Targa Tasmania is an international all-tarmac rally modelled on the great Sicilian event, Targa Floria. It demands the highest road racing and rally skills of both the driver and co-driver, and it follows exactly the same principles as Targa Floria - that is, competing on some of the most challenging roads in Australia, for the chance to win a magnificent Targa plate. There's no prize money, just the challenge of man and machine against the roads and the elements. The event is held directly in front of the public, and the concept draws from the best features of events such as the Mille Miglia, Coupe des Alpes and the Tour de Course.
Tasmania is a small island state of Australia with a population of around 450,000, and it provides unique twisting and challenging roads set among a picturesque landscape. The challenge for most competitors is to complete the course within Targa time. However in addition, there is the possibility of class, category and outright honours.
The present format sees the event run over six days, covering over 2000 kilometres of tarmac roads including 44 competitive closed stages.
My interest in the event stems mainly from word of mouth. Every fellow competitor I speak to raves about the roads, and compare it to racing at 44 different races on 44 different circuits over a 6-day period. What more could a race driver ask for? Tasmania also happens to be my home state - so motivation to do well was never a problem. My previous rally experience was limited to in-car footage of WRC rounds, but at least this one was on tarmac roads - so my road racing experience would count for something. My association with Lotus Cars Australia as their factory driver provided me with a magnificent car that I know well - a 1998 Lotus Elise.
Targa is an invitational event open to a wide and varied cross section of cars divided into classes of Historic, Classic and Modern.
The Elise - being a 1998 model - was placed into Category 9 for contemporary modern cars, and as such was pitted directly against the likes of Porsche who had entered a variety of cars including 911 Carrera 4, 911 Turbo and 993 GT2. Toyota was represented by a modified version of the Lexus IS200, driven by none other than former Australian rally champion Neal Bates. Other cars included Mazda RX7 SP, Honda NSX-R, Ultima Coupe, Nissan GTR V-spec N1, Celica GT4 Group A Rallye, BMW M3, Saleen Mustang, MGF Trophy, Alfa Romeo GTV Coupe - to name but a few. In all, there were over 220 competitors.
On paper the Elise would make a good package, but would surely struggle - giving away a power deficit of sometimes over 300hp! The Elise we elected to run was completely standard apart from the fitment of a sport exhaust and sports suspension (Sport 190 specification). We were not going for outright victory, however a class win in the standard division was a distinct possibility.
With the aid of an experienced local navigator, Peter Roberts, we set out on the prologue around the sleepy streets of George Town. The prologue was to me a bit like qualifying, the results of which provided the starting order for the proceeding 5 days of competition. Unlike a conventional rally, the fastest cars went last. We came in at a strong 11th and a fellow competitor in an Elise Sport 190 was 4th. Not a bad result for the Lotus marque but it was still early; the real challenge was yet to start.
Day 1
This was a relatively easy day of short competitive stages totaling 74 kilometres. A lot of these were flat-out, reasonably straight roads - which obviously didn't suit our power situation. One of the more tricky stages of the day provided my first eye-opener. Changes of bitumen surface and a shaded cool road caught me out on a tight corner, and an understeer excursion resulted in a biffo with an earth bank. Very little time was lost, however the wheel alignment had suffered and the remainder of the day's stages was taken a little more sedately. The final stage of the day provided another blast through suburban streets, this time in the town of Longford, once famous for its Grand Prix circuit of the 50s and 60s. With my confidence in the altered handling characteristics now growing, we managed to negotiate the course in a time just 5 seconds off the fastest. We even managed to gain some ground on many of the leaders, leaving us in 9th position overall and first in class by a long shot.
Day 2
Traditionally this is the day that sets the running order for the remainder of the competition, and again like the first day, weather conditions were dry - although a bit cool in the early morning start for an open top Elise! The second stage of the day through the Sideling Range in North East Tasmania provided the first big challenge. Although fast and up hill in sections, the rollercoaster run to the finish on the other side of the range was going to suit the sweet handling of our little Elise.
We had a good run despite a small altercation (with a guidepost this time), but I was starting to get the hang of pace notes - though I wasn't 100% confident. The remainder of the day ran smoothly, and the final stage of the day near the State's capital - Hobart - provided our highlight. This was set on smooth wide roads, more like the racetracks I am used to, and our time was fastest of the stage. Not bad for an 89kW car! And much to my astonishment, final running at the end of the day left us 5th outright.
Day 3
A short, intense day. There were sixty-one kilometres of competitive stages, and although we were unexpectedly in outright contention, I was consciously trying to drive carefully on some of the daunting and rough roads. Not being totally at ease with pace notes was making my life difficult, and once again I paid the price - another earth bank. This time we lost approximately 25 seconds while trying to regain the black stuff. Another wheel alignment was required, but fortunately there was very little damage other than to the fibreglass. At this stage, my usually very calm navigator was starting to ask questions - like why is it always the passenger side that comes in contact with the scenery? The once-pristine Elise was starting to now look like a rally car - but mechanically, boy are they strong. Final placings at the end of day 3 saw us drop to 6th.
Day 4
This was it - no more mistakes from here on in. We were leading the class convincingly, but I was being pressured by outright contention into sometimes over-driving our little car. Day 4 was a long day, 119 kilometres of competitive stages and we needed to consolidate. Finally, I was feeling at ease with pace notes and things began to "click". We ran strongly all day and, again on one stage toward the end of the day, were fastest of all. The day was shortened by one stage due to a serious crash, again bringing home the immense dangers of rallying.
The end result of the day was not only holding our own, but indeed improving to 5th outright.
Day 5
The most challenging of them all. From Burnie in the States North West, back to Hobart via the West Coast, there were 153 kilometres of competitive stages. A damp and frosty start to the day at Hellyer Gorge provided a slippery beginning, but from there on, the roads started to dry and the times came down.
From comparing notes, we knew we had slipped in front of the Ultima Coupe, which had been occupying 4th, but we had a Mazda RX7 SP closing on us. By the half way mark, we received the news that the Nissan GTR occupying 3rd had been reduced to cruising home due to a lack of brakes. Holy cow! We were in 3rd spot outright. The final 5 stages were long and hard, but fortunately we had a faultless run. The pushing Mazda RX7 had narrowed the gap on us, but not by enough - we'd secured 3rd Place Outright!!
What a reception there was on return to the finish line. Nobody could believe it - least of all us! We had won class, we had won category and finished 3rd outright. Needless to say the bubbly flowed freely late into the night...
In retrospect, it was just another example of the "less is more" philosophy of the late Colin Chapman. The Lotus Elise is truly a great car reflecting all that Lotus stands for.
This was simply a toe-in-the-water venture, with very little in the way of back-up or support crew. Targa in the year 2000 is predicted to be huge, and what better way to celebrate could there be than winning it in a Lotus? What car to use will be the question, but if a standard Elise is capable of this result, a more powerful version of the same would certainly be a fair choice. Time will tell.
From a personal point of view I can highly recommend this event. It was one of the most enjoyable racing events that I have ever attended. Anyone interested in competing should contact Targa Australia Pty Ltd's office at:
PO Box 216
Sandy Bay
Tasmania
7006
Australia
Ph:
61 3 62241512
Fax:
61 3 62243454
www.targa.org.au
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