March 5, 2005 It's 10 AM and I'm in Jean, Nevada, ready to start the Seed 9 Rally Sprint. It's the first rally of the year and I'm determined start strongly and turn over a new set of tires. No more engine problems (thank you Richey and Howard @ Techno Square), or noisy car (thank you Aaron). I've got some more experience and I can read the road (thank you Leon). There's no pace notes for this rally, but I'm not afraid of driving blind anymore. Aaron is going to be my co-driver, there to yell at me and keep me on track. This time my goal is not only to finish, but also to step it up and drive faster than I have ever done before. Aaron and Leon are going to do everything they can to help me do this. The first stage is near the dry lake bed where I'd practiced before Ramada. I started out fast, reading the road and listening to Aaron telling me not to lift and to cut into the corners. There's lots of tarmac so I'm keeping my lines clean, knowing that cars don't like to go sideways on pavement. We hit dirt and more wide corners. Prince was struggling up the hill, but he's running great. We were confused by a chicane made of cones. Someone had ran through it and we weren't sure where to go. We lost some time there, but we knocked down SS 1 (special stage 1). SS 2 was SS 1 run back down the hill. We got close to the start and I jokingly told Aaron that someone was out in the hills burning trash, since I smelled something foul wafting about inside the car. As we got closer to starting, it quickly became apparent that there was no trash fire. It was Prince that was on fire! Smoke filled the cockpit and I turned off the car. Aaron jumped out with the fire extinguisher and checked the engine. Everything there was fine there (thank god!). I worried about DNFing. I wanted to finish very much. We looked inside the car and I saw a melting wire close to Aaron's arm as he checked the dash. He said it was a fried relay and ripped it out, burning his hand a bit! I made a resolution to keep Aaron away from fire and heat. Luckily, the relay was only for the auxiliary lights, so we were okay. We started quickly and I was driving faster and throwing Prince into the corners (still a little tentatively, but this is still new to me). It was really fun! Prince definitely likes going downhill.

SS 3 and SS 4 were the best! SS 3 was tight and twisty, on flat ground with little crests and big puddles. I tore through the twisties and I didn't even lift for the puddles. (I think I've watched too many Safari rallies!) My car was leaking and I was covered with mud when I got out, but Aaron and I had a blast. We couldn't wait to turn around and do it again on SS 4. That stage started off great. I was very fast, cutting in and mimicking the movements of the MK I and ML II Escorts I'd watched in Leon's videos. Then I hit a puddle that turned into a tsunami! Dirty water was everywhere, which wasn't a problem except that it was in my eyes! I blinked, but my eyes were blurring and burning and I couldn't really see where I was going. Dirt scratched under my eyelids. I still couldn't see. I kept blinking, trying to see the road. I barely lifted and pressed on, knowing that I was almost to the end of the 2 mile stage. Luckily for me there was a service break where I washed my face and eyes out with water. I needed saline eye drops, but that's where I ran out of luck. By SS 5 I could see again and we were off. This was the stage where there was anS turn that Leon's mentor Chad DiMarco had declared that if you could nail this corner, you could drive anything. I came into it a little fast, but then I lifted for the turn then hit the power again, quickly and safely passing through. I kept focused and Aaron never let me lift. We had set a very fast time for that stage and Aaron was very proud of me. I was very happy and proud of my progress. The next stage would include the S bend again and an off camber hairpin turn that nearly no one got right. We were fast again from the start. I was reading the road and I blew through the S bend again. I thought ahead to the hairpin and visualized my plan of attack. When I got there, I grabbed the hand brake, everything went as planned and I executed a beautiful drift. I had no time to savor the victory and I forgot to shift, in fact I really screwed up on shifting up the entire hill ahead. The other side of the hill was a wash and Prince's $12 shocks held up well. There was a lot of fast stuff at the end. I wasn't all pedal to the metal, though what I was reading told me I should have been. There's a lot you have to just get used to before you can go balls out. Before we knew it, we were at the end of the stage with only one more to go. I cringed at the thought of the last stage- it was the one we had just ran, but this time we'd be going uphill. Lots of uphill. Prince doesn't like uphills. With only 140 HP, who can blame him? The going was tough and it was tough to get going. Second gear was too much and third gear was not enough. I know I was hitting the rev limiter. I tried not to get frustrated. But we flew down the long straight and finished with flying colors, er primer! I got back and drove Prince back onto the trailer. Leon was very proud of me and congratulated me finishing and stepping up my performance. I was very happy and very tired and so was Aaron. He did a great job coaching me, since the notes were pretty useless. He's a good driver, co-driver and mechanic! The awards were held down the road at a small western bar straight out of the movies. Aaron and I were third in Group 5, not bad when you're the oldest and slowest car in the bunch, running against a 230 HP Neon and a Colt with a 2.6 L engine. Not to mention the most inexperienced driver! I was very happy having set stage times in the middle of the pack. Leon told me that when we were running stages that weren't hilly and where horsepower didn't matter, I was hanging with the best of them. In the end, I was happy that I had met the goals that I set for myself. I was a lot more confidant with myself and the car. Most importantly, I was beginning to feel more like a driver and a competitor instead of a rookie hanging out at the end of the line. And better yet, I feel ready for the Cherokee Trails Rally! Back to Diary of a Driver.