Targa New Zealand: Metalman Classic front runners out of the hunt

30 October, 2015

 

The father-and-son duo that is Mark and Chris Kirk-Burnnand (BMW M3) are out of the competition after leading the Metalman Classic class. In an interview with Targa Media representative Ross McKay, Mark said, “About 15kms in the engine just went bang. There’s now a hole you could put your foot through in the [engine] block, so we borrowed a trailer off Glenn Inkster and towed the car out. There’s no way we can find and fit another engine in the time we have left so we’ll spend the rest of the event supporting the other Kirk-Burnnand cars and come back ourselves next year.”

Meanwhile, Glenn Inkster and Spencer Winn (Mitsubishi Evo 8) continued to stamp their dominance on the field after the end of a rain-lashed day four (Thursday, October 29), with a lead of eight minutes and four seconds over Tony Quinn and Naomi Tillett (2008 Nissan GTR). 

The 21st annual Targa New Zealand event now heads east to Havelock North via Taihape and the Gentle Annie road on Friday, October 30, before returning west for the finish at Palmerston North (at The Square) on Saturday, October 31.

Friday also sees the start of the two-day Targa Regional Rally event within an event.

Results:

Andrew Simms Allcomer 4WD

  1. Glenn Inkster / Spencer Winn (2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) 04:24:08
  2. Tony Quinn / Naomi Tillett (2008 Nissan GTR) 04:32:04
  3. Brian Green / Fleur Pedersen (2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X RS) 04:47:35
  4. David Rogers / Aidan Kelly (2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X RS) 04:50:18
  5. Graeme Wong / Kim Blatchley (1998 Subaru Impreza Type R) 05:07:38
  6. Jeff McCandless / Marcella Mumm (2010 Subaru WRX ST1) 05:14:10

Metalman Classic 2WD

  1. Bevan Claridge / Campbell Tannock (1992 Holden Commodore) 04:47:34
  2. Keith and Mary Anne Callinan (1977 Ford Escort) 04:57:37
  3. Ashton Wood / Chris Lancaster (1976 Ford Escort RS1800) 05:03:28
  4. Bruce Farley / Glen Warner (1986 BMW 325 325) 05:04:01
  5. Mark and Chris Kirk-Burnnand (1987 BMW M3) 05:06:18
  6. Carl Kirk-Burnnand / Scott Hay (1991 BMW 325i) 05:07:12

Instra.com Modern 2WD

  1. Martin Dippie / Jona Grant (2007 Porsche GT3 RS) 04:40:11
  2. Steven Kirk-Burnnand / Mick Hay (1994 BMW 318ti) 04:43:33
  3. Grant Aitken / Caroline Cullimore (2013 Toyota 86 RC) 04:48:38
  4. Robert Darrington / David Abetz (2002 BMW M3) 04:48:40
  5. Matt Todd / Dan Reichenbach (2008 BMW M3) 04:50:28
  6. Chris Lewis / Kieran Anstis (2013 Toyota TR86) 04:53:40

Overall

  1. Glenn Inkster / Spencer Winn 04:24:08
  2. Tony Quinn / Naomi Tillett 04:32:04
  3. Martin Dippie / Jona Grant 04:40:11
  4. Steven Kirk-Burnnand / Mick Hay 04:43:33
  5. Bevan Claridge / Campbell Tannock 04:47:24
  6. Brian Green / Fleur Pedersen 04:47:35

Leading the Instra.com Modern 2WD class after four days of Targa New Zealand competition is Dunedin pair Martin Dippie and Jona Grant in a Porsche 911 GT3.

Latest front-runners to retire are Mark and Chris Kirk-Burnnand (BMW M3).

Now with a healthy lead in Metalman Classic are Bevan Claridge and Campbell Tannock (Holden Commodore V8).

And now up to second place in Metalman Classic 2WD is the Australian husband-and-wife pair of Keith and Mary Anne Callinan (Ford Escort RS1800).

Photo credit: Fast Company/ProShotz

 

 

NZ Classic Car magazine, January/February 2025 issue 397, on sale now

Having dominated the world motorcycle championships of the 1960s, Honda had a crucial decision to make in 1969. Would Soichiro Honda heed his engineer’s pivotal advice?
“Very few examples of the early Civic, a car that set Honda onto the path to becoming a giant of the car world, remain road registered in New Zealand.
Retired Tauranga owner of this example, Graham Inglis is thrilled with his classic little Honda Civic, the first of eleven generations built so far by the company. The Civic became a household name.
“It’s quite amazing the number of people who not only wave, but come up to me in the street and tell me how much they like the little Honda and its colour, and then they want to start talking about it. A guy in our vintage car club wants to buy it and he has been pushing me a bit. It’s not for sale,” he laughs.
Graham bought his 1977 Honda Civic from Wellington enthusiast Julian Foster, who was the instigator of its restoration.”

A star in their eyes – 1968 Ford Galaxie 500

“Everyone asks that until they take a closer look,” says its owner today, Brent Harris of Auckland. “They also ask if I’ve done the restoration myself, and I have to tell them no, it is 100 per cent original. It’s the paint listed in the handbook.”
It was the original condition of the car that won Brent over from the moment he first saw it — that and the fact “it just looks stunning”.
Brent had owned a 1968 Mark II Cortina for four years. It was in need of some work and the question arose whether to spend the money or get something different. You don’t get much more divergent than Ford’s different approaches to its markets in the UK and the USA.