One of the most dramatic, exotic and unusual entries on the Targa Tasmania rally in Australia this week will be a very rare Bizzarrini GT America which is being driven by Queenslander Graham Copeland.

Whether you’re a driver or a co-driver, once you get the Targa Tasmania bug, it’s almost impossible to get rid of. And that’s undoubtedly the case for Queenslander Graham Copeland, who is lining up for his tenth crack at Australia’s ultimate tarmac rally.

Copeland has won his class at Targa in the past and has finished on the podium in the Classic component four times, driving a range of vehicles. He has driven Triumph TR4s and TR8s, and more recently Datsuns, but this year sees a different challenge emerging.

“I was hoping to drive my 1938 Dodge Speedster, but that will now have to wait until 2009,” he says. “Instead I’ll be co-driving this year in a rare Bizzarini GT America.”

Copeland will be sitting beside successful circuit racing star, Wayne Park, who has won numerous Queensland and national titles, and has also co-driven at the Bathurst 1000 a number of times, with a fifth place his best result. “Targa is addictive,” Copeland adds. “I am really looking forward to teaming up with him (Park) for this year’s Targa.”

The 1967 Bizzarini is a valuable piece of machinery that is certain to create enormous spectator interest. With upgraded shock absorbers and a bit of sorting and tuning by Wayne Park Automotive in Brisbane, the car is now a real weapon. “The Bizzarini GT America is a very rare car and it is even rarer to see one competing in full competition in events like Targa. But the car's owner, Rob Sherrard, believes in using them as they were meant to be used, not wrapped in cloth in some museum,” Copeland says. “Targa is like no other event. The roads are unbelievable, the organisers do a terrific job and the public are really supportive of the event. Targa is the most fun you can have with your clothes on!”

He adds that the challenge of the event is simply to finish, and says that having “the best service crew in Targa,” helps him to achieve this. “Johno and Harbo come down from Darwin and they know of roads in Tassie that most Tasmanians don’t know. Nearly all the competitors know these guys as they always pop up when they are needed; they are the Mintie Monsters and two of the most helpful guys in the event. I also have my long suffering wife, Suzie, who helps out. She gets to do the early morning fuel runs, then wait patiently for us to appear, grab fuel and disappear into the distance!”

With such a valuable car under them, Park and Copeland’s number one plan is to look after the car during the five days of the event. After finishing, they say everything after that is a bonus. The 17th Targa Tasmania, featuring dozens of exotic cars, will start in Tasmania on April 15, taking the record-breaking field along some of the best rally roads in the country, before the grand finish at Hobart’s Wrest Point on April 20.