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The start of the first full leg of competition renewed my nervousness. Despite having a clean and problem-free run yesterday, the overnight stay always saps a little bit of confidence. With only 6 stages, we would be able to ease into the competition without the more grueling 8 stages per day we would see for most of the week.
Leg 1 began by checking out of the lovely St John's Fairmont (not as nice as the name might imply, but certainly the best hotel we will stay at in Newfoundland). We'll be on the road for the rest of the week, visiting most of the major communities across the province. Our car was seeded towards the back of the start order (faster cars go last), so we were able to leave the arena at a (not so) leisurely 8am. An hour-long transit brought us to the first stage of day, Argentia.
This short, tight stage is a great warm-up for the day, as it would be relatively easy to run penalty-free. We cleared the stage, despite a wickedly tight hairpin near the finish that made me wonder if I would need to make a 3-point turn to get the car through.
From there the pack of cars moved on to Placentia. This stage has been run as part of every Targa to date, and is a signature series of roads. Placentia starts with a very high-speed section through a town, and on to the coast for a dash along the water. As your confidence builds, the stage gets increasingly more difficult, including a narrow run through a tollgate on a metal-decked bridge! The end of the stage runs through the heart of a small town, with lots of broken pavement and gravel strewn across the road.
This gravel unfortunately caught us out, giving our team our only penalties of the day. We caught a very well driven Chevy Cobalt right as we entered town, and knew there would be no way by. I stayed hard on their bumper through the town... so close in fact, that I stopped watching the road conditions as I fixated on the Cobalt's
After a short break, we moved on to Osprey Trail West. This short but high speed run gave us a chance to stretch our legs and use some of the horsepower the Evo is so famous for. The stage was shortened due to issues with securing the roads, but we still got to enjoy this blast along the coast.
Our last stage before lunch took us from Gooseberry Cove to Northwest Brook. We ran this stage in both directions. Unfortunately the run through on the way to our lunch spot was shortened due to more issues on the stage. This was a real shame as this is one of the toughest stages in the event. The run into town was tight and twisty, with significant elevation change. We once again cleared the abbreviated stage without penalties.
Targa Newfoundland is an event known for it's local hospitality. We gathered for lunch in a very small town, eating with our fellow competitors in a local community hall. This gave us a chance to unwind, enjoy a home cooked meal, and recharge before the final two stages of the day.
VIEW THE PHOTOS HERE
READ THE INTRO HERE
READ THE ABOUT THE MAZDA TEAM HERE
READ LEG 2 STORY HERE
READ LEG 3 STORY HERE
READ LEG 4 STORY HERE
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