(no subject)
*coughs embarrassedly* Okay, okay, so I've not updated in AGES. Blame the insane number of assignments and pretty F1 drivers distracting me.
On Saturday I navigated for Dad in the Corsa De Milli Pini Rally, which was hellishly fun and hellishly difficult at the same time. However we managed to finish (by some miracle) and even did okay, picking up nine places from where we started.
SS1 - Bluetts 1 - Okay, given that I swear one of the calls wasn't measured properly and I fell off the notes a few times, having never done this before. But I got to wave to the Family at the spectator point, and we didn't do anything crazy.
SS2 - Pipeline - Again, fell off the notes more than I would like. But otherwise, it was good. Dad was very fast through here and I was getting a bit better at the notes.
SS3 - Pierces East 1 - Probably contained the most hilarious moment of the whole rally. I wandered up to the control to ask if there were any additions/warnings that I needed for the road book, and noticed an abnormally large number of Toyota Racing Development guys there. (TRD is a team that competes in the Australian Rally Championship. Their two drivers, Neal Bates and Simon Evans, were playing Car 0 for the weekend.) So I asked them and they said yes, there was a car off at tulip 7, watch out, it's car 0. And so we came flying through there and I yelled over the radio, "Road goes left, don't cut, hole inside, caution, car off road" and there was Simon Evans, car in a ditch and waving to us as we went past. We waved back and I promptly fell off the notes *g*
SS4 - Miowera - A bloody fast stage and therefore meaning that I didn't fall off the notes AT ALL, although the transport to the control contained a very large number of gates that I had to open adn close each time. *grumpy*
SS5 - Er, I don't remember this stage. Suffice to say we didn't crash. I think I'dve remembered that!
SS6 - Sugerloaf 1 - This stage hates us, and I don't like it very much either. At 41 kms it's the longest stage of the rally, and the first indication that it wasn't going to go well was when Dad yelled to me, "Radio's out, I can't hear you"! For the first 15 kms I had to YELL all the instructions. We nosed into a bank about 5 kms in, then at about 15 kms we got a puncture. Lost about six minutes changing it and two positions on the road. Luckily that was the last incident for this time round-and I fixed the radio while we were stationary :).
SS7- Pierces East 2 - Fast and good, only fell off the notes twice. Simon had been removed back to the service park by this stage (he was blushing at the service, *g*)
SS8 - Sugerloaf 2 - Another incident-packed stage. Hit some SERIOUS uncalled bumps, yumps and rocks (which we missed earlier? ? ) and had to stop to check on teh damage (none, thank god). Then this wierd bang-bang-bang noise started coming from the rear of the car, and we assumed that the driveshaft (which had been feeling dodgy earlier) had finally let go. Pulled over to inspect the damage and promptly discovered that it wasn't the driveshaft, about 100 meters up the road lay our rear spoiler. Dragged it off, lost two road positions and took off again. Then, about halfway through, the car sounds funny and Dad starts swearing. Ask him what's wrong - we have no first and no second gear. Somehow manage to make it to the end without stalling but have to rev the car hugely to get it away from the stop control.
SS9 - Bluetts 2 - Getting tired by now, fell off the notes a few more times. Also think Dad was getting tired, as we were hitting more rocks than previously and the road book was shuddering so much under the light that I could barely read it. Still think one of the calls wasn't measured correctly. Got to the end and as I rolled down the window to give the control guy our time card I let out this huge "Yee-hah!" and he looked at me funny. We managed to drive home (still only in third and fourth gears) and the car managed to get into the garage. Had dinner, wiped off face and slept.
Do not want to discuss my game of cricket yesterday. But I slept very well last night and now everything hurts. :(
On Saturday I navigated for Dad in the Corsa De Milli Pini Rally, which was hellishly fun and hellishly difficult at the same time. However we managed to finish (by some miracle) and even did okay, picking up nine places from where we started.
SS1 - Bluetts 1 - Okay, given that I swear one of the calls wasn't measured properly and I fell off the notes a few times, having never done this before. But I got to wave to the Family at the spectator point, and we didn't do anything crazy.
SS2 - Pipeline - Again, fell off the notes more than I would like. But otherwise, it was good. Dad was very fast through here and I was getting a bit better at the notes.
SS3 - Pierces East 1 - Probably contained the most hilarious moment of the whole rally. I wandered up to the control to ask if there were any additions/warnings that I needed for the road book, and noticed an abnormally large number of Toyota Racing Development guys there. (TRD is a team that competes in the Australian Rally Championship. Their two drivers, Neal Bates and Simon Evans, were playing Car 0 for the weekend.) So I asked them and they said yes, there was a car off at tulip 7, watch out, it's car 0. And so we came flying through there and I yelled over the radio, "Road goes left, don't cut, hole inside, caution, car off road" and there was Simon Evans, car in a ditch and waving to us as we went past. We waved back and I promptly fell off the notes *g*
SS4 - Miowera - A bloody fast stage and therefore meaning that I didn't fall off the notes AT ALL, although the transport to the control contained a very large number of gates that I had to open adn close each time. *grumpy*
SS5 - Er, I don't remember this stage. Suffice to say we didn't crash. I think I'dve remembered that!
SS6 - Sugerloaf 1 - This stage hates us, and I don't like it very much either. At 41 kms it's the longest stage of the rally, and the first indication that it wasn't going to go well was when Dad yelled to me, "Radio's out, I can't hear you"! For the first 15 kms I had to YELL all the instructions. We nosed into a bank about 5 kms in, then at about 15 kms we got a puncture. Lost about six minutes changing it and two positions on the road. Luckily that was the last incident for this time round-and I fixed the radio while we were stationary :).
SS7- Pierces East 2 - Fast and good, only fell off the notes twice. Simon had been removed back to the service park by this stage (he was blushing at the service, *g*)
SS8 - Sugerloaf 2 - Another incident-packed stage. Hit some SERIOUS uncalled bumps, yumps and rocks (which we missed earlier? ? ) and had to stop to check on teh damage (none, thank god). Then this wierd bang-bang-bang noise started coming from the rear of the car, and we assumed that the driveshaft (which had been feeling dodgy earlier) had finally let go. Pulled over to inspect the damage and promptly discovered that it wasn't the driveshaft, about 100 meters up the road lay our rear spoiler. Dragged it off, lost two road positions and took off again. Then, about halfway through, the car sounds funny and Dad starts swearing. Ask him what's wrong - we have no first and no second gear. Somehow manage to make it to the end without stalling but have to rev the car hugely to get it away from the stop control.
SS9 - Bluetts 2 - Getting tired by now, fell off the notes a few more times. Also think Dad was getting tired, as we were hitting more rocks than previously and the road book was shuddering so much under the light that I could barely read it. Still think one of the calls wasn't measured correctly. Got to the end and as I rolled down the window to give the control guy our time card I let out this huge "Yee-hah!" and he looked at me funny. We managed to drive home (still only in third and fourth gears) and the car managed to get into the garage. Had dinner, wiped off face and slept.
Do not want to discuss my game of cricket yesterday. But I slept very well last night and now everything hurts. :(