I'll have the rest of the in-car posted shortly. It's just a matter of writing the descriptions and uploading to Google Video for those who don't want to wait for the big DivX files to load. I didn't get every stage (lesson learned #1: don't use a piece of crap video camera) but I do have the majority of them. This is the only one I plan to subtitle though. I'll let you all know when the rest are up.
It's amazing how the Targa is welcomed. In some cases, we'll not only shut down a community's streets, but also the only road that goes to the village. We'll race out there, sometimes do a lap or two around the town, then race back home. And everybody welcomes us with open arms. Astounding. I don't think you could do it anywhere else in North America - Newfoundlanders are not like everyone else. I've heard the two big complaints about the race are 1) that the cars aren't loud enough and 2) that they don't go by everyone's house. It does help that we bring some excitement into quiet little towns, and that we only do it once a year. The kids in particular love us.
Feedyurhed, I'll have a summary of the car posted eventually. It's certainly well documented at www.targamiata.com, but there isn't a good short version out there!
The cost to run depends on what class you run in. Grand Touring can be run in just about any car with no special safety equipment. The Alfa in that one video is simply a nice street car. Safety gear for the occupants, of course, but no cage or harnesses. The speeds are also slower. In one case, I remember the Alfa driver telling me that his target average speed for a particular stage was about 80 kmh - and he gets penalties for going slower. Meanwhile, my minimum average speed for the same stage was 123 kmh - with no penalties for excess speed.
My class - Targa - is the balls-out class, with safety equipment to match. Basically, a good cage, good seats, real harnesses, fire suits, helmets, fire extinguisher...nothing that's surprising to a track racer, really. I think a Spec Miata would be able to cruise right through tech as long as it had good door bars. I was running a slightly modified Spec cage. For this class, you'll either need a competition license or you'll have to take the Targa school. I have a NASA Rally license.
On top of the car itself, you've got three major costs: the entry fee, getting there and food/accommodation on the Rock. Maxxim Vacations can actually take care of the latter two for a fairly reasonable price, or you can roll your own to save a bit. However, we took up every hotel room within 45 minutes of one of the overnight stops, so you'd want to book early. The price depends on what you ask for, of course, but getting my truck and trailer over to Newfoundland and back with a berth on the ferry, hotels for 4 people and a few other bits and pieces came to about $5k for the week. I also had to get the car to the ferry, 3000 miles from Grand Junction.
And of course, the entry fee. This varies depending on how early you sign up, but for 2009 new competitors will pay a minimum of $4995 Cdn. Ouch. That's a fair bit more than we paid when we registered in 2006 (originally for the 2007 event, long story).
Yeah, it's expensive. For me, it was a dream to take part in a world-class race and I knew all along it would be a one-time thing. My original codriver was a friend of mine and that would have cut the costs in half as we were going to share them. My wife Janel ended up navigating for me so that made things more expensive. But I don't regret the cost or the time one bit - and I'm especially glad she was beside me. It was a fantastic experience. Just think, I could have invested the money in the stock market a year ago instead :)
Oh, and that corner with the handbrake turn? Here's what it looked like from outside the car: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJPlgdOxbwE . I'm at 4:50 in. The cars get faster as you go.
