Updated: May 2, 2010
TARGA TASMANIA 2010
Battens WIN Targa
In another astonishing display of ability, forest rally expert 27 year old Paul Batten and 3 time NSW rally champ dad Mike were by far the fastest HTCAV Championship car over the 5 days of Targa Tasmania 2010 today. In the Outright Classic Competition the red Volvo was beaten only by Rex Broadbent and Chris Randell in the 74 Carrera. The relentless, persistent pressure - the Battens don't have poor stages - finally got to Peter Eames and his Carrera who was ahead at the start of the final day. In wet, cold and foggy conditions on Tasmania's west coast, the Volvo won the first three stages outright, including defeating both Porsches on the 56 kilometre Mt Arrowsmith by nearly a minute and Peter Eames crashed out on the very next stage. The measure of the car control required to be competitive is that Rex Broadbent reported to the media that Mt Arrowsmith was so slippery he thought there was ice on the road.
Realising that with only three short stages left, unless Rex broke he could not be caught, Mike Batten got his wish and managed to turn down the speed control on Paul and they cruised home from then on. Mike also says they have never had a 'moment' and the Modified Specification they ran with this year (bored motor, Proflex shocks) and soft tyre strategy worked well.
15 minutes further back, another tense battle was raging between Pete and Sari Ullrich in the Jensen and Richard Woodward and Dave McCrowe in the famous 69 Monaro GTS. After tying Leg 3, the Jensen started Leg 5 33 secs ahead. But the Monaro was not to be denied and Richard and Dave started to put in the most incredible times - 5th on Strahan and already a few seconds up, then gaining more time with sixth on the Corkscrew and Arrowsmith. By the end, the Monaro had turned a 33 secs deficit into a 23 second advantage. It is a tribute to these two great crews that they made it through, driving fully committed on legendary difficult stages in atrocious conditions when many crashed out.
Fourth was local Drew Kent and good mate Paul Krawczyk in the Falcon GT who only just managed to keep 9 seconds ahead of rampaging Len and Gayle Cattlin, who have clearly built a great new MS Boss; completely untried, untested and still being finished at the start, this car has grown stronger every day. Just behind by a mere 3 seconds were Scott and Wayne Kent - so only 12 seconds apart from brother Drew, a closeness which lasted the whole event.
Well back from the V8's came Chas and Luke Latter in the silver Datsun 1600, who recovered from their damaging fence diversion to take 7th. Next in line was the gigantic Ford Galaxie driven by Mike Moylan and navigated by Kim Chance, whose reputation was certainly enhanced when no less than 6 more timid modern rally cars (and whose drivers all reported the event wide eyed to the media) were passed by the storming Galaxie on Arrowsmith in the treacherous weather, trailing a vast plume of spray and turbulence in its enormous slipstream. 8th was the other Falcon GT crewed by Ray Large and Rob Woodcock and the 10 was rounded out by the bright yellow Torana 'XU4' four door driven with passion and enthusiasm by Queensland panel shop owner Wayne Pfingst navigated by John Loth - both relived to have not finished upside down with sheared steering this year..
So what happened to the high tech early model Holden - the 'Moment of Madness' ? Well, the Freestones have had wins and losses in their 15 year Targa career and this was not a win - they finally came 11th in our standings. The car had come to Tas with only the briefest of testing and paid the price - engine, gearbox, dash, electrics were all rebuilt over three nights and there were inevitably some slip ups by the completely exhausted service crew. Then the clutch hydraulics packed it in just in time for Arrowsmith. But Paul is a very determined character and was going to get the thing to the end even if he had to push it all the way - the potential of this combination and the commitment of Paul and Christine (and the well known race car builders who created it ) to get the early model right should not be underestimated.
Everyone in the HTCAV can be proud of the Targa 10 effort by the pre 73 touring cars. In one of the toughest events on record, 28% of the 78 classic pre 81 cars entered DNF'd. But only 13% of the 23 pre 73 touring cars DNF'd and provided four of the outright top ten and one of the cars on the podium. Targa Tasmania in the wet is the greatest challenge in modern amateur motor sport and 20 cars with 40 crew are tonight celebrating their triumph of achieving a finish in Hobart well satisfied with their week's work. We salute them !
Leg 5 |
||||||||||
| Driver | Co-Driver | Car | Overall Classic Pos |
HTCAV Championship Pos |
78 entries - Overall Position |
HTCAV points |
Total |
Championship Points (x 504 kms) |
||
| 244 | Paul Batten | Mike Batten | 1961 Volvo PV544 | 2MSE | 2 |
1 |
76 |
28 |
104 |
52,416 |
| 449 | Richard Woodward | David McCrow | 1969 Holden Monaro GTS | 4MSH | 6 |
2 |
72 |
24 |
96 |
48,384 |
| 383 | Peter Ullrich | Sari Ullrich | 1963 Jensen CV8 | 3LMSF | 7 |
3 |
71 |
20 |
91 |
45,864 |
| 405 | Drew Kent | Paul Krawczyk | 1971 Ford Falcon GT | 4LMSH | 8 |
4 |
70 |
16 |
86 |
43,344 |
| 444 | Len Cattlin | Gayle Cattlin | 1969 Ford Mustang Fastback | 4MSH | 12 |
5 |
66 |
12 |
78 |
39,312 |
| 351 | Scott Kent | Wayne Kent | 1965 Ford Mustang | 3MSF | 13 |
6 |
65 |
8 |
73 |
36,792 |
| 467 | Chas Latter | Luke Latter | 1967 Datsun 1600 | 4LMSC | 20 |
7 |
58 |
4 |
62 |
31,248 |
| 303 | Mike Moylan | Kimberley Chance | 1964 Ford Galaxie | 3MSF | 27 |
8 |
51 |
51 |
25,704 |
|
| 501 | Ray Large | Robert Woodcock | 1972 Ford Falcon GT | 5MSH | 28 |
9 |
50 |
50 |
25,200 |
|
| 408 | Wayne Pfingst | John Loth | 1971 Holden Torana | 4MSE | 32 |
10 |
46 |
46 |
23,184 |
|
| 215 | Paul Freestone | Christine Freestone | 1948 Holden 215 | 2MSF | 33 |
11 |
45 |
45 |
22,680 |
|
| 410 | Reg Kenny | Peter Jackson | 1971 Jaguar XJ6 | 4MSG | 34 |
12 |
44 |
44 |
22,176 |
|
| 360 | Norman Henry | Michael Blake | 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super | 3SSC | 38 |
13 |
40 |
40 |
20,160 |
|
| 438 | David Ogg | Michael Farrell | 1970 Alfa Romeo Guilia GTV 1750 | 4MSB | 39 |
14 |
39 |
39 |
19,656 |
|
| 415 | Neville Smith | Lorraine Smith | 1966 Holden HR X2 Premier | 4MSE | 43 |
15 |
35 |
35 |
17,640 |
|
| 416 | Steve McClintock | Jann Skinner | 1968 BMW 2002ti | 4LMSB | 50 |
16 |
28 |
28 |
14,112 |
|
| 210 | Jack Waldron | Vin Gregory | 1955 FIAT Abarth 750 | 2LMSA | 47 |
16 |
31 |
31 |
15,624 |
|
| 206 | George Bevan | Virginia Bevan | 1961 Volvo PV544 | 2SSD | 52 |
18 |
26 |
26 |
13,104 |
|
| 362 | Pat Devine | Mindi Devine | 1962 Morris Mini | 3LMSB | 55 |
19 |
23 |
23 |
11,592 |
|
| 230 | Simon Davison | Amanda Davison | 1955 Austin A30 | 2MSA | 56 |
20 |
22 |
22 |
11,088 |
|
| 430 | Robert Van Wegen | Ben Van Wegen | 1968 BMW 2002 Ti | 4LMSB | DNF |
DNF |
10 |
10 |
5,040 |
|
| 222 | Andrew White | Ashley Yelds | 1961 Volvo 122S | 2LMSD | 10 |
10 |
5,040 |
|||
| 471 | Bernie Wilson | John Wilson | 1971 Ford Capri Perana | 4H | 10 |
10 |
5,040 |
|||
| 276 | Martin Utber | Mike Kaye | 1961 Vauxhall Cresta | |||||||
| 371 | David Currow | Luigi Amori | 1965 Steyr Puch TR Europa |
Leg 4 - Battens tighten the screws
On another tough day in Tasmania, with cold, greasy tarmac glistening between the trees until the last stage into Strahan, Paul and Mike Batten have moved up two places to 3rd outright in Classic and extended their lead in the HTCAV Championship standings and it's been obvious that their pressure is beginning to bite hard . The Siddons / Ferguson highly modified Datsun 240Z had been closing up on Rex Broadbent (including beating him on Cethana) but crashed out on Hellyer Gorge - bringing a brave challenge to an end. And David Cooper's A9X has started to run out of rubber and is starting to drive to survive (the minimum tread depth rule will no doubt be tested overnight by the scrutineers).
No HTCAV car has ever finished higher overall in the modern iteration of the Targa rules than the Coads'' third in 2008 - the Battens came fifth in 2009, can they possibly get higher ? Well, the gap to first is large - nearly 6 minutes - but if it pours tomorrow and the Volvo hangs in there, it's not impossible.
A huge seven minutes back from the 2 litre Volvo, the 7 litre Jensen has pulled out a 33 second margin on the 5 litre Monaro GTS. Pete and Sari put in strong performance in the fog and slime of Cethana and built on that through he day to have over a minute on Richard and Crowie by the start of the last stage Rinadeena. There the Captain pulled back over 30 secs - a truly impressive showing on an epic piece of road.
Drew Kew and Paul Krawczyk also got past the Catlin's by a mere 5 seconds - they'll have to go hard to keep that tomorrow, Len loves Arrowsmith - and Scott and son Wayne Kent are still less than a minute behind. The Latter's Datto 1600 - another father and son team - interrupted a consistent showing by running wide through a barbed wire fence on that most intimidating of stages, Rianna. Getting untangled and back on the road cost them about 6 minutes and Steve McClintock and Jann Skinner took advantage to move their 2002 up into 7th spot.
Rounding out the Top 10 are Ray Large and Rob Woodcock's 72 Ford GT and Mick Moylan and Kim Chance's Galaxie - despite the treacherous conditions these two masters have not dropped a stage.
DNF's today were Jack Waldron and Vin Gregory in the tiny Fiat Abarth 750 and the Freestones, who took refuge in the Rianna General Store when a rocker broke. Tonight is spent in Strahan with the service crew in Queenstown, so they are trying to get the rocker fixed in Burnie before a long lonely late drive south.
Tomorrow is Pay Day - the final and most gruelling test which Tasmania can muster. Although not as tough as it used to be, it will be a grim day down the West Coast with a 90% chance of heavy rain and winds over 35 kph. These are the ideal conditions for the Volvo PV544 - the in car video which will be produced by car 244 tomorrow will be compulsory viewing as this experienced crew of top line forest racers challenge the two leading Porsche Carreras for victory. Go Paul, go Mike !
Leg 4 |
||||||
| Car No | Driver | Co-Driver | car | Overall Classic Pos |
HTCAV Championship Pos |
|
| 244 | Paul Batten | Mike Batten | 1961 Volvo PV544 | 2MSE | 3 |
1 |
| 383 | Peter Ullrich | Sari Ullrich | 1963 Jensen CV8 | 3LMSF | 8 |
2 |
| 449 | Richard Woodward | David McCrow | 1969 Holden Monaro GTS | 4MSH | 9 |
3 |
| 405 | Drew Kent | Paul Krawczyk | 1971 Ford Falcon GT | 4LMSH | 10 |
4 |
| 444 | Len Cattlin | Gayle Cattlin | 1969 Ford Mustang Fastback | 4MSH | 11 |
5 |
| 351 | Scott Kent | Wayne Kent | 1965 Ford Mustang | 3MSF | 13 |
6 |
| 416 | Steve McClintock | Jann Skinner | 1968 BMW 2002ti | 4LMSB | 21 |
7 |
| 467 | Chas Latter | Luke Latter | 1967 Datsun 1600 | 4LMSC | 22 |
8 |
| 501 | Ray Large | Robert Woodcock | 1972 Ford Falcon GT | 5MSH | 28 |
9 |
| 303 | Mike Moylan | Kimberley Chance | 1964 Ford Galaxie | 3MSF | 29 |
10 |
| 408 | Wayne Pfingst | John Loth | 1971 Holden Torana | 4MSE | 33 |
11 |
| 410 | Reg Kenny | Peter Jackson | 1971 Jaguar XJ6 | 4MSG | 34 |
12 |
| 360 | Norman Henry | Michael Blake | 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super | 3SSC | 38 |
13 |
| 438 | David Ogg | Michael Farrell | 1970 Alfa Romeo Guilia GTV 1750 | 4MSB | 40 |
14 |
| 415 | Neville Smith | Lorraine Smith | 1966 Holden HR X2 Premier | 4MSE | 42 |
15 |
| 430 | Robert Van Wegen | Ben Van Wegen | 1968 BMW 2002 Ti | 4LMSB | 44 |
16 |
| 206 | George Bevan | Virginia Bevan | 1961 Volvo PV544 | 2SSD | 48 |
17 |
| 230 | Simon Davison | Amanda Davison | 1955 Austin A30 | 2MSA | 52 |
18 |
| 362 | Pat Devine | Mindi Devine | 1962 Morris Mini | 3LMSB | 53 |
19 |
| 210 | Jack Waldron | Vin Gregory | 1955 FIAT Abarth 750 | 2LMSA | DNF |
DNF |
| 215 | Paul Freestone | Christine Freestone | 1948 Holden 215 | 2MSF | DNF |
DNF |
| 222 | Andrew White | Ashley Yelds | 1961 Volvo 122S | 2LMSD | ||
| 471 | Bernie Wilson | John Wilson | 1971 Ford Capri Perana | 4H | ||
| 276 | Martin Utber | Mike Kaye | 1961 Vauxhall Cresta | |||
| 371 | David Currow | Luigi Amori | 1965 Steyr Puch TR Europa |
Leg 3
The Captain's coming
Qantas Captain Richard Woodley and co-pilot Dave McCrow caught up 34 secs on the Ullrichs' Plastic Bullet to tie for 9th place Outright at the end of Leg 3 and second place in the HTCAV Championship race. They launched the 1969 yellow ex London Sydney Monaro GTS into a brilliant pursuit over the mainly dry tarmac, beating the Jensen on every stage over the plunging, leaping course around Mole Creek and Devonport. And they treated the spectators on SS23 Deloraine to the rare sight of a primitive old Holden V8 fanging flat out past Japan's finest Nissan R34 - and then holding on to the extended tank slapper which came after landing the jump.Yes, it's on video and will soon be on YouTube.
The Ullrichs are old hands at Targa and have been taking things steady to make sure that the Big Jay is delivered in good fettle to the start of Leg 4 - which is usually pay day. But they did not mean to lose so much time to the Monaro - bugger !
Behind this tense Battle for Second the Battens' incredible drive continues, with the old Volvo catching up a place to 6th Outright (not handicap, which they still lead easily) but the dry helped the Broadbent/Randell Carrera RS pull out four minutes . It's about now the pace begins to tell on the little car and planned replacements are happening furiously.
In this most exciting of Targa's, the Cattlins' Boss is also on the move. Despite a shocker reset overnight stuffing the rear grip of this work in progress car, Len and Gayle have pulled up two places overall and clamped their hands firmly on 4th spot in our placings, with an 8 minute lead over the Kent family, who continue to run a mere 11 secs apart.
But the big disappointment today has been the demise of the White / Yelds Amazon. After a great run - the new overdrive on top gives this innocent looking 2 litre pale blue touring car a 205 kph top speed - a three right on the last stage Quamby Brook turned out to be a three right with masses of loose gravel and the Volvo found the bank - hard. Just as Ashley Yelds was putting out the triangles, an Evo arrived out of control and slammed into the back of the Volvo, flattening the rear quarter and throwing the car further into the wire fence. While standing on the bank waiting for rescue, Andrew White found he had good phone reception, so he managed to seal a 'buy now' deal on a new quarter advertised on eBay. He's promised to be ready for Targa High Country ...
Also out tonite are the Wilson's Perana and the van Wegans' BMW 2002; let's hope that, like the Devines' Mini was this morning, they'll be able to run tomorrow.
At last the Freestones old Holden has been running on 98 and not steam but is still dogged by little problems - electrical glitches keep setting off the alarms, the motec dash is grumpy and the gearbox is gravelly. But they managed to get within 15 secs of Broadbent on Deloraine, a very fast stage.
And so to Leg 4. After three and half days of flat out work, the event is not even half done. Tomorrow starts easily enough with the harmless little Mole Creek stage, but soon launches into one of the longest and toughest day in tarmac rallying with three stages over 30 kms long - Cethana, Rianna and Rinadeena, which is Strahan reverse - plus the always damp and treacherous Hellyer Gorge and the Mt Black / Rosebery combination which can be lethal in the wet with their negative camber corners well lubricated by diesel from the log trucks.
The HTCAV wishes everyone a great day of competition tomorrow.
Leg 3 |
||||||
| No | Driver | Co-Driver | Car | Overall Classic Pos |
HTCAV Championship Pos |
|
| 244 | Paul Batten | Mike Batten | 1961 Volvo PV544 | 2MSE | 6 |
1 |
| 383 | Peter Ullrich | Sari Ullrich | 1963 Jensen CV8 | 3LMSF | 9= |
2= |
| 449 | Richard Woodward | David McCrow | 1969 Holden Monaro GTS | 4MSH | 9= |
2= |
| 444 | Len Cattlin | Gayle Cattlin | 1969 Ford Mustang Fastback | 4MSH | 11 |
4 |
| 405 | Drew Kent | Paul Krawczyk | 1971 Ford Falcon GT | 4LMSH | 13 |
5 |
| 351 | Scott Kent | Wayne Kent | 1965 Ford Mustang | 3MSF | 19 |
6 |
| 467 | Chas Latter | Luke Latter | 1967 Datsun 1600 | 4LMSC | 24 |
7 |
| 416 | Steve McClintock | Jann Skinner | 1968 BMW 2002ti | 4LMSB | 26 |
8 |
| 501 | Ray Large | Robert Woodcock | 1972 Ford Falcon GT | 5MSH | 28 |
9 |
| 303 | Mike Moylan | Kimberley Chance | 1964 Ford Galaxie | 3MSF | 35 |
10 |
| 408 | Wayne Pfingst | John Loth | 1971 Holden Torana | 4MSE | 39 |
11 |
| 410 | Reg Kenny | Peter Jackson | 1971 Jaguar XJ6 | 4MSG | 42 |
12 |
| 360 | Norman Henry | TBA | 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super | 3SSC | 48 |
13 |
| 415 | Neville Smith | Lorraine Smith | 1966 Holden HR X2 Premier | 4MSE | 50 |
14 |
| 438 | David Ogg | Michael Farrell | 1970 Alfa Romeo Guilia GTV 1750 | 4MSB | 52 |
15 |
| 210 | Jack Waldron | Vin Gregory | 1955 FIAT Abarth 750 | 2LMSA | 53 |
16 |
| 206 | George Bevan | Virginia Bevan | 1961 Volvo PV544 | 2SSD | 56 |
17 |
| 230 | Simon Davison | Amanda Davison | 1955 Austin A30 | 2MSA | 60 |
18 |
| 215 | Paul Freestone | Christine Freestone | 1948 Holden 215 | 2MSF | 61 |
19 |
| 362 | Pat Devine | Mindi Devine | 1962 Morris Mini | 3LMSB | 64 |
20 |
| 222 | Andrew White | Ashley Yelds | 1961 Volvo 122S | 2LMSD | DNF |
DNF |
| 430 | Robert Van Wegen | Ben Van Wegen | 1968 BMW 2002 Ti | 4LMSB | DNF |
DNF |
| 471 | Bernie Wilson | John Wilson | 1971 Ford Capri Perana | 4H | DNF |
DNF |
| 276 | Martin Utber | Mike Kaye | 1961 Vauxhall Cresta | |||
| 371 | David Currow | Luigi Amori | 1965 Steyr Puch TR Europa |
Leg 2
A Dry Line Emerges
After the Batten's little Volvo PV544 turned the world upside down on Day 1 of Targa Tasmania 2010 by coming so close to the Broadbent / Randell Carrera RS in the wild wet weather, the dry tarmac of Day 2 has been a challenge. The 'little red shoe box' is running well but with the softer compound tyres fitted this year Paul Batten has admitted backing off to preserve his rubber for the west coast stages later in the week, which may well (80% chance of 20 mm rain, 35kph+ WSW winds) be streaming wet. The Volvo started poorly this morning, taking a 43 sec hit on the Sideling and then suffering more losses up until the terrifying high speed downhill Rossarden stage, where Broadbent was only 2 secs better. The upshot is a 6th place for the Battens nearly 3 minutes down on the flying Carrera.
But of course among the HTCAV Championship contenders, the Volvo is ahead of the Ullrichs ' Jensen in second place by 1:36 with Woodward / McCrow in the Monaro GTS 34 secs further back. The Cattlin's new Boss had a strong day pulling up two spots but is nearly a minute and a half down on the General's finest. The Kent family are scrapping as usual, with Drew holding on ahead of Scott by 12 secs. This annual family feud will be on in earnest around the Kent's hometown of Devonport tomorrow. Watch out Paloona !
The White/Yelds Amazon is going well, this very erudite team playing a waiting game, justified because the heavy metal often falls off on the early days of Targa and the PV544 is being driven faster than seems credible. But 5 minutes deficit on the HTCAV leading PV544 after only 2 days is a bit of ground to catch up.
Last night the Freestones' early model Holden 215 blew a gasket where alloy head meets red motor block and it was flat towed back to Launceston for overnight repairs. Going again this morning, but not right - steam was observed and gearbox noises slowed the 1948 car significantly through the day. Paul is rapt in the handling and grip but dismayed that the car is still overheating at the end of each stage and suspects the 5-speed Hollinger gearbox was damaged while flat towing. The Freestones have a history of not giving up (Paul once drove his Healey for half a Targa day and three stages in 2nd gear to win a Targa plate) but these troubles may be hard to fix. It's all down to a very tired Greg Stevenson of Monaro Motors facing a second night out of bed - I'm sure we all wish them well.
Tomorrow the stages are around Devonport and Mole Creek - very challenging and a lot of mountains to climb such as Mt Roland (some of Cethana in reverse). This will favour the V8's and with only 20% chance of rain expect the Jensen, Monaro and Boss to go well. We'll report how well tomorrow, meanwhile here are the results of the HTCAV Championship runners to the end of Leg 2:
Leg 2 |
||||||
| No. | Driver | Co-Driver | Car | Overall Classic Pos |
HTCAV Championship Pos |
|
| 244 | Paul Batten | Mike Batten | 1961 Volvo PV544 | 2MSE | 7 |
1 |
| 383 | Peter Ullrich | Sari Ullrich | 1963 Jensen CV8 | 3LMSF | 9 |
2 |
| 449 | Richard Woodward | David McCrow | 1969 Holden Monaro GTS | 4MSH | 10 |
3 |
| 444 | Len Cattlin | Gayle Cattlin | 1969 Ford Mustang Fastback | 4MSH | 13 |
4 |
| 405 | Drew Kent | Paul Krawczyk | 1971 Ford Falcon GT | 4LMSH | 14 |
5 |
| 351 | Scott Kent | Wayne Kent | 1965 Ford Mustang | 3MSF | 20 |
6 |
| 222 | Andrew White | Ashley Yelds | 1961 Volvo 122S | 2LMSD | 23 |
7 |
| 467 | Chas Latter | Luke Latter | 1967 Datsun 1600 | 4LMSC | 25 |
8 |
| 430 | Robert Van Wegen | Ben Van Wegen | 1968 BMW 2002 Ti | 4LMSB | 28 |
9 |
| 471 | Bernie Wilson | John Wilson | 1971 Ford Capri Perana | 4H | 32 |
10 |
| 416 | Steve McClintock | Jann Skinner | 1968 BMW 2002ti | 4LMSB | 33 |
11 |
| 501 | Ray Large | Robert Woodcock | 1972 Ford Falcon GT | 5MSH | 34 |
12 |
| 303 | Mike Moylan | Kimberley Chance | 1964 Ford Galaxie | 3MSF | 41 |
13 |
| 408 | Wayne Pfingst | John Loth | 1971 Holden Torana | 4MSE | 46 |
14 |
| 410 | Reg Kenny | Peter Jackson | 1971 Jaguar XJ6 | 4MSG | 51 |
15 |
| 360 | Norman Henry | TBA | 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super | 3SSC | 57 |
16 |
| 438 | David Ogg | Michael Farrell | 1970 Alfa Romeo Guilia GTV 1750 | 4MSB | 59 |
17 |
| 210 | Jack Waldron | Vin Gregory | 1955 FIAT Abarth 750 | 2LMSA | 60 |
18 |
| 415 | Neville Smith | Lorraine Smith | 1966 Holden HR X2 Premier | 4MSE | 61 |
19 |
| 206 | George Bevan | Virginia Bevan | 1961 Volvo PV544 | 2SSD | 65 |
20 |
| 230 | Simon Davison | Amanda Davison | 1955 Austin A30 | 2MSA | 68 |
21 |
| 215 | Paul Freestone | Christine Freestone | 1948 Holden 215 | 2MSF | 71 |
22 |
| 362 | Pat Devine | Mindi Devine | 1962 Morris Mini | 3LMSB | DNF |
DNF |
| 276 | Martin Utber | Mike Kaye | 1961 Vauxhall Cresta | |||
| 371 | David Currow | Luigi Amori | 1965 Steyr Puch TR Europa |
Leg 1 - UPDATE
Targa has published revised results for Leg 1This Might Have Been A Good Targa To Have Not Gone To
- A Quarter Of The Field Out On The First Day !
Mayhem
Violent wet, windy and treacherous weather hit Targa Tasmania today which Targa veteran Jim Richards summed up like this: "Conditions when it was wet and blowy were pretty severe. I suppose we’ve been in conditions as bad, but I can’t remember when, honestly”. (Well Jim, what about the snow in 2004 ?)
These appalling conditions caused mayhem, with a quarter (19 cars) of the Classic field failing to get back at the end of the day - there were a lot of accidents on the slippery roads. The HTCAV Championship contingent has also been depleted but by only 17%.
And we may be witnessing another heroic Dad and Son performance from the Battens - at the end of the day, in terrible weather, the little PV544 is in second position outright (not handicap) in Classic, a mere 12 secs (!) behind Rex Broadbent and Chris Randall in the 74 Porsche Carrera RS.
Behind Paul and Mike come a thundering hoard of HTCAV heavy metal - Richard Woodward's Monaro GTS in 2nd, the Ullrich Jensen, both Kent family Fords (with Scott only 6 secs ahead of Drew) and the Cattlin's brand new Boss Mustang. These V8's a well ahead of the usual wet weather experts - the Latter Datsun, van Wegan 2002 and the White /Yelds Amazon. V8's ahead of fours speaks volumes for the audacity and skill of these muscle car masters.
Unfortunately, the Freestone Freestone 48/215 is missing from the finishers list - as some feared, the new and untried 'Early Model' blew a head gasket during the Nook stage this morning and was not able to continue. Let's hope the team manage to repair the head overnight but although it's a red motor, the head is alloy, so not a straightforward change. Everyone keep the fingers crossed that this amazing car can run on tomorrow for an extended shakedown. Of course, the Freestone have lost their Targa Plate - would have been the 15th - but they can still be classed as finishers.
Tomorrow will still be cold and breezy, but eh forecast is for no rain, maybe a shower. Make the most of it being a bit drier boys and girls, there's 80% chance of rain everyday for the rest of the event.
LEG 1 REVISED RESULTS |
29 April |
|||||
| No. | Driver | Co-Driver | Car | Overall Classic Pos |
HTCAV Championship Pos |
|
| 244 | Paul Batten | Mike Batten | 1961 Volvo PV544 | 2MSE | 3 |
1 |
| 383 | Peter Ullrich | Sari Ullrich | 1963 Jensen CV8 | 3LMSF | 9 |
2 |
| 449 | Richard Woodward | David McCrow | 1969 Holden Monaro GTS | 4MSH | 10 |
3 |
| 405 | Drew Kent | Paul Krawczyk | 1971 Ford Falcon GT | 4LMSH | 13 |
4 |
| 351 | Scott Kent | Wayne Kent | 1965 Ford Mustang | 3MSF | 14 |
5 |
| 444 | Len Cattlin | Gayle Cattlin | 1969 Ford Mustang Fastback | 4MSH | 17 |
6 |
| 222 | Andrew White | Ashley Yelds | 1961 Volvo 122S | 2LMSD | 19 |
7 |
| 467 | Chas Latter | Luke Latter | 1967 Datsun 1600 | 4LMSC | 22 |
8 |
| 430 | Robert Van Wegen | Ben Van Wegen | 1968 BMW 2002 Ti | 4LMSB | 24 |
9 |
| 303 | Mike Moylan | Kimberley Chance | 1964 Ford Galaxie | 3MSF | 33 |
10 |
| 501 | Ray Large | Robert Woodcock | 1972 Ford Falcon GT | 5MSH | 34 |
11 |
| 471 | Bernie Wilson | John Wilson | 1971 Ford Capri Perana | 4H | 36 |
12 |
| 416 | Steve McClintock | Jann Skinner | 1968 BMW 2002ti | 4LMSB | 39 |
13 |
| 408 | Wayne Pfingst | John Loth | 1971 Holden Torana | 4MSE | 40 |
14 |
| 410 | Reg Kenny | Peter Jackson | 1971 Jaguar XJ6 | 4MSG | 42 |
15 |
| 360 | Norman Henry | TBA | 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super | 3SSC | 53 |
17 |
| 210 | Jack Waldron | Vin Gregory | 1955 FIAT Abarth 750 | 2LMSA | 55 |
18 |
| 415 | Neville Smith | Lorraine Smith | 1966 Holden HR X2 Premier | 4MSE | 51 |
18 |
| 438 | David Ogg | Michael Farrell | 1970 Alfa Romeo Guilia GTV 1750 | 4MSB | 57 |
19 |
| 362 | Pat Devine | Mindi Devine | 1962 Morris Mini | 3LMSB | 58 |
20 |
| 206 | George Bevan | Virginia Bevan | 1961 Volvo PV544 | 2SSD | 63 |
21 |
| 230 | Simon Davison | Amanda Davison | 1955 Austin A30 | 2MSA | 64 |
22 |
| 215 | Paul Freestone | Christine Freestone | 1948 Holden 215 | 2MSF | DNF |
DNF |
April 28, 2010
CHAMPS KICK ON IN TARGA 2010 PROLOGUE
The Historic Touring Car Association of Victoria run a national tarmac rally championship for touring cars built before 1973 and the 2009 Champions were Pete and Sari Ullrich in their 7 litre Jensen. Of the 5 events in the 2010 Championship, Targa Tasmania counts for the most points and Pete and Sari were by far the best historic touring car round the streets of Georgetown in dry conditions this afternoon. 8 secs behind were Richard Woodward and Dave McCrow in the yellow 69 Monaro GTS.
But the result that many people were hanging out for was the 'Moment of Madness' - is the 1948 Holden 48/215 with Paul and Christine Freestone a winner ? Well, not yet, but this brand new and untried car had to pass two slow cars to grab third spot, nearly 2 secs ahead of the Kent father and son in their 1965 Mustang. Less than a second separated Scott from Drew who was 5th in the 71 Falcon GT and second place getter in the 2009 Championship.
On a street course which favours power and traction, the Battens PV544 started well to come fourth, well ahead of their rivals in Volvo-land, Andrew White and Ashley Yelds. In seventh spot after a cautious run in the other 'only just made it' car were Len and Gayle Cattlin in the MS 1969 Boss Mustang fastback.
Historic tourers were also filled the top three places in Categories 2 and 3 of the Classic Outright results, with the Woodward/McCrow Monaro coming second in Category 4
The full results of HTCAV Championship contenders follows.
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