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Metalman Targa Sprint starts 2015 Targa NZ season with a bang

9 March, 2015

The Metalman Targa NZ Rally Sprint, held at Ardmore Airport on Sunday, March 8, officially kicked off the Targa NZ 2015 calendar. The two short stages (6.7km and 8.33km) wound through closed-off roads of the rural Franklin and South Auckland areas, and with each stage raced three times, the day would net competitors just over 60km of flat-out racing. The one-day event provided a great warm-up to the season, as well as providing potential competitors the chance to get a feel for the Targa experience.

Glenn Inkster and Spencer Winn, currently defending Targa New Zealand winners, started with a bang, claiming the overall victory and class (Allcomers 4WD) victory. The duo, racing in a Mitsubishi Evo VIII, took the overall win by 26 seconds over Leigh Hopper and co-driver Simon Fitzpatrick, who also competed in the Allcomers 4WD class, behind the wheel of a Subaru Impreza WRX.

It wasn’t plain sailing for Inkster and Winn, though — in two of the stages, the margin was a scant second between them, with Hopper and Fitzpatrick winning the second stage by three seconds.

Placing third overall, and claiming the Modern 2WD class honours, was Clark Proctor (the event sponsor) and co-driver Sue O’Neill. The rapid Metalman Ford Escort Mk I, powered by a turbocharged Nissan V6, made its return, following a crash and gearbox problems encountered in last year’s Targa South Island.

Though unquestionably quick, Proctor and O’Neill didn’t get the win without a fight — in this class, it was Ross Graham and his V8-powered Holden Torana giving them a headache. Graham took class wins in three of the stages, until Proctor’s pace built up, whilst Graham began feeling the heat from the late-model V8 BMW M3s driven by Simon Clark and co-driver Donald Howard, and Aaron Robinson and George Randle. The net result of this effort saw Graham place second in class, and sixth overall.

The always-entertaining Classic 2WD class also held some engaging dogfights between competitors, with Andy Mygind and Anthony Baker setting the pace early on, before being slowed by a misfire, and then fuel-starvation issues — allowing father-and-son team Eddie and Tom Grooten to snatch the class win in their beautiful 1978 Porsche 911.

With a good day’s racing all wrapped up, the Metalman Targa Sprint was a well-enjoyed event, and truly set the tone for the 2015 season. The next event, the three-day Targa Bambina from Auckland to Whitianga, and on to Rotorua, will run between May 16–18, and the annual six-day Targa New Zealand event will run from October 26–31.

2015 Metalman Targa Rally Sprint

Overall

  1. Glenn Inkster/Spencer Winn
  2. Leigh Hopper/Simon Kirkpatrick
  3. Clark Proctor/Sue O’Neill
  4. Nic de Waal/Danny de Waal
  5. Brian Green/Fleur Pedersen
  6. Ross Graham/Carmel Graham
  7. David Rogers/Aiden Kelly
  8. Simon Clark/Donald Howard
  9. Aaron Robinson/ George Randle
  10. Cameron Ross/Matthew Buer

Allcomers 4WD

  1. Glenn Inkster/ Spencer Winn
  2. Leigh Hopper/Simon Kirkpatrick
  3. Nic de Waal/Danny de Waal
  4. Brian Green/Fleur Pedersen
  5. David Rogers/Aiden Kelly
  6. Chris Lane/Karl Celeste
  7. 7. Kevin Williams

Classic 2WD

  1. Eddie Grooten/Tom Grooten
  2. Ken Northin
  3. Patrick O’Donnell
  4. Linden Bawden/Rhys Bawden
  5. Gary Ashton/Chris McMurray

Modern 2WD

  1. Clark Proctor/Sue O’Neill
  2. Ross Graham/Carmel Graham
  3. Simon Clark/Donald Howard
  4. Aaron Robinson/George Randle
  5. Cameron Ross/Matthew Buer

 

NZ Classic Car magazine, November/December 2026 issue 408, on sale now

18 October, 2026

Star status for classic Porsche
A long search ends: finding the right car
Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963, the Porsche 911 heralded an iconic lineage of sports cars, known for their exceptional performance, remarkable racing reliability, and adaptability, second to none.
New Zealand Classic Car, in conjunction with Star Insure, recently conducted a photo competition to find 13 suitably impressive classics to grace the pages of the magazine’s 2027 calendar. A flood of entries showed that Kiwis recognise eye-catching designs and restorations. Many are handy with a camera, too, and have entered some outstanding results.
The choice was not straightforward, with multiple stunning entries, and Geoff Long’s immaculate 1990 Porsche 911 (964 Factory designation) took top honours. Fortunately, Geoff had Ethan Hanlon handy to take the accompanying photos while working in his office.
“I’ve got a young employee who is doing work experience in my office at the moment, and he’s a very avid photographer. So, I said, I’ll buy you breakfast and then why don’t we go and take some photos. He found the right spot, and he spent over an hour photographing.”
Originally sold new in Japan, hence the right-hand drive, the Porsche was resident there for four years before being exported to New Zealand, as Geoff recalls.
“I bought it two-and-a-half years ago, but I looked for it for over two years, because it’s just the colour scheme, interior and exterior I was after. The service file that came with it is extensive; I mean, it’s been beautifully looked after, which is what I wanted to continue, as it does get driven. It doesn’t sit in the garage.”

Classics on the green

16 October, 2026

Many pretenders vie for the title, but the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance gets my vote as the biggest thing since sliced bread.
The 71st edition of the world’s pre-eminent and best-known concours event featured 28 classes, judged by a 180-strong jury, which also chose the recipients of 26 special awards.
The size of the event, the number of visitors, and, most mind-numbingly, the sheer number of amazing cars, is almost overwhelming. There are so many quality cars to gaze upon, and so many people gazing at those cars, that it is almost impossible to cover everything.
Notable among the many attractions were the centenary celebrations of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, an elegant Talbot-Lago Grand Sport, Hermann Graber’s Swiss-bodied cabriolets and coupés, the jewels of Otto Vu Italian V8s, early Alfa Romeos, Lincoln and its centenary, and cars with unorthodox propulsion systems.