So… I had about 15 hours or so of total sleep for the week, but Steve and I made it to Plan B and back!  We did a LOT of work to the car before the event, and unfortunately didn’t get any time to test.  Our plan was to be packed up and heading to Indio by 2:00pm on Friday… we ended up getting the car back together at around 3:00pm and on the road around 5:00pm. Big thanks to Charlie’s Garage in Ramona for helping out with the exhaust in exchange for some cold Corona.  Let’s get to the details:

• Stage One:  2nd fastest time overall!  The car felt AMAZING… Steve and I were linked up right off the start.  New transmission mount, shift bushings and USRT linkage, and a drastic change to the brake biasing… but most important, we finally had new tires.  It’s hard to relay how much of a difference this made, but I was on the brakes 75% less with the new tires… I could actually use throttle to pull me through corners… combine that with the brake biasing adjustments and I was no longer having to battle with the motor to initiate oversteer… SPEED and clean lines!




• Stage Two:  I guess all good things must come to an end.  We got about 100 yards into Stage 2 and the motor died.  2 minutes of fiddling and it started back up and we were on our way… for a 1/4 mile… then the car started bogging and dying again.  We limped through the stage without being caught by the car behind us, but ended up with a horrible stage time.  The car finally shut down completely about a mile into the transit stage back to service.  We had offers for a tow back to service from #322 and #15 but declined while we tried to figure out why the car wouldn’t stay running.  Time was running down and we couldn’t troubleshoot any longer… we had to get back to service… QUICK!  #34, John Black, pulled up in his Production class Ford Ranger and we hooked up the 15ft tow strap to him.  This guy HAULED ASS… THANK YOU JOHN!  We averaged 60mph back to service on a 30(?) mile transit… half on desert dirt and half on tarmac… I was surprised the little Ranger could move that fast through the soft dirt with #78 hitching a ride.  Unfortunately the rear drive tires and short tow strap caused a barrage of rocks that attacked the windshield and left 4 or 5 cracks, as well as taking out a few headlights.  At least we didn’t DNF… AND we made it back to service with 2 minutes to spare.  Dead last on this one.
• Service:  We apparently smacked something with the gas tank on the previous stage because the in-tank transfer pump was no longer doing it’s job.  Our issue soon turned into a group effort, and other competitors started turning wrenches and helping out.  A fellow VW driver knew what the problem was before we even pulled the pump from the tank… thanks Eddie!  The filter at the end of the pump had been smashed apart, so the pump was now sucking itself to the bottom of the tank and not pulling up and fuel.  With some zip ties, we fixed the pump and popped it back in the tank.  We even got it fixed fast enough to do a full service check on the car, throw on the light bar, and grab a bite to eat… or so we thought.  We lined up to leave service and transit to stage 3 when the motor died… ugh… apparently the fuel pump had taken quite a beating and was no longer up for pumping fuel.  Back to troubleshooting… with only 30 minutes to get out of service before being disqualified.  With some help from Mr. Rood, we pulled the pump completely and dropped a hose straight into the tank.  We got out of service with 2 minutes to spare.
• Stage 3:  Our first night stage!  It was immediately evident that without that transfer pump in the tank, the motor was going to be starved for gas.  Heavy load, and deep into the throttle caused the car to bog and even die a few times.  We didn’t do very well on this one, 9th overall, but we didn’t DNF!
• Stage 4: Learning how to deal with the fuel delivery issue, driving a tighter stage, and acclimating to the dark, we took 5th overall on this one.  Steve was still hopped up from the frantic service, and was off pretty much the entire stage, but he would redeem himself soon enough.
• Stage 5: Due to another car rolling on Stage 4, we got to take a quick break before starting this one.  For some unknown reason, #78 is dubbed “Balls Deep” for the weekend and is starting to feel a bit more responsive… before starting the stage, I tell Steve, “…we are going to drive the night stages at the same speed that we drive the day stages.  Stay on the notes, and I’ll drive what you tell me… I don’t need to see what is coming next…”  Steve was ON and we started getting the hang of the night driving.  2nd overall, 5 seconds behind Chernis in the open class Subaru WRX.
• 
• Stage 6:  Started this stage at around 10:30pm.  Probably the most fun stage of the race!  Car getting about 90% of the fuel it was asking for, so not as much bogging.  After a few bad calls and some over anxious driving, Steve and I linked up and got it going.  The tightest corner on the second half of this stage was a 4+… it is a RUSH being pinned in 5th gear for almost 4 minutes and not being able to see very far ahead.  1st overall on this stage!
• Unfortunately, with over 4 minutes of road points for the service issue, combined with the slow times on those few stages, we ended up 4th in CRS-2, 6th in Rally America G2, and 11th overall.  BUT, we finished!
• Home at 4:30am on Sunday morning, and back up a few hours later to re-prep the car for Oregon Trail next weekend.  Luckily we got away with about 5 hours of prep time and not too many things to fix or replace.  We still have a fuel pump to find and replace… door handles to replace and make work… front brake rotors and pads to replace… a windshield and headlights to replace… and a fuel test port to install.  Due to over $100 in next day air shipping charges, we’ll hopefully have most of these parts tomorrow… which is nice because we are leaving for Oregon… TOMORROW!  We are planning on stopping by another VW drivers’ parts yard in Long Beach late Tuesday night get some help with the doors and fuel pump.

As I said, we are leaving for Oregon Trail TOMORROW!  As rough as getting ready and through these past three races has been, I have a feeling this one is going to dish out some SERIOUS punishment.  But when you are doing 100mph through a twisty dirt road in the black of night, it all becomes worth it… I love this shit!