Marcus van Klink extended his lead at the halfway point of the four-day Targa NZ competition to 1 minute and 22 seconds. Overnight rain left the roads damp in the morning, but they soon dried. There were a few moments when the car got a bit sideways, but as van Klink noted, this was mainly for the spectators’ enjoyment. In the first two stages, only 5 seconds separated the top six cars, although van Klink won all seven stages.
Martin Dippie found renewed pace in the Mitre 10 Porsche after an engine fault yesterday, allowing him and co-driver Sam Dippie to move from seventeenth to ninth by the end of the day. The top three positions remained unchanged from yesterday.
Michael Lowe and co-driver Paul Lyons faced issues on Stage 10 when the turbo unit dismounted from their Volvo 240T, generating significant heat in the footwell from flames. Fortunately, they managed to return to the Lunchtime Service at Wharepapa School, where mechanics repaired the vehicle in time for the afternoon stages.
They are currently placed third in the Classic’s. Trailing the Butlers’ Holden Cheetah, which is four and a half minutes ahead. Leading this class are Bevan Claridge and co-driver Campbell Tannock, who hold a five-minute lead in their Holden VP SS.
In the Modern 2WD, Xavier Franklin leads in a Porsche GT4, one of five Porsches in a field of seven cars. Going into the day, Mike Tubbs in his BMW M2 Coupe was in the lead, but Franklin managed to cut into Tubbs’s advantage and took the lead on Stage 11 through Aotearoa Kahorekau Rd. Martin Dippie sits in third place in this class, but he is two minutes behind Tubbs.
In the Production 4WD class, Andrew Oakley has maintained his lead. However, Robert Darrington in a Toyota Yaris and Matt Tubbs in an Audi traded second and third places throughout the day. At day’s end, the Yaris held a slim advantage over the Audi by twelve seconds.
Tomorrow, six stages will take place between Cambridge and Matamata.
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