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The run back to Gooseberry Cove was the most exciting bit of driving I have ever done. Averaging well over 120kph, we charged up and down the serpentine roads. A light drizzle only served to make the conditions that much more treacherous, but the trick differentials in the Evo handled the surface with ease.

As I get more and more familiar with the Mitsubishi I am better able to brake later, get on the throttle sooner and harder, and carry more speed into the entry of blind corners – knowing a quick squeeze of my left foot on the brake pedal will tighten the car's line or slow the car down in time to keep us on the road. We managed to pass not one but two cars on the road, and would have passed a third if not for an accident towards the end of the stage that made us slow down heading into the finish. With cars leaving at 30-second intervals, this really says something about the pace of the Evo.

Gooseberry Cove turned out to be a car eater. A total of 5 cars managed to go off the road, two terminally. The slick conditions caught out a number of teams, as did simple driver error on the blind corners not documented in the route book. It can happen to anyone, and thankfully all competitors were fine after the incidents.

To close out the day, we had one final short stage – Adeytown Deep Bight. Covering 5 kilometers but with only four meaningful instructions, it was a pure driver's road. The stage started very, very tight and we were struggling just to make our base time. With less than a kilometer to go, my co-driver yelled into the intercoms, "100 to Flying Finish. Push! Push!"

We were very close to missing base and collecting more penalties, but the road soon opened up. Finally able to see a straightaway leading into a very long hairpin left, I put my foot flat in 4th gear and carried as much speed as I dared into the final corner of the stage. We cleared the stage with more than 10 seconds to spare, covering 4.74km in just over 2 minutes.

A long transit to the town of Gander let us unwind and discuss the day's events. Despite a poor start and a whopping 14 seconds in penalties, the car has the pace to lead our class if we can keep clean on the stages. My driving is rapidly improving, as are my co-driver's newfound navigation skills.

We finished the day 3rd in class – 10 seconds behind a factory Mazda RX-8, and only 2 seconds behind a Subaru driven by an experienced Targa Newfoundland crew. In the overall standings we're currently 22nd – a little further down the order than we want to be, but not surprising given the easier base times assigned to the Classic cars.

Things are tight, and tomorrow's stages should be very exciting. We're going to do whatever we can to climb up the results.


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