It’s a sunny morning, about 9 a.m. in Newfoundland, and Paul Abbott, navigator, and I are about to leave the line for the John Curran Memorial Stage of the 2025 Targa. No practice, no drive-throughs.
The road here is damp and drying. We’re in the Hume Media 2013 Mini GP; it’s near stock, with the required roll bar. …
That was nerve-racking just to read, I can't imagine driving it!
Reminds me of the Flyin Miata adventures there. If I had the means and the courage, it sounds like a lot of fun. =)
In reply to Randy Pobst :
How do you keep to the 96mph limit? Just watch the speedo? A built in speed limiter?
Have you posted a video of this on youtube?
In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :
Speedo and fear of getting a penalty if caught. Some competitors take it more seriously than others. In my class, it was 200 kmh and I got caught be a Subaru when sitting on the limit…
Had to look it up. This stage used to be called Conception Habour. Here’s our run in 2011, the route may not be identical now. It was only the second stage and we were still getting used to the car’s performance.
I go back and forth on these type of events.
On one hand I think what a fantastic and intense challenge.
On the other hand I think that's way to much work and I'm lazy.
At the end of the day I still find the event fantastic
Thank you for the written ride along. I could almost taste the brake dust 
How do you recall that and write about it later? I'd need to do commentary into a recording device.
(Slight hijack...)
Keith: Is the remainder of your Targa on the web?
Thx,
Rog
vwcorvette (Forum Supporter) said:How do you recall that and write about it later? I'd need to do commentary into a recording device.
I don't know about Randy, but with the level of intensity of a stage it's pretty solidly burned into my mind. To the point where, three years later, I was able to recognize corners in a slightly different version of the same stage.
boulder_dweeb said:(Slight hijack...)
Keith: Is the remainder of your Targa on the web?
Thx,
Rog
You may be sorry you asked.
Videos from almost every stage (in some cases multiple videos with different views) from both 2008 and 2011 can be found on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/TargaMiata. I also have a playlist with the best videos selected, although it's been so long since I chose them I can't certify they are actually the best :) You'll notice the car sounds different in 2008, it was a four cylinder then - and the rules allowed for stickier tires.
There's also an awesome documentary of our 2011 race (which explains all the cameras) that runs about 70 minutes.
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