Last year it was a blast from the past; this year it became the future. Following the package of measures introduced by new Event Director Mark Perry and his team in 2007, classic cars are set to form the backbone of Targa Tasmania as the event now confidently drives towards its 20th annual running in 2011.
When he took over the helm of the unique 5-day, 2000km tarmac rally in 2006, Perry found the entries of pre-1982 cars were waning, with many entrants switching to modern vehicles such as four wheel drive turbocharged Japanese hatches.
Viewing the problem through the eyes of a past competitor, he sought to woo the classic cars back by focussing on their needs, supplementing the existing handicap formula that decided podium positions with a new Outright Classic Competition with equal status to that of the “Modern” competition, raising the classic age barrier to 1991 and reducing the pre and post-event formalities to reduce event’s demands on time-poor entrants.
This year’s all-time record 303-vehicle field, with more than a third of the starters in pre-1991 classic cars vindicated his approach and the increased interest from Britain, Europe and the United States seems certain to result in an increasing number of international participants in the future.
This year’s Shannons Outright Classic Competition podium was dominated by Victorian-entered Porsches, with laboratory manager Rex Broadbent in his 1974 RS replica taking his 3rd (and second successive) victory over the hard-driven 1989 Porsche 944 S2 of fellow Gavin James, with Peter Eames 3rd in another 1974 RS replica. But Broadbent would not have finished the fifth and final day down Tasmania’s West Coast had Eames not lent him a crucial spare front tire in an act of great sportsmanship. It’s like that amongst Classic competitors, where for most, competing is more important than winning.
But hot on the Porsches’ heels was an eclectic mix of classics, heading by the 600hp 1971 Holden Monaro GTS of Victorian Steve and Rachael Coad and Queensland’s Jon Siddens in his Datsun 260Z who tied for 4th, four more Porsches and a Mazda RX7.
And if you looked at the Handicap competition the variety became even greater.
This saw Siddens take out Early Classic for vehicles up to 1971, but just 26 seconds in arrears was the New South Wales father and son team of Mike and Paul Batten in their obscenely fast, red 1961 Volvo PV544, with the Coads 3rd in the Monaro.
Behind them the marques read like a 1960s motor show catalogue: Mustang GT350, Datsun H510 SSS, Holden Torana XU-1, Porsche 911 Carrera RS, Alfa Romeo Giulia Super, Fiat 124 sport and Lotus Cortina.
According to Perry it will be more of the same new look in 2009, with further annual variations in the course to keep it fresh for all entrants, placing greater emphasis on the new “Showroom” category for modern vehicles and making Targa Tasmania carbon neutral to increase the event’s relevance.
By Michael Browning
