Day 3 was a long day indeed. A long slog through France with a sting in the tail of 40km of the tightest, twistiest mountain roads I've ever encountered. These have to be driven hard to meet the time set and the brakes take a hammering on the downhill sections of hairpin after hairpin. We had to backoff after our brakes started to fade - not altogether surprising as the car is carrying so much weight and these are standard Impreza brakes.
Anyway, up to third after tonight. We caught up the crew in the Maestro after they were delayed by a local and we travelled in convoy for a while, Jane being faster downhill and me uphill. The delay cost them though and we swopped places 3rd/4th.
This has all the hallmarks of a true classic event organised by Philip Young. The amount of organisation almost defies belief from in-car location tracking, competition timing, marshalling competitive sections in the back and beyond, road books, ferries, hotels, food and daily results. The next day, the rally organising team moves on to the next base - relentless.
The daily programme is set to be just about achievable with a sound car. But, if you experience any problems, the time penalties rapidly accumulate. The crew of the Mercedes Coupe were the latest victims. They were up most of the night on day 2 looking for a solution to a broken transmission mount - vital if they were to continue to drive hard. They arranged for a part to be delivered from the UK and managed to get it fitted just before the night sections. The last I heard, they had gone off the road and lost a wheel and may be the latest victim of an already punishing event - on day 3 of 28.
Not back to the hotel till 10, an hour repairing a rad leak and checking, bite to eat and up at 4.30 for a 100 mile trip to a morning set of stages before catching the ferry for Greece.
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