Tarmac Rallying Perpetual Thread

[giant]

watching this stuff is so cool, and just makes you want to be there and part of it!!

i agree i just couldnt believe they line you up and set you off into some of the most amazing roads going as fast as you dare! especially given the weather the place throws at you, green mossing growing out of the roads!

funny Hellyer Gorge is my least favorite!! haha my you i got aquainted with the wall there.

so how are you guys handling the post targa blues ??

[giant]

where's the edit button? look at all my spelling mistakes!

[handbrake]

awesome video snowy

realised I needed to unclench my toes at the end of it

[Marlin]

You didn't crunch it in Hellyeah Giant, everywhere else, but not Hellyer.

[sav man]

another video from the mt roland oil slick

look at all the cars that follow him off. also features a tree loving r34 Edited May 4, 2010 by sav man

[Kel]

i think timmy won the targa drunk plate instead of kel this year

Damn - I knew I should have put in for a derived time plus penalty when they closed the bar early

[Snowman]

Thats great footage of just how bad that fuel was. The corner where Kim went off is where the fuel spill started. The road was "fine" until that point.

[Marlin]

Forgive me for not being more involved in this conversation. Work is extremely busy.

Massive highlights for me were Gavin and Tim absolutely handing it to everyone with an old 1989 non turbo 944. To be leading plus 4 minutes before an unfortunate engine failure is simply huge. Another great achievment is Jeff and Nerida's continued success. Their car is still quick, even though I think it still complies with the old CAMS spec, tiny exhaust and all! And to have completed 12 years running, well, I could only dream of that!

[Just Jap Racing]

Well, this is an interesting read indeed. It seem’s Mr Richmond didn’t have the guts to call me a little man when I asked him to come and have a little talk with me the other night on the ship back, as the situation may now have changed considerably given I was unaware of his comments made on SAU at the time.

I did not protest him, and had nothing to gain in 5th place. Given that Mr Richmond insists I did, I encouraged him to obtain a copy of the protest sheet I supposedly submitted, and said quite clearly, that if he could produce this sheet to prove me wrong, I would happily give him my car.

Again, I did not protest him at any point, off course, had I been in 4th place, I certainly would have, and I was very clear in telling him that to his face the other night on the boat.

Targa rules are Targa rules.

My R32 GTR is a 2.8, and is classed as legal under the regulations. Anyone is welcome to come to ATTKD and see many of the ATTKD R32s. In fact, the bottom line, is that I declared everything to Targa concerning my car, and they accepted it.

Mr Richmond shook my hand the other night after we had a 30 minute discussion about this, and we left it at that. Anyone that comes up with the written protest letter that Mr Richmond claims I lodged, can have my car, Needless to say I am confident of my position in this.

By his own admission, he is well aware that his r34 should not be running a 5 speed gearbox that gives it endurance, as in his own words the 6 speed is not reliable - furthermore, they are quicker out of corners with a 5 speed and 4-1 diff gears.

The rules are the rules and you must abide by them .

Lastly, if Mr Richmond still feels compelled to pass further comments, I invite him to contact me, anytime and I will be more than happy to continue this conversation in an appropriate manner and environment, ie not via slanderous comments on a public discussion forum.

Regards,

Stephen Thatcher

Director

Just Jap Racing

[Kel]

I was going to let this go since things had settled down, but as the nav in car 803 (the now infamous Just Jap ATTKD Select R SP) I'm a little dirty about some of the things which have been said here and gone uncorrected.

So just to set the record straight, car 803 DID NOT lodge ANY protest against ANY car finishing above us in the standings.

It was certainly in our interests to do so at one point when we looked to be close to the podium and there is no denying it is something which was considered. Who wouldn't want to be on a Targa podium?

If you were in this position, and had heard chat all week about the legality of a car running in front of you (and not from just one person, but many), why wouldn't you consider this? If you say otherwise, I think you may be kidding yourself.

In the end though, we had nothing to do with any alleged protest which resulted in Snowy's exclusion from the results.

As Snowy has graciously since admitted, he was running an ineligible car and it was the scrutineers, not 803, that decided his outcome.

Ben, your dad should now be the one buying the lotto ticket if he made it through final scrutineering with illegal parts on the car, and is now recognised as the winner of EM.

But as Snowy will tell you now though, I wouldn't be putting this little fact out there, especially not so blatantly.

To all those questioning the integrity of car 803 and its eligibilty - play the ball, not the man.

Steve submitted ALL documentation on the car, including specs and units sold, to Targa for consideration months before the car arrived in Tasmania for the event. I don't think the comment about the documents being fabricated deserves a response.

Sadly, I don't hear many here bitching about YT or Glenny's car or the Skeltor, all of which I understand fall into the same boat as the ATTKD Select R SP.

Like it or not, these are the rules set for the event. Accept them, or if you don't agree with them- lobby to change them. Just please, enough of the sitting back and keyboard warrior-ing about them.

And speaking of rules, we were royally screwed by the 999 rule.

I read this rule before the event, and never once thought it would be used the way it has in this rally.

Not only that it would be used, but that some of the teams using it would do so dishonestly.

I have no photographic evidence, but know for a fact (through first hand observation and subsequent conversations) that a number of cars which used this rule stopped and received service from their crews- making them ineligible for the derived time.

This is particularly bitter sweet given we stopped on a stage due to an electrical issue, were even out of the car with the OK boards up before Steve managed to get the car fired up again. We went a minute plus down, and dropped 10 places on Day 2. We didn't for a moment think to hang out for the 999 car and use this rule- instead we got on with it and raced our way back up to our position.

As I've said earlier though, it was the rule for the event so we like it or lump it. That being the case we've already submitted feedback and suggestions for change on this and hopefully we won't see it decide next years results.

All bitching and controversy aside, this was the best run Targa yet, and Stu, Mark and the Octagon team deserve the credit for bringing the event to a new level yet again.

[navdan]

Well we set out and achieved our goal of winning Rookie. Great steering from Handbags who is an absolute hoot to sit alongside! Our competition didn't eventuate and we finished over 2 mins ahead of Steve & Christine in teh Evo 6. Sadly I don't think we will see Andrew Barlow at Tarmac Rallies in the future. Although in a very capable car, the idea of rocketing past trees as warp factor 7 scared him off

The highlight for me was us being asked at teh startline of Sheffield to keep an eye out for J.Richards in our rearview mirror only to beat him by 1.5 seconds even after passing 2 cars on stage!

Great to catch up with everyone again and may I just say CAN'T WAIT TO DO ALL 5 DAYS!!!

[Marlin]

By golly I wish I had more time to allocate this discussion. I appreciate Steve and Kel getting finally on here to defend themselves. In my mind a few poorly considered comments from several people not involved with the sport have managed to create a slight on car 803 (Steve/Kel), unfairly too in my eyes.

As stated above, and confirmed in conversations I've had with officials, car 803 had every right and was completely elligible to be there. This however does not mean I personally totally agree with such elligibility, how would anyone prove for certain that a particualr part was in fact fitted to these cars?

It is times like this that I personally miss the old CAMS days, and I did in fact warn the powers that be if AASA rules allowed too many freedoms, then in fact it would have the opposite effect of what was wanted by the switch, and that is reductions in costs. The ridiculous freedoms (meaning non FACTORY spec car elligability) are not good for the sport, as it means; spend heaps, drive well, you'll win. I personally think the Lambo's are in bullshit spec, along with the Mazda RX8, and in fact I don't think the Skelta should be allowed either (for other reasons).

Why Steve has been singled out here has me stumped. As has the one eyed love for Snowy? Where is the love for Beable? Has the Moon shifted the Earth on it's axis?

Nothing will change the fact that Snowy's car was illegal, and I cannot see how anyone entering the event wouldn't know it was. I'm sorry, I just can't. To all saying the change is major enough to warrant it's illegality, I say bullshit. I'll say it to your face too! I'm not looking at Andrew here, he's copped it on the chin, but to all the fan boys.

In summary, I think the Targa organisers need to have a big step back and a good hard look. I've offered my time to them if they ever want to chat. I see they need to continue with AASA to get younger blood into the event, by allowing non-genuine equivelent parts instead of over-priced genuine stuff. That is THE benefit that I see with running AASA. The lax licensing is terrible (yes, Kellogs box) and can certainly be done without.

Cheers everyone,

Woo

Edit: I'll ad that I am nowhere near as excited about entering 2011 after seeing the 999 car debacle (not finishing a stage in my book means you can't stand on the podium! That's what an endurance event is all about far fark sake!) and I'm simply not prepared to spend $100k plus on an early Modern car to compete on a level playing field equipement wise with the monster "specials". Nope, as nearly proven by James/Kulhanek in the 944, they can still be beaten, on the track, where all good races are won

Edited May 5, 2010 by Marlin

[Snowman]

Steve/Kel,

When I wrote that post it was before I had spoken to Steve on the boat. At that point the information I had been TOLD from Octogon was I was excluded due to the gearbox from a protest from Steve (along with some other things that were 100% legal on my car and not what was claimed to be on it by him). Post event we had an offical list of items that were to be checked for eligibility and none of those were checked - only my gearbox was which wasn't even on that list.

Now I have accepted 100% that Steve never protested after our chat, just as I had already accepted 100% that my exclusion was just and fair according to the rules from the very moment I was informed. But Steve did contact and call everyone who would listen to advise them that he was going to protest should he have finished in 4th and so that is probably why I was informed it came from his protest (and probably why the gearbox was checked in the first place).

I'm personally done with it. I do this sport because I love it - not for recognition or to sell or gain anything. I don't even care if I come first or last. I just love doing things like this in the car I love and hanging out with cool people that are at these events. I will hopefully be back next year with a new and improved and 100% legal car. As I have said I thought it was this year so I will doubley make sure of it for the big one in 2011.

Be cool - keep smiling - and wait for some more of my cool footage to be posted shortly!

[Roy]

Why Steve has been singled out here has me stumped.

For me, its pretty clear why the ATTKD cars are singled out. The other specials seem to be running in Modern, but the lil R32 because of its year model it seems gets to run in Early Modern! Thats clever, bit like the 400R, only the 400R is a little more recognised as a low volume build.

Just wait until i build a limited build of R32 GTSts with RB24 and TD06s. Every stage will be reduced to a touring stage after they drop their guts all over the road or cut down trees obstructing the road....they are going to need hefty cages

[Snowman]

Ok here's a couple more (and my last) vid's.

I thought I drove these 2 pretty well.

High Plains (the first stage I've ever "cleaned")

Paloona (yeah it's not as good as YT's run but I thought it was ok!)

And my crash on Mt Rowland. Watch for the fuel on the road after around 4.40

[navdan]

Where's the Riana vids? I wanna see some AIR!

[sav man]

why is it the accidents that cause lots of damage rarly look like big accidents on camera.

[Snowman]

Nothing will change the fact that Snowy's car was illegal, and I cannot see how anyone entering the event wouldn't know it was. I'm sorry, I just can't.

My confusion came from my friendship with a number of the EMO boys. Forget the stroker issues - but the EMO's all seem to run around with different model diff's and most importantly the later model ones half run around with 5 speeds and half with 6 speeds. As far as I knew they were all sold with 6 speeds, but I have since found out that you can actually option a 5 speed through the RS spec of the EVO's so that explains that one. I had just thought if it was a factory gearbox for the car model then it was ok.

Thinking on it further now I understand why this is stupid as with that logic I should be allowed to run an R35 DSG (and probably an R35 engine whilst I'm at it).

[targa]

Guys lets remember that Targa is the greatest event of it's kind on earth

The people running this event put their heart and soul all year to create a smooth running amazing event

They also publish a set of rules for the event for us to read and abide by

The 999 rule I believe has been there since the first Targa

many people have used it to their advantage in the past so this year Targa imposed a one minute penalty each time you use it

The year we were third in prologue, it wasn't long before Jim and Quinnie passed us on the longer stages making us the last car in the field

so if we had stopped for a quick wee the 999 car could have passed us and reopened the road, and not allowed us to run the next stages till we caught up again

this is why derived times are necessary but you get a large time penalty if you have to used it

The whole event this year from an organizational point of view was by far the best yet

Most of you will never know how difficult it was in the early days to try to set up the results from such remote areas.

We only had one wrong score this year, which turned out to be a typo error, and was promptly corrected once the tape was checked by HQ.

It was the most successful results ever in our opinion.

The Champagne Shower is straight after the finish, before scrutineering. Competitors then hand back the Trophies

so they can be re-presented after Scrutineering, at the Presentation Dinner. Competitors are not allowered to take

the Trophy till the car passes Scrutineering.

(So if any one sees a couple of first place EM trophies floating around Melbourne, they belong to the real winners.)

Nerida Beable Co driver Car 831

P S For a 65 year old, my husband is an amazing and safe driver.

I'm lucky to have sat beside him for the past 18 years.

[Marlin]

P S For a 65 year old, my husband is an amazing and safe driver.

I'm lucky to have sat beside him for the past 18 years.

Top bloke too!