Targa New Zealand: Targa teams tested

29 October, 2015

Wet weather and winding roads have proven to be the great equalizer during the closed special stages on day three of Targa New Zealand (Wednesday, October 28) as the top 10 competitors shuffle for position on the leaderboard.

Still leading the field, last year’s 20th anniversary winners Glenn Inkster and Spencer Winn (Mitsubishi Evo 8) are in front of five-time former event-winner Tony Quinn and co-driver Naomi Tillett (Nissan GT-R35) at the head of the 60-strong field despite the the tight, slippery back roads of New Zealand’s energy province.    

The 21st annual Targa New Zealand event now heads east to Palmerston North on Thursday, October 29, then on to Havelock North on Friday, October 30, before returning west for the finish at Palmerston North (at The Square) on Saturday ,October 31.

Information on both the main (six-day) 2015 Targa New Zealand and two-day Targa Regional Rally events is available in the latest copy of New Zealand Classic Car magazine.

Results:

Andrew Simms Allcomers 4WD

  1. Glenn Inkster / Spencer Winn (2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) 02:41:50
  2. Tony Quinn / Naomi Tillett (2008 Nissan GTR) 02:46:28
  3. Brian Green / Fleur Pedersen (2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X RS) 02:57:53
  4. David Rogers / Aidan Kelly (2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X RS) 02:59:18
  5. Graeme  Wong / Kim Blatchley (1998 Subaru Impreza Type R) 03:10:21
  6. Jeff McCandless / Marcella Mumm (2010 Subaru WRX STi) 03:11:53

Metalman Classic

  1. Bevan Claridge / Campbell Tannock (1992 Holden Commodore) 02:56:08
  2. Mark and Chris Kirk-Burnnand (1987 BMW M3) 02:56:34
  3. Keith Callinan / Mary Anne Callinan (1977 Ford Escort) 03:03:41
  4. Ashton Wood / Chris Lancaster (1976 Ford Escort RS1800) 03:03:58
  5. Bruce Farley / Glen Warner (1986 BMW 325i) 03:08:42
  6. Andy Mygind / Anthony Baker (1972 Datsun 240Z) 03:11:17

Instra.com Modern 2WD

  1. Martin Dippie / Jona Grant (2007 Porsche GT3 RS) 02:53:51
  2. Steven Kirk-Burnnand / Mick Hay (1994 BMW 318ti) 02:56:12
  3. Grant Aitken / Caroline Cullimore (2013 Toyota 86 RC) 02:58:03
  4. Robert Darrington / David Abetz (2002 BMW M3) 02:58:22
  5. Matt Todd / Dan Reichenbach (2008 BMW M3) 02:59:11
  6. Chris Lewis / Kieran Anstis (2013 Toyota TR86) 02:59:58

Overall

  1. Glenn Inkster / Spencer Winn 02:41:50       
  2. Tony Quinn / Naomi Tillett +00:04:38
  3. Martin Dippie / Jona Grant+00:12:01
  4. Bevan Claridge / Campbell Tannock +00:14:18
  5. Steven Kirk-Burnnand / Mick Hay 00:14:22
  6. Mark and Chris Kirk-Burnnand 00:14:44
  7.  Brian Green / Fleur Pedersen +00:16:03
  8. Grant Aitken / Caroline Cullimore 00:16:13
  9. Robert Darrington / Dave Abetz 00:16:32
  10. Matt Todd / Dan Reichenbach 00:17:21

Defending Targa New Zealand title-holders Glenn Inkster and Spencer Winn (Mitsubishi Evo 8) continued to extend their lead

Steven Kirk-Burnnand and Mick Hay (BMW Compact 318T1), Bevan Claridge and Campbell Tannock (Holden Commodore), and Grant Aitken and Caroline Cullimore (Toyota 86) move up the class and event standings.

Photo credit: Fast Company / ProShotz

Performance art

Shelby’s targets were Superformance — a South African company that wanted to sell its versions of these cars in the US — and the US-based Factory Five. Their defence was that the name and shape of the Cobra car were abandoned when Shelby American ceased production of these particular models back in the 1960s.
Shelby countered with: “We spent millions of dollars creating the name and the car and winning the world championship. These knock-off-car guys don’t deserve the credit or the profit for what my team and Ford accomplished in the ’60s.”
Superformance painted an even bigger target on its back by also producing a version of Shelby’s Daytona coupé. Other cars in its production stable were Mk1 GT40 and 1962 Corvette Grand Sport replicas, but we’ll focus here on the Daytona.

Design accord

You can’t get much more of an art deco car than a Cord — so much so that new owners, Paul McCarthy and his wife, Sarah Selwood, went ahead and took their Beverly 812 to Napier’s Art Deco Festival this year, even though the festival itself had been cancelled.
“We took delivery of the vehicle 12 days before heading off to Napier. We still drove it all around at the festival,” says Paul.
The utterly distinctive chrome grille wrapping around the Cord’s famous coffin-shaped nose, and the pure, clean lines of the front wing wheel arches, thanks to its retractable headlamps, are the essence of deco. This model, the Beverly, has the finishing touch of the bustle boot that is missing from the Westchester saloon.