30/04/2013

Targa Tasmania 2013:
10 cars and the 4WD Showroom Championship for TMR

Targa Tasmania is undoubtedly the 'Grand Final' of tarmac
rallying in Australia, and the TMR Performance Team was out in force.

No less than ten TMR-prepared or maintained Mitsubishi
Lancer Evolutions were entered in 'The Ultimate Tarmac Rally', which
encompassed six days and nearly 600 kilometres of competitive rallying across
the Apple Isle.

Targa Tasmania is also the last and most glamorous event in
the four-round Australian Targa Championship, and this was in the mind several
TMR crews who were in with a shot of gaining championship glory.

TMR Performance had five vehicles entered in Targa's Modern
Outright category, with another five gunning for 4WD Showroom class honours.

"We adopted a measured approach to Targa this time,"
explained team boss Alan Heaphy. "As several of our clients were in
championship contention, we wanted to ensure the cars came home in points
paying positions."

We chatted with Alan to get his thoughts on each of the team's
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions and how they went throughout Targa week.

Modern outright

Clint Arentz/Pete Burrey, 7^th  in Winston Racing Evo X. Secured 2^nd outright in Australian Targa Championship

"We were very pleased with Clint's performance, and finishing second in the championship behind only the White's Lamborghini Gallardo was a wonderful achievement. By the time we arrived in Strahan for Leg Four, we decided to conserve the car and bring it home. Seventh was a great result against the competition and demonstrates that the Evo X is still a
formidable outright car."

Michael Willems/Gerard Balint, 12^th in Ray White Evo X.

"We prepared Michael's Evo X for Targa. It was his first tarmac rally, so to finish 12^th in Modern was a great achievement. The car ran beautifully."

Max Williams/Bruce Bush, 16^th in Rallimax Evo X.

"Max and Bruce ran with a tyre which turned out to be too soft for the warm weather we had throughout the week. Given that, and the eight tyre limit, it was decided to bypass Leg Four and have the car finish Day Five. They made the finish at Wrest Point which is a massive achievement in itself."

Kym Illman/Kate Lehmann, 18^th in Messages on Hold Evo IX.

"Unfortunately Kym's co-driver Kate is the fiancée of Tristan Catford, who was John Mansell's co-driver (Mansell, 73, passed away after an incident on Leg One). After securing a replacement co-driver (Daniel Willson) the crew took things steadily to the finish."

Barrie Smith/Jan Smith, DNF in V-Sport Evo X.

"It was a case of bad timing. The engine in the Smith car has done around 30,000 kilometres of competitive rallying, and it was scheduled for a change post-Targa. Unfortunately it decided this event would be its last, but it will get a new engine and it will be back in tarmac action shortly."

Showroom 4WD

In a real show of strength, TMR built or maintained
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions took five of the top ten places in Showroom 4WD.

Gregory Burrowes/Rhonda Burrowes, 2^nd in Evo X. Secured Showroom 4WD
Championship.

"The Burrowes car was built externally, but TMR serviced and managed it on-event. We are pleased to have assisted them in gaining the Showroom 4WD Championship, and to see them in second place on the Targa podium."

Michael Minshall/Kirrilee Gentleman, 4^th in Evo IX

"Michael and Kirrilee drove consistently and quickly throughout the weekend, and the Evo IX worked beautifully. We were disappointed for them not being on the podium, as they were beaten to the podium by two cars that had suspension which was not quite within the regulations. We were very disappointed that the organisers allowed those two cars to retain their finishing position. Hopefully there will be a more even playing field in future
events, and that will give Michael the opportunity to achieve an even better result."

Roy Davis/Colleen Davis, 5^th in Evo X

"Another consistent, fast, and trouble free run saw the Davis Evo X finish well in fifth place."

Norm Sutton/Sue Hanley, 7^th in Evo X

"No issues with the Sutton/Hanley car. It was a simple case of checking fluid levels and tyre pressures, and they did a great job to bring the car home."

Scott Millar/Chris Dean, 10^th in Evo X

"After really setting the Showroom 4WD pace over the first few days, Scotty hit some oil on Leg Three and spun off, whilst in fifth gear. Needless to say it was a scary moment for him and there was some damage to the car.

"Our crew got the car back to parc ferme in Strahan, but we decided to pull it out of Leg Four and have Scott and Chris re-enter on Leg Five, to get to the finish in Wrest Point and qualify for championship points. They achieved that and finished fourth in the championship."

Needless to say, a 9 out of 10 finishing record proves once again the strength and reliability of the TMR-prepared Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution range. Congratulations to all of our Targa crews, and the hard-working service team.