Targa Tasmania 2011: Day 4 & 5 update

Tony Quinn and Naomi Tillett today held on to win their second Targa Tasmania rally in three years. In their Nissan GT-R the 2009 champs carried a comfortable lead into the final day and drove well to secure victory by 3 minutes and 39 seconds.

Wet weather on the last two days certainly provided tough conditions for all competitors and many found their limits. Yesterday, especially, claimed many competitors with the heavy rain in the afternoon.

Second in the modern outright placings was Dean Herridge (Subaru WRX STi), almost two minutes ahead of Matthew Sims (Nissan GT-R).

Winner in the classic outright category was Rex Broadbent (Porsche 911 Carrera 911 RS), from David Cooper (Holden Torana A9X) and Nick Ellis (Porsche 911 Carrera). This makes it five wins on the trot for Broadbent in the classic competition.

The 2WD showroom category was won by young rally charge Brendan Reeves (Mazda 3 MPS), a dominant 10:54 clear of his nearest rival. Second in the category was Mike Sinclair (Skoda Octavia RS), ahead of Adam Dodd (Mazda MX-5).

In the all-paw showroom grouping Scott Millar (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X) finished 8:32 ahead of Ralph Norton (Subaru WRX STi). Tony Warren (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X) was a further 27 seconds behind in third.

For AUSmotive our experience as service crew ended on a high note with Andrew Robinson and Dennis Neagle piloting their MINI John Cooper Works home safely to earn their Targa plates. It was a big effort by the guys as the car was well down on its true potential after losing all turbo boost halfway through Day 2. We capped off the rally with a tidy win at Tas Keno, as well.

Video sourced via the Southern Cross TV YouTube channel has been added below. A full list of results for all categories is available HERE.