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The
Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera of local driver Jason
White lies just 6 seconds off the overall lead after the
first day of the Targa Tasmania, while the other similar
machine of John Weeks is well placed in fourth, nine
seconds adrift.
Despite being in
second place, White was frustrated after a day that had
produced problems when he lost the GPS system that he uses
to provide pace notes. "We had to show a bit of caution a
few times today when we weren’t picking up any satellites
for the GPS unit which displays our pacenotes, so we had to
drive through a fair bit of the Sheffield stage blind.
Hopefully we don’t have that problem again and we can stay
somewhere in the top five."
However it is
Queenslander Tony Quinn who has set the early pace in the
modern car section of Targa Tasmania, and holds a narrow
lead at the end of the opening day, which included nine
testing stages in the state’s north. Quinn, driving the
latest Nissan GTR, is just ahead of Tasmanian hope White's
Gallardo Superleggera. Eight-time winner, Jim Richards, is
third, a further two seconds back.
A surprise leader of the Classic car section is Queenslander
Ben Wooster driving a 1990 Nissan Skyline GTS, who has
powered ahead of his rivals in the dry conditions. He
finished the day 23 seconds clear of Bill Pye’s 1974 Porsche
911, with Gavin James third, 38 seconds off the lead in a
1988 Porsche 944. Launceston’s David Cooper lies fourth in a
1977 Holden Torana A9X.
The Showroom class produced plenty of drama. Winner of the
Prologue, Rod Salmon, crashed out on the final stage of the
day on Quamby Brook. Both he and co-driver Samantha Stevens
are okay, but class leader Greg Johnston has one less rival
to contend with in his quest for class honours after a
dominant performance on the opening day.
The northern loop of Targa Tasmania saw dry clear
conditions, but modern category leader Quinn believes he is
perfectly placed, particularly if the weather forecast comes
true and rain follows the field later in the week. "The day
has been fantastic,” Quinn said. “Our strategy was to keep
with the leaders until the rain comes, and then to see what
we can do. If we are within cooee of the leaders, or about
20-25 seconds behind, we'll be fine, hard to beat. If it
doesn't rain, we'll just have to press a bit harder."
Richards, in third, knows that it is not just Quinn and
White he has to worry about. Driving a two-wheel drive
Porsche GT2, he knows rain is his enemy. “To stay in front
we need no rain, and everyone else to go slower than us,” a
dry Richards said.
Pre-event Classic favourite, Rex Broadbent, was still
suffering from the flu on the opening day, and he has a
tough job ahead to catch the early leader, Ben Wooster.
"We're flabbergasted to be in the position where we are in -
I've never been more surprised about anything in my life,”
Wooster said of his lead position. “We found the early
stages this morning were fairly bumpy, but Kayena is one of
my favourite stages, so we had a good crack at that, and
we've just been enjoying this afternoon. We just have to
keep in the groove, the car feels fairly good and the tyres
don't seem to be wearing too badly at this stage. Whether
it's wet or dry is not really a concern, the car is pretty
good considering what it is."
The Showroom category has been a real battle between the
four-wheel drive Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9s and the
factory-backed Mazda 3 MPSs. Greg Johnston is a surprise
leader in his Lancer, just ahead of the similar car of last
year’s winner Tony Warren. However, it’s the performances of
the front-wheel drive Mazdas of young gun Brendan Reeves,
and his team-mate, Rick Bates, which has got everyone
talking. The fine weather is playing into the hands of the
Mazda drivers, but they should still be off the pace of
their turbocharged rivals, making their performances even
more impressive. Thursday sees a further nine stages to St
Helens and back to Launceston. The classic Sideling stage is
the second of the day, a tough beginning that might set the
tone for the remainder of the day.
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