targa Tasmania

[marcus]

I havent been following whats going on at targa this year that much (basically i didnt even know it was on now)

but caught some of the action on the news today and 500cc star Michael Doohan has crashed out of his first car racing event..he apparently rolled his Mercedes into a tree after having brake failure..niether he or his co driver were injured.


on a more serious note a Sydney driver has been taken to hospital in a serious condition after the Nissan GTR he was driving left the road and collided with trees..the car was wedged in a tree about 5 foot off the ground from what I could tell from the TV coverage...but disaster almost befell evryone involved in the incident..rescue workers removed the co driver (who was un hurt) and then removed the driver from the car ..as they were preparing him on a stretcher to be taken to hospital the tree the car was wedged in came crashing down..almost landing on the stretcher..no one was hurt by the fallen tree that i could see but a very scary incident for all involved.

my prayers go out to the driver and wish him well in his recovery.


Jim richards leads the rally in his Porsche and looks set to take the win ..again proving that even though he is over 50 years old he is one of this countires best drivers in any car that he sits in.

[elephino]

A masterful wet-weather driving display by Jim Richards in today's sixth and
final leg lifted him to a fifth win in the Targa Tasmania tarmac rally.

The 53-year-old Melbourne-based New Zealander and Tasmanian navigator Barry
Oliver, who had won the rally four times previously, finished this year's
event over 2,110km and 52 stages with a total penalty time of 14-mins
52-secs in a turbo Porsche 911.

They finished the rally 2-mins 19-secs clear of second-placed Tony Quinn of
Queensland and Tasmanian Keith Wenn in another Porsche 911, who were
followed by Victorians Craig Dean and Graham Bell in a Toyota Supra, and
triple Australian rally champions Neal Bates, of the A.C.T., and NSW's Coral
Taylor in a Lexus IS200.

Richards, a six-times Bathurst 1000 champion, began today's sixth and final
leg with a lead of 1-min 38-secs over Quinn. Road conditions were wet and
slippery. Richards made a decisive move in the second stage at Oyster Cove
by covering the 12.36km course 23-secs faster than Quinn.

"We lost time at Oyster Cove, but not as much as everyone else," said
Richards. "It gave us some breathing space. It was wet and soggy out there
and the fog was pretty bad. You could hardly see a foot in front of you in
some places."

"It's a thrill to win Targa again because it's one of the best events we do.
You've got a combination of wet and dry weather, winding roads and fast
country. This year my car was fabulous. We had to change three tyres, and
Tony (Quinn) did a great job staying on our tail. We thought he'd be quick
and he was. Next year I will be back again."

Quinn, a 43 year-old pet food businessman from the Gold Coast, believes the
wet weather on the final leg counted against him.

"Jim's car was more suited to the wet than mine," said Quinn. "His car is
four-wheel-drive and it has better traction in those conditions, but I'm
pleased with how we've gone. We've been second the last couple of years so
the only way from here is up."

There were seven crashes in the final leg, with former Targa winner Peter
Fitzgerald suffering a fractured vertebrae when his Porsche 911 collided
with a roadside bank during the Cygnet stage.

Tony Esplin, a 38-year-old managing director from Eden in NSW, and his
navigator, Anne-Maree Kennedy, also 38, from Fitzroy in Victoria, were
rushed to Royal Hobart Hospital after crashing their Ford Escort in the
Howden stage. The accident caused delays and the stage was eventually
cancelled.

Esplin suffered lower back injuries and remains in hospital where his
condition in being further assessed, but Kennedy was discharged after
initially suffering abdominal pains from the crash.

Others who crashed, but were not injured, were Porsche drivers Max Warwick
and Charly Cuenoud, Geoff Hall in a Renault, Ray Vandersee in a Van Demon,
and Ken Jaffey in a Nissan Skyline.

RESULTS (overall classifications)

MODERN COMPETITION

(Outright):
POS DRIVERS CAR PENALTY TIME
1. J. Richards (Vic)-B. Oliver (Tas) Porsche 911 14-min 52-secs
2. T. Quinn (Qld)-K. Wenn (Tas) Porsche 911 17-min 11-secs
3. C. Dean-G. Bell (Vic) Toyota Supra 18-min 50-secs
4. N. Bates-C. Taylor (A.C.T.) Lexus IS200 19-min 39-secs
5. R. Lintott (NSW)-T. Jackson (Tas) Porsche 911 20-min 09-secs
6. J. Beable-N. Beable (Vic) Nissan Skyline 20-min 26-secs
7. B. Learoyd-C. Palmer (Qld) Chevrolet Corvette 21-min 02-secs
8. M. Cummings-C. Alp (Vic) Porsche 993 22-min 22-secs
9. John White-Jason White (Tas) Nissan 300ZX 24-min 45-secs
10. B. Hughes-M. Hughes (NSW) Mazda RX-7 25-min 13-secs
OTHERS:
20. M. Coote-A. McLoughlan (Qld) Mazda MX-5 31-min 03-secs
21. S. Hoinville-G. Foletta (Vic) Ford Falcon XR6 31-min 16-secs
75. P. Brock-J. Brock (Vic) V8 Holden Ute 8-hr 31-min 46-secs

CLASSIC COMPETITION:
POS DRIVERS CAR PENALTY TIME
1. P. Stuart-M. Connolly (Vic) Porsche 911 13-min 11-secs
2. G. Duggan-L. Duggan (Tas) Datsun 2000 13-min 57-secs
3. I. Morris-K. Crib (Vic) Alfa Romeo GTV6 19-min 27-secs

TOURING CLASSIC COMPETITION:
POS DRIVERS CAR PENALTY TIME
1. P. Nichols-P. Blake (Tas) Austin Healey 25-min 22-secs
2. B. Titheradge-J. Shuttle (NSW) Jaguar XK140 29-min 18-secs
3. D. Meyer-M. Petersen (NSW) EH Holden 38-min 15-secs

HISTORIC COMPETITION:
POS DRIVERS CAR PENALTY TIME
1. N. Cocks (SA)-S. Fong (NSW) Bugatti 35B 14-min 34-secs
2. M. Lane-R. Lane (NSW) Bugatti 24-min 38-secs
3. J. Lawson-P. Lawson (Vic) Alfa Romeo Spyder 34-min 08-secs

-www.targa.org.au