Targa Tas '08, Whos Running, Discussion Etc

[paulR32gtr]

joizuz! feel for ya ben...

we had a big 150 odd kph spin on Reeces dam and ended up front first into a ditch -- second last dam (excuse pun) corner.

No damage luckily but took us at least 20 minutes to jack up the front, pack rocks underneath and get me bouncing in the boot to get traction in the back while steve backed it out! Destroyed our trophy chances but we finished the stage and live to tell the tale. There were 150 odd meters or black stripes back up the road...

Got the footage too - can't wait for movie night

[sav man]

Here is the clip

.

I've got heaps of video of us not crashing that i'll put up during the week. Almost ran over a dog on Gunns Plains, and a Kid on Queenstown, kids on stages is pretty worrying.

[PHaT MR30]

joizuz! feel for ya ben...

we had a big 150 odd kph spin on Reeces dam and ended up front first into a ditch -- second last dam (excuse pun) corner.

No damage luckily but took us at least 20 minutes to jack up the front, pack rocks underneath and get me bouncing in the boot to get traction in the back while steve backed it out! Destroyed our trophy chances but we finished the stage and live to tell the tale. There were 150 odd meters or black stripes back up the road...

Got the footage too - can't wait for movie night

Wasn't Reece Dam just down right dangerous at that time of the day, particularly as the sun was very low on the horizon, zero vision! Still loved it, very fast and flowing.

Major WTF seeing people standing 100m out in the scrub with their OK boards up, we didn't realise it was such an easy clean.

I'll attempt to upload our footage, but im pretty disappointed with it, wind noise FTL, it has potential, but i haven't found it yet. For the money though can't complain, and we got every stage so its a bit of a record.

Should also mention that its a big THUMBS UP for the course this year and AASA was definately a pleasure to run under and its a credit to Mark Perry, Stuart Benson and all the team at Octagon.

PS stuart if you read this I was jealous as f**k seeing you driving off in that 997 Turbo, pity it was tiptronic

[TommO]

Well done to all who competed

[navdan]

21/04/2008

SKELTA NUDGES TARGA PODIUM

Team Skelta have scored two cars in the top twenty of Targa Tasmania 2008. The event finished in Hobart last night. Visiting Englishman, Nick Faure with Brisbane co-driver Cameron Reeves, finished a creditable 17th outright, considering that he was a rookie to the event, while Skelta designer & boss Ray Vandersee and Melbourne co-driver Jenna Kelley claimed fourth outright.

Both teams had runs devoid of major problems and continued to move up the leader board right to the very end of the event. What was ultimately a great result was soured by the fact that Vandersee/Kelley were penalised for stopping to offer assistance to the crew of a crashed car near lunchtime on day four. This penalty ultimately cost the Skelta team its first podium in the Targa Tasmania tarmac event.

“What was really disappointing was that the Clerk of Course would not even consider our in-car footage evidence” said the understandably upset Vandersee. “The rules state that no competitor will be disadvantaged for stopping to give assistance to a fellow crew in distress. Yet we received a 7 second penalty on a stage on which we were clearly going to lose no time. This was all the more disappointing as earlier vehicles on the scene failed to stop.”

The seven second penalty ultimately pushed the hard charging team to a four second deficit behind the Subaru crew of Dean Herridge and Glenn McNeal.

“We were obviously having a really close battle with the Subaru pairing so the result was always going to be close. But we were taking big lumps of time out of them in the closing stages and to be knocked off the podium by a poorly calculated derived time is a bitter pill to swallow” said Vandersee.

Internationally renowned race driver and veteran of eleven Le Mans 24 hour races, Nick Faure, made a steady but calculated start in the event and held 35th place after day one. Competing for the first time in Targa Tasmania and never having driven the Skelta before, Faure was gobsmacked with the surefootedness of the vehicle.

“I've never before used pace notes so it took some time to get used to the idea of taking on board the co-driver's instructions. But towards the end of the event we were starting to get into sync and it was only then that I was able to start to appreciate the vast limits of the grip and handling of the Skelta” said Faure.

“It's a very forgiving car to drive with exceptional braking and tremendous grip” enthused an impressed Faure.

On the last day Faure and Reeves started setting top ten stage times and moved up to an impressive 17th outright. Faure is keen to return next year and forecasts a much better result with the knowledge and experience he has gained this year.

Competing in a grueling five day event like Targa requires a real team effort and Ray Vandersee would like to acknowledge the contributions and efforts of the whole team including his first time co-driver Jenna Kelley, co-driver for Nick, Cameron Reeves and service/support crew members Dennis & Louise Neagle, Ian Daniel, Tim Powell, Daniel Lemish, Guy Bedington and Bruce & Sue Vandersee. Ray would also like to thank Nick Faure for his involvement and for bringing back the car safely in one piece.

[giant]

GOOD JOB TEAM SKELTA!!

I cant believe they would penalize a team for stopping to help! that is bloody ridiculous! i cant believe anyone would want to send out a message to competitors not to stop! amazing!

[PHaT MR30]

GOOD JOB TEAM SKELTA!!

I cant believe they would penalize a team for stopping to help! that is bloody ridiculous! i cant believe anyone would want to send out a message to competitors not to stop! amazing!

If its the accident im thinking of we were first on scene to assist, The skelta may have slowed down through there, but so did every other car through, if they were the ones that stopped at the SOS point to notify then I stand corrected. We got an atrotious derived time, but also had to live with it. It also pushed us to the back of the field which puts alot of pressure on with the sweep car so close.

It doesn't really give you much incentive to stop for an accident, and the rules state that you won't be penalised for stopping, but sadly everyone seems to. Im no expert in the method they use to calculate it, but considering we passed 1 car and were very close to the car when it crashed, if it hadn't we would have probably passed it also.

[Rocket_Rosco]

Well very happy with the result, FIRST PLACE IN THE CAMERA CAR CLASS!!!!!!!!

absolutely stcked!!

[Duncan]

lol no ditches this year ross?

[Marlin]

Hi guys, just got back to work, post targa blues have already set in!

Wanted to publically congratulate all the SAU'ers this year, fantastic effort by all, especially considering so much of the course was new and in in most parts VERY challenging!

To my navvy Tim, mate, hold your head up high, awesome effort....... hope your white knuckles are fading back to normal, as you and I both know, there was a few double-seat-grabs along the way! lol

Thanks to everyone for their support along the way.... now does anyone have a car for Tim and I to enter next year? lol

[Bec]

GOOD JOB TEAM SKELTA!!

+1

well done Jenna (& crew)

[Sass]

http://www.pbase.com/sooty34/targa

[Marlin]

Jeff Beable.

Normally runs top ten in Prologue, blew an intercooler line, made no boost and ran 29th.

car 942, 2001 R34 GTR N1

He actually just popped the vacuum line off the pressure regulator.... I know this coz I spotted it.

We all must remember that Prologue ONLY allocates your start order...... for instance we could have gone harder, but from experience don't enjoy being nearer to the sweep car, gives you less chance to continue if you have a problem.

Lots of guys seem to enjoy the bragging rights that prologue brings though

[sav man]

I enjoy the extra sleep from a higher starting position

[PHaT MR30]

I enjoy the extra sleep from a higher starting position

Me too

[Marlin]

Righto righto.... so do I

[t01-100]

well done to everyone that competed, a solid GTR showing this year which was a nice change and no doubt a sing of things to come!

marlin was certainly driving the 34 like a borrowed car!

[Marlin]

well done to everyone that competed, a solid GTR showing this year which was a nice change and no doubt a sing of things to come!

marlin was certainly driving the 34 like a borrowed car!

He means slowly and with respect

[Rocket_Rosco]

lol no ditches this year ross?

No Duncan, kept it on the tarmac this year. Had a heap of fun and tailgated a few Porsches along the way.

[navdan]

Just a few pics from my Service Crew travels...

Well done to all SAu'ers who competed. Great turn out!