village. I am constantly amazed at the number of spectators who show up in front of their homes or at the nearest corner. They wave at anyone identified as being connected with Targa drives by. Then there are those who say that they remember the car and that Brutus is the one they come to watch every year! "We're glad he's back again!"
 
At the end of the day they ran the stage through Gander. TeamVDG took 1 second there. 

The Subaru Canada team is back on the road!  Stewart Hoo's team from CanJam Motorsports got the car back together after the incident that occurred in yesterday's prologue. However, co-driver (and former VDG teammate) Keith Townsend will not be returning due to injuries he suffered in the car during the incident. 

Heavy rain started around 4:00 AM and continued into the day. The sun finally did come out at Eastport and the roads dried up.

The team left the ReMax Centre (the arena) with an out time of 7:58 and headed for the first stage in Argentia where their out time was 9:45. Wet trekking.

The car ran well on all the stages and Brutus along with a dozen others finished the day without any penalties.

It was exciting following the car into the different stages watching yellow and red tape whipping in the wind. Inhabitants of the different villages were lining the streets watching the cars go by. 

The Subaru Canada team went off today during the first prologue stage. Both Mark LaChapelle and former VDG Teammate Keith Townsend are fine however it appears that they may be out of the rally. If there's any way that they can get back in you can be sure that Stewart Hoo and the boys at CanJam Motorsports will make it so! 

We started off the day with a notice on our windshield mentioning that roads will be closed because of Targa...it's here! This is Prologue Day where the cars go through two stages to make sure everything is working and to set the start order. . Following that there is a stage around the Confederation Building where the public can watch the cars go through some fast corners. It is also an opportunity for the sponsors to sit in the codriver's seat and be driven around the track (with a helmet and regulation harness for protection. I notice a distinct difference between the speed that the drivers use with the codrivers versus a 'public' passenger!) 

The comments overheard as people viewed the cars range from "Beautiful car!" And "Wow!" to "What ya got in 'er?". One young man had an edition of  Road and Track magazine with an article about Brutus and Jud that he carefully removed from his jacket sleeve to have it autographed.

The car handled the stages well. "Brutus worked great and was like a grenade," Jud commented at the end of the prologues. "Brakes are working so well I almost went through the windshield a couple of times!"

Later in the arena one of the public came by a friend and  his son and friend saying that Brutus is the only car that he has all the hero cards for in his garage.

The car is working great and the team is looking forward to tomorrow. 

This was sent to TeamVDG  by Jud's son, Iain. As the message was read out to the team after dinner, laughter, tears and chuckles resulted as a much needed release for the anticipation of the upcoming race.

"This is a message to all Targa Newfoundland competitors with a podium finish in mind.  There are three places to stand on the tower, but only two are available; and if you want to stand at the top you'll have to outperform team VDG and Brutus-a 1967 Acadian Canso Sport Coupe."

Don't let appearances fool you; this is not your Dad's Nova; it's actually my Dad's Nova... but I digress... Designed by General Motors as a low buck commuter compact, Jud and his family of designers have transformed his shoebox Chevy into the rarest of animals:  A tarmac demon that feasts on a steady diet of hairpins, blind crests, and stretches of potholed pavement.  read more ...

Brutus (our car) is all washed and decalled up-looking good. Tech inspection occurred in the arena during all the hustle and bustle  before taking the car out on a drive to calibrate the odo in preparation for the Prologues tomorrow.

All of the cars are parked in the arena with visitors coming around looking at them. Competitors are renewing acquaintances, catching up on what they've been doing to their cars during the year. Parents and kids are helping to increase the level of excitement as they go from car to car picking up hero cards and talking to the drivers and co drivers.

We are setting out to a planning meeting to work on what is happening with service and the car for the next few days of the event. 

It's that time of year again and Team VDG are returning to this year's 2009 Targa Newfoundland Rally to battle for the overall win.  Last year the team just narrowly missed out on a 1st place finish by only 11 seconds after five days of competition! 

Jud and Jim arrived on the Rock this past Thursday morning and are making arrangements with the contacts in the area. The rest of the crew (Art, Beth, Chris, and Robin Lynn) are arriving today- Friday. 

After a grueling 5 days of intense competition, Team VDG's Jud Buchanan & Jim Adams have secured a 2nd place finish both in the Overall and Class 4 Modified Large categories. The team just narrowly missed out on a 1st place finish by only 11 seconds after five days of competition!

Congratulations go out to Roy Hopkins and Adrienne Hughes in their 2002 BMW 69. The team from New York finished first overall in 7th annual Targa Newfoundland, a remarkable repeat performance from Targa 2007.

Andrew Comrie-Picard and Jen Horsey finished up the top 3 positions in their 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR.

Team VDG would like to thank all of our Crew (Chris Gillard, Art Visser and Beth McBlain) and Sponsors (Castrol Canada, Hickman Motors and StaggeredTime Solutions) for their continued support. We would also like to thank all of the volunteers that helped to put on such a great event. Lastly we would of course like to thank the people of Newfoundland for being such friendly hosts and letting us play in their neighborhoods!