At the conclusion Targa NZ Day 1 it was the Dave Rogers/Shane Reynolds pairing that leads the pack with a 14 second lead over second placed Paul Dowie and his co-driver John Allen who are driving a Porsche GT3RS.
Rogers’s lead was almost not to be when on Stage two they were caught out on cold tyres and “took a massive slide down to the intersection on shiny tar” as Reynolds commented.
Dowie is also leading the Modern 2WD class. The first stage was won by the Ultima RS that was being driven by Craig Haysman with Jason Page as his co-driver, while Mike Tubbs and Matt Bailey finished the stage 12 seconds off in the BMW M2.
Previous event winner Marcus van Klink and Matt Richards RX7 encountered trouble when the stepper motor failed. This forced their temporary withdrawal until stage four where they rejoined having sorted the issue although well down in the placings. There were five different stage winners including van Klink who won stage six. They have since had to retire from the Targa.
In the classic 2WD class the Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 of Mark McCaughan and his co-driver Lindsay Lyons finished the day 1 minute 35 seconds ahead of Bevan Claridge and co-driver Campbell Tannock. Throughout the day the Holden Commodore of Claridge and the Mercedes of McCaughan had been closely matched for times until on stage 6 when the Holden lost over 1 minute to the Mercedes. Steven Blackley and Daniel Newton sit third in this class at the day’s end.
Drift ace Cam Vernon (main photo) made a guest appearance with his Skyline doing drifting demonstration runs in between the Time Trial cars and the Tour cards started their run. He will be for the remainder of the week until Saturday.
There were sporadic showers throughout the day which made selecting the right tyre choice difficult between wet’s or dry’s. Some of the roads had also been subject to heavy rain in the days leading up to the Targa making them somewhat challenging in places with gravel and waterflow still on them. The effects from the storms has have a more profound effect as we head into tomorrow and on towards New Plymouth, with the final four stages having had to be cancelled due to the slips and flooding.
Targa NZ Results – Day 1
Pos Driver Co-Driver Make Model Class
1/ David Rogers/ Shane Reynolds Mitsubishi Evo X RS 9
2/ Paul Dowie /John Allen Porsche GT3RS 6
3/ Martin Dippie/ Jona Grant Porsche GT3 RS 6
4/ Craig Haysman/ Jason Page Ultima RS Edition 6
5/ Charlie Evans/ Carol Liston Mazda RX7 7
6/ Mike Tubbs /Matt Bailey BMW M2 6
7/ Andy Oakley /Steve Hutchins, Audi RS5 8
8/ Nathan Apatu /Donna Elder, Porsche GT3 6
9/ Laura Rogers /Gavin Rogers, Porsche Cayman 6
10/ Ben Forrest /Gus Forrest, Toyota Yaris GR 8
11/ John Ireland/ Bernie Webb, Dodge Viper 6
12/ Dave Strong /Rob Scott, Honda Jazz RS 7
13/ Stephen Tubbs/ Nathan Roa, Audi RS5 Quattro 8
14/ Xavier Franklin/ Jaidyn Gluskie, BMW M2 6
15/ Michael Chora/ Rachael Ferrante, Subaru WRX STI 8
16/ Richard Ramson/ Adam Lyall, Ford Mustang 7
17/ Mark McCaughan/ Lindsay Lyons, Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 2
18/ Robert Darrington/ Mal Peden, Toyota Yaris 9
19/ Matt Tubbs /Matt Sayers, Audi RS3 8
20/ Bevan Claridge/ Campbell Tannock, Holden Commodore 3
21/ Steven Blackley/ Daniel Newton, Ford Escort 1
22/ Graeme Wong /Matt Flewellen, Toyota Yaris GR 8
23/ John Thomson/ Sarah Thomson, BMW 135i 6
24/ Anthony Butler/ Joanne Butler, Holden Cheetah 3
25/ Bob Boniface/ Simon Butler, Toyota Altezza 7
26/ Tim James /John Mulrennan, Porsche GT4 6
27/ Chris Barendregt/ Richard Leggett, BMW E36 2
28/ Michael Lowe /Paul Lyons, Volvo 240T 3
29/ Guy Heaysman/ Alun James, Porsche Boxster 5
30/ Keith Callinan/ Tania Wearing, Ford Escort 1
31/ Neil Campbell/ Corinne Watson, BMW 318ti 5
32/ Rick Finucane /Daniel Simpson, Toyota MR2 1
33/ Robert Gunn /Jackson Kapea, Holden Commodore 3
34/ Masao Take /Leon Wood, Nissan Z380 7
35/ Cam Piggott /Kevin Head, Ford Escort Mk1 1
dnf Marcus van Klink/ Matt Richards, Mazda RX8 7
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