It was a beautiful evening in the classic western style mining town of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. The ceremonial finish just came to a close and the celebrating is about to begin. It was a short day with 2 Selective Stages and US-driver Josh Hall was on fire.
He and his Navigator Thad Stump were second off the line and quickly moved to the front when #100 blew an early turn. He set a blistering pace and won the first Selective by one minute fifty-five seconds over Bruce Garland. At the start of the second Selective, he was running a similar pace, but had a flat approximately halfway through the course.
Thad noted the course was rougher - more similar to racing back home. It suited Josh Hall perfectly and the team is happy to be celebrating another stage win - making it three days in a row of bringing home a Selective. Congrats to great driving and navigating. Amazing to think this is Thad's first time in this particular role.
The sun is setting and we will be packing up early in the morning to transfer back to Perth. The team has accomplished what it set out to do - scout the race, learn the nuances, and show Australia what the Americans and the Hummer H2 SUT can do. Despite a few early setbacks that penalized the team's overall result, the goals were not only reached, but far exceeded.
Hats off to the great competitors and race organizers. Many thanks for the hospitality and fun. We've made great friends in Western Australia and look forward to coming back in 2010. |
