Come monday Phil was putting the seats, underbody protection, drive shafts ect. By 9:00 pm monday the car was ready to try turning the motor over. Laura, my sister, had shown up earlier and nearly finished the art vinyl.

I tried to get oil pressure. Something wasn't right. When the motor turned over, something had a fast clank. Phil climbed under the car and found that the engine tray under the flywheel had been jammed between the engine and tranny. Phil wend home to rest, I drove the 2 hours to my parent's houme in Mass to get my fire suit.

Tuesday morning the tranny came out and went back in before 11. Laura finished up her designs. The rest of the day was put into the final details of prep work before the race. Allignment, nut and bolt check fluids. By 10 pm Kylie was ready for some gently highway testing.

The motor ran very rich. Dark smoke from the tailpipe, bad idle. Testing went the same. She was running, but not running exceptionally well. On engine brakeing she popped and nearlt stalled, when I wound up the motor and blipped the throttlle she would back fire twice before she reved back up. Not good, but she would have to do for Defi.

Wensday morning I left for Montreal to pick up Ole and get to reccee. Ole and I were excited to get to work. I expected to see phil later that day. Around noon I called. The Piston rings hadn't seated and there was blow-by in the oil. With the Engine running so rich, the rings woudn't ever seat. Kylie couldn't go.

With 2 days to go before the race, Phil began reprepping Dannii.

The intercooler from Ojibwe had mud in it. the new one from Japan hadn't arrived. Luckily Vermont Sportscar had one on the shelf. Clint overnighted it. Phil piced the bumpers, and undercladding, and uprights and shafts, and seats, and cool suits, and intercoms, toghter like a dirvish, not resting untill after midnight. Thursday morning he was back to get the UPS package, and get back to the task.

Thursday afternoon Dannii was running, but the uppipe was leaking. The header flange, yes header, had bowed, and wouldn't hold a seal. There was only so much plaining Phil could do to get a fit, and it wasn't going to be right. The headers had to be changed. No problem, except that the gaskets were junk. One was avalable at the local subaru dealership. Just one gasket wasn't going to cut it. Phil drove the hour and a half to Manchester. I called him as he was driving back and was shocked to hear where he was. Ole and I finished Reccee, and Ole worked on the notes.

Phil worked all night getting Dannii ready for the rally. At six in the morning Phil was at libra Racing picking up tires for Bill Bacon, which had been locked in for the night. The drama wasn't quite over, as the clamp that holds the shifter cable on the box truck came off, which phil had to repair at a gas station.

Phil, the box truck and Dannii showed up around noon to tech and registration. We met up with Eric, who would be and essential extra pair of hands for the event.

We were running the same exact tires we ran at Ojibwe. Bemiji isn't very hard on tires, but we still needed to re edge a set for the short friday stages. The day went as expected. Antoine leading, Sylvaine, and then I.

Saturday Sylvaine fell out of the race, and Antione was consistently 1 second per km faster than I was. The first time through the 40 km stage I had a flat with 10 km to go. I puched as hard as I could go, but my pace was definitly slower. Through one series of jumps i landed facing the woods, only to have my rim bite and spin me away from the brush.

Again through the long stages, I caught Antoine's dust. His turbo had died. I was on his bumper for 12 k, sucking dust and working with Ole to try to stay on the road despite having no visibility. Before that stage he had a minute and a half on me. I gained just under a minute. I new I could easily gain 45 seconds on the wounded Hundai.

Going again to the long stage, I asked to get infront of Antione, Like a champion he graciously agreed, even though it would certanly cost him the rally.

I showed for every bad corner. I stayed to the side aroundevery rock. Now without the flat I carried much more speed into the jumps, untill one jump, which instead of going into it slowed by a flat, I went in quick, and had no bare rim to again spin me out of the brush.

The flat had put me into the lead, And having no punctures had cost me. I've raced a good number of races, but I've only done full reccee on two. Bummer. A friend recently asked me if everything happens for a reason. No. And if god exists, sometimes he's a real motherfucker. But, i've had had an amazing season, and it isn't over. I've paid real dues now, and don't have to feel