At the start of stage 2, we knew that Chris and Alan would be upping their game to try to make back time on us. Again our plan was to keep the pace up over the rougher sections and let the suspension do its job.
At 0:31 I made a small mistake and ran wide on a deceptive left over crest, and then at 0:54 made the same mistake both John and I make every single time on this stage as drivers, brake WAY too early for the left junction onto Cross Rd. I was cursing myself there! At 2:50 there's a rocky uphill that on recce I didn't see a clean line. The only way was to just pound right up the middle! Again, I'm amazed what those RS&SP can take! At 3:05 I scared John a little, as I took the crest a little more to the right than I'd intended... At 3:20 it was bumpy enough that, for the first time ever, the car popped out of gear on its own. At 4:13 we passed Alan and Chris on the side of the road. At first we didn't know what had happened, until we saw their car on the left at 4:18...
After that, we made the decision to knock the pace and risk back by a notch or two. Shortly after we started to get into dust from Ian and Doug, who had stopped to assist car 1 for a couple minutes. At 5:22 we turn out onto the main Egan Creek road, at what is the start of the Tall Pines Peanut stage. From there on it's again super fast and flowing.
This stage was the turning point for our rally, and it became more about conserving our lead than trying to push at maximum pace.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcOMnub4OLI