Mazda Motorsport wins 2WD Showroom in 2008 Targa Tasmania
25 April 2008 · posted by Staff
Considered one of the world’s most challenging tarmac endurance events, Targa Tasmania has long been a proving ground for Mazda’s range of outstanding high-performance production cars.
Under the banner of Mazda Motorsport, Mazda contests the annual 2000km rally with a full-factory race team. The team is coordinated under the watchful eye of Mazda Motorsport chief Allan Horsley and the company only races cars that can be purchased from a Mazda dealer, with slight modifications.
Over the years the Mazda Targa line-up has included the rotary-powered RX-7 and RX-7 SP, the MX-5 and its SP variant and 2006 marked the world motorsport debut of the company’s performance series, MPS, with the Mazda6 MPS.
Day 5: Sunday 20 April
Mazda wins Targa Tasmania – 2WD Showroom
After 2,000km and 40 arduous competition stages Mazda Australia has taken honours in Targa Tasmania’s 2WD Showroom category.
The Mazda3 MPS driven by Alister McRae and navigated by Iain Stewart beat a number of cars to the coveted title, including the TRD Aurion of reigning ARC Champion Simon Evans.
McRae proved the mettle of the Mazda3 MPS turbocharged hot hatch by finishing 19th outright amongst a field littered with highly-modified Porsches, Lamborghinis and 4WD rally cars. McRae’s overall penalty time of 19minutes 30seconds would also have been good enough for the 2WD Mazda to win the event’s 4WD Showroom category.
“It’s incredible to win Targa on the first attempt. The Mazda3 MPS showed its true potential throughout this challenging five-day event.
“Mazda has a proud history of Motorsport in Australia and Iain and I are ecstatic to have contributed to it.”
It was a bittersweet victory for McRae. He inherited the honour from his team-mate Rick Bates who was forced to withdraw after his Mazda3 MPS suffered a broken fan belt at the end of the arduous 50km Mt Arrowsmith stage.
Right from Day One resident Mazda driver Bates had the 2WD Showroom title stitched up. He started today’s final leg with a lead of 50 seconds over McRae.
Before the fan belt gave way, Bates and his navigator Rhianon Smyth were on fire. They hosed their way through the day’s first three stages and were poised to trouble the top ten.
Bates is philosophical about his fortunes during this year’s Targa.
“It really is disappointing for us not to finish. After five long days it would have been great for us to cross the finish line. But that’s the nature of motorsport.”
Achievements
Some of Mazda Australia’s noteworthy achievements at Targa Tasmania include:
Year Driver Car Results
2008 Alister McRae Mazda3 MPS 1st: 2WD Showroom Competition
2007 Melinda Both Mazda6 MPS 1st: Category
2007 Rick Bates Mazda3 MPS 1st: Showroom Class, Outright: 10th
2006 Dean Evans Mazda6 MPS 1st: Showroom Class
2001 Murray Coote MX-5 SP 1st: Showroom Class
1997 Steven Johnson RX-7 SP 1st: Showroom Class, Outright: 3rd
1994 Garry Waldon RX-7 1st: Category
The ultimate tarmac rally.
Targa Tasmania is considered one of the world’s most challenging tarmac rallies. Mazda Motorsport has used the event as a proving ground for its line up of high-performance production cars since 1993.
The course
The event is held over five days plus a Prologue, travelling 2000kms around Tasmania. The rally starts in Launceston and finishes five days later in Hobart. Prologue sets the event’s pace, seeding the fastest cars at the rear of the field for day one of racing. The competitive course comprises 450kms over 40 closed-road competition stages.
The race
Cars are timed on each Targa stage and each stage has a target base time. Any time accrued over the base time is added to the car’s overall penalty time. The car that clocks the lowest penalty time is the outright winner in each competition.
The categories
Targa Tasmania is made up of four significant competitions; Modern, Classic, 2WD and 4WD Showroom. Mazda Australia will contest the event’s 2WD Showroom competition, which is designed to put near-standard production cars on an equal billing with fully modified race cars. The cars are also vying for outright glory.
Check out these related sites:
www.mazda.com.au/targa
www.targatasmania.com.au
