Collecting our 'plates' at awards gala

Thank You Tucker Acura

Pictured here (l-r) Nigel Mortimer, Lewis MacKenzie, David Tucker, Sr., Andrew, Jody
(with daughter Aylah) and David Tucker, Jr.

To top off a great day, when we arrived at the finish, we were presented with a cheque for $7,000 to the Soldier On Fund from Tucker Acura of St. John's 

Leg 5 - What a finish!

First in Class

Seventh in Modern Division

Jody:  I have to say, it's more than we hoped for.  And I think we surprised a lot of people.  We started the day ninth, and we moved up during the day.  We also got a Targa Plate, which is awarded for achieving the Targa targets on every stage through the week. We're really pleased.

Andrew:  Today was very hard, by far the toughest day, but we tried to bring the discipline to it that we've followed all week.

Jody:  We started carefully and built more speed as we got into the rhythm of the stages.

Andrew:  That's where our military training was invaluable -- the teamwork, communication, situational awareness.  It definitely gave us an advantage over other teams, especially for a couple of "rookies."

Jody:  And the car was strong.  In fact, it was flawless.  It helped us when we made mistakes.

Andrew:  Jody in particular was amazing today.  We had two stages in Brigus, and Jody drove.  We almost clipped a telephone pole the first time through.  On the second round, I reminded him about it, but he was already aware.  In fact, he gained 5 seconds on the second round over his previous time.  It was only a 2 km stage, and that's hard to do.

Jody:  It's a big accomplishment for both of us, and throughout the whole week, we knew it took two to succeed.  We helped each other, particularly when we were navigators.

Andrew:  We also made some friends here -- that was the best part.

Jody:  And we have a challenge to the Trailer Park Boys.  Next year, you better be in the racing class so we can compete against you.

Leg 4 - Heritage Run

Andrew:  Today was fast.  On the second stage, which Jody was driving,  Nigel Mortimer, our team engineer, said we were giving him a heart attack with our speed!  And that was a 23 km stage with rain and mist.  We had every type of weather today.  The only thing we didn't see was snow or sleet.  There were exciting stages, too. During a stage in Fortune, which I was driving, we came around a corner and almost clipped a house.  Honestly, we only missed it by millimeters.  Didn't lift, though.  Kept on going and smoked it.

Jody:  That's one thing about Targa I didn't expect -- how long the stages could be and how close we'd drive by houses.  We've heard we were fast today, but we were just trying to be consistent.  I guess because of our infantry training, we're self-critical.  We try to learn from our mistakes and do it right.  We're definitely more relaxed in the car, though.  On the first day, it was super intense, no talking in the car.  Now we're pointing things out that we're passing, and the navigator has time to comment on the line we're taking.

Andrew:  The car needs new brakes tonight.  We wore them out today.  And we'll get fresh tires because we still have some left within the regulations.  Other than that, tomorrow we're going to do exactly what we've been doing.  Our goal is to finish strong.

Jody:  Our strategy is not to make a mistake on the last day.  We have to keep things in perspective.  The navigator has to be the angel on the shoulder telling the driver to take it easy when necessary.  We know we're getting tired, so it's an early night.

Leg 3 - Kittiwake Coast

Andrew:  Fabulous day.

Jody:  Stage 2 pushed us up in the scores.  The Kia team of Hill/Kostick, who were leading in our class and ahead of us on the stage, ran into problems.  As we came up the crest of a hill, Andrew spotted the car and almost immediately after saw a puff of smoke and said, "he just blew something." I knew we could get past him and told Andrew not to lift.  The Kia waved us past but we picked up a piece of engine debris in our rear right tire.  Fortunately, the Michelin held to the end of the stage.  We've now got number one spot in our class and we're ninth in the Modern division.

Andrew:  It's unfortunate we had to pass the Kia that way, but we'll take it.  I felt bad for about 30 seconds....

Jody:  It was a long day.  What a solid car.  There hasn't been a single problem except for the tire.  And there are a number of competitors who haven't been as fortunate.

Andrew:  We've really found our groove.  I'm not trying to slow Jody down anymore because the less I say the better he drives.  He drove phenomenally today -- his best day yet.

Jody:  Our overall approach is working well, and today was very consistent.  I think we'll even pick up speed tomorrow.

Leg 2 - Exploits Valley

Andrew:  We started and finished in Gander with eight stages that began in the streets of Gander, then Bobby's Cove, Pleasantview, Glover's Harbour and back through Gander again.  Challenging runs and really tight corners through the last stage in Gander.  We lost the brakes while I was driving.  Managed to hold on to the end and they've been repaired.  Bottom line -- we moved up two spots to 10th place in Modern, and we're second in class!

Leg 1 - North East Coast

Jody:  After the first stage, there was a collective sigh of relief.  Now we're having fun.

Andrew drove the stages in the morning, and I drove in the afternoon.  All together, there were six stages.  We had no incidents and finished 12th in our division (out of 22 teams).  The car is handling like a dream.

We've both realized the important role of the navigator: he will win or lose the rally.  And we have an agreement that nothing is to be taken personally by the driver when the navigator gives advice or shouts instructions.  It's the navigator's job to tell the driver to stop or slow down.  He knows where the car's going.

We've also realized that we can't be over exuberant.  We're not going for the day but the whole week.  We think we did well today, and we expect to get sharper and shaper each day by Friday.

But boy, tonight we're ready for a good night's sleep.  Andrew compared it to an op.  Before you go out, you pack your gear and go to bed for the 4:00 am call, but you just lie awake all night going over the drills.  That's what we were both like last night.

Tomorrow's a long day.  Can't wait.

No surprises during Prologue

Jody:  It was raining and cool all day but I think with the super handling of Acura TL SH-AWD, we actually had an advantage over other competitors.  We had one goal for Prologue: keep the car on the road.  Today was about getting a better sense of ourselves and the car during real timed stages.  We didn't look in our mirrors or worry about other drivers.  Andrew drove in the morning because I'm still recovering from an infection in my leg that occurs with excitement and anxiety.  Antibiotics are helping, and I was able to drive in the afternoon. We both feel we performed well in both roles, and our comfort level with the car is now 100%.  We messed around with the Trailer Park boys at the Flatrock stop between the two Prologue stages.  Personally, I accomplished two goals: I navigated through the first stage without errors and I didn't crash in the second stage.  Job done.

Andrew:  Our military training is also a huge advantage in handling the stages.  Fast reaction times are second nature to us -- we automatically go into slow motion, high definition mode.  We met some great people today in Flatrock and even received donations while we were there.  Prologue started well and ended well.  And the Trailer Park Boys: well this year they're in the Touring Class, but I'm betting next year we'll see them competing with us in Modern.

All the competitors before Prologue.  We're on the right.

Targa School grads

We attended the Targa School today, which is organized by Glen Clarke, a leading Targa competitor. The school was held on Bell Island and was a full day of classrom instruction and practice sessions.  We learned driving techniques and strategies for the Targa stages. We got more comfortable using the Terratrip and had a preview on closed roads -- where we could exceed the speed limit -- of what to expect during the week. There were about 25 other teams at the school. We think it was indispensable. It was a real-world test, too. We noticed our odo was slightly off, so we'll be able to reset it before the actual competition begins.

Last night, we were honoured to be the guests of Lieutenant Governor John Crosbie at a reception for our Acura Soldier On team. We want to thank everyone from the government, military and Targa who participated. It was almost overwhelming, especially since we were joined by an injured comrade, Cpl Shawn Mulcahy, who has just returned from Afghanistan like we did, without his legs. Lew MacKenzie suggested maybe next year, he'll be carrying the Soldier On flag at Targa ....

Tomorrow is registration day and then Sunday is Prologue. All the teams will run two stages. The results won't count in our Targa scores, but this will determine how we're seeded for Monday's start.

Now, we've told to rest so we're in full form for Sunday.

Awesome shake-down

Jody's on the left and Andrew's on the right.  We plan to share the driving at Targa.

Our Acura TL got its initial test Monday and Tuesday this week at Calabogie Motorsports Park. The car was really impressive -- and faster than we expected. The car is equipped with an automatic transmission that can be controlled by paddle shifters. It's been specially fitted to allow both of us pretty easy access to the cockpit.  It was great to have the seat time. Just some minor adjustments have to be made: a small wedge will be placed on the gas pedal for Jody to provide more feedback because his prothesis doesn't have the tactical capability of a foot. The Terratrip rally computer needs work, but it will be up and running when the car arrives in Newfoundland.  


We want to thank Eric Vlasic and Rob Zarcone from Honda Canada who have worked non-stop to get the car modified to meet our needs and the requirements of the event.  They're going to be with us to provide technical support during the week, too.


The car will be put on a trailer to St. Johns' next week, and we'll arrive on Wednesday by plane.


We're ready to go! 

It's official!

How this started

Jody:  I had been soldier for 10 years in the Canadian Forces and a Master Sniper when I stepped on a land mine in 2007 and lost both my legs below the knees. Much of my recovery was done at the St. John’s Rehab Hospital in Toronto. Within 14 months, I helped return the institution’s support by running a 5km charity run. I knew the benefits of fitness and sports in rehabilitation and was posted to Soldier On in 2009.  That’s when I met Andrew, who had this crazy idea …

Andrew:  In January 2009, I was hit by an IED while on patrol in the Panjwai district of Afghanistan, which resulted in the amputation of my right leg at the hip and significant tissue and nerve damage to my right arm. After spending some time in Kandahar Airfield and Germany, I returned to Canada. I spent nearly a year in hospital in Ottawa for rehab and physical therapy.  Jody came to visit and introduced me to Soldier On. As we got to know each other, I told him I wanted to take on a unique challenge and compete in Targa Newfoundland. He said anything was possible …

Jody: Targa Newfoundland is a rugged six-day 2,000+km international car rally. It’s Canada’s longest and toughest motorsport event. I contacted Major General (ret’d) Lewis MacKenzie, who had competed in Targa a few years ago. He was interested in the idea but then took it one step further and told us he would manage our team with his racing partner Nigel Mortimer of Mortimer Racing, who is a retired Transport Canada executive.  We were on our way …

Andrew:  Lew raised the expense money to field the team through sponsorship from private and corporate resources. We just needed a car. When Honda Canada was contacted about the program, Lew told us he received a response within an hour. The Acura Dealers of Canada would sponsor a new specially-fitted Acura TL SH-AWD and send technical crew to Newfoundland to help us.

Jody:  We want to raise $150,000 for the Soldier On Fund and other injured and ill comrades.  You can support our cause by visiting the Soldier On website.