More than 60 classic cars from the 1940s through to the 1980s will fight it out over the six days of Targa Tasmania, all eager to make it to the finish in Hobart after nearly 2,000 kilometres of testing Targa stages.
From Paul Freestone’s highly modified 1948 Holden 215, to Barry Faux’s 1985 Mazda RX7, the Classic competition covers a wide variety of makes, models and eras. It really is the perfect example of Targa Tasmania being a cavalcade of motoring history.
Pete Nunn will be one of the favouites for the Classic title in his Porsche 944 Turbo.The Shannons Classic competition is made up of two divisions: Early Classic, for cars made from January 1947 through to December 1971, and Late Classic, for vehicles manufactured between January 1972 and December 1985.
Competitors in each division battle it out for honours in their respective age category, while all classic cars are grouped together to decide the Classic Outright champion.
Launceston’s Pete Nunn and Mowbray’s Keith Johnstone will head into the event as one of the favourites for the Classic Outright win, having taking victory in November’s Targa High Country in their 1985 Porsche 944 Turbo.
The competition between Nunn and South Australian Craig Haysman, driving a 1981 Triumph TR7 V8, is expected to be intense.
While he’s one of the favourites, Nunn is quick to point out that there’s plenty of pressure on him in his home event.
“The win at Targa High Country was awesome, but doesn't affect the amount of pressure going into Targa Tasmania. It’s a long hard event and to finish Targa is an achievement in its own right,” he said.
“The car has had a few small set-up changes and an engine freshen up, but that's about it. We ran High Country with a conservative tune and will start Targa the same way and will keep a bit up our sleeve just in case we need it.
“We plan to find a fast comfortable pace early and keep pushing. It’s the best way to stay focused and keep the concentration up. To win Targa Tasmania would prove that dreams can come true,” he added.
This will be Craig Haysman’s fifth consecutive Targa Tasmania attempt, but as yet victory has eluded the Adelaide company director.
Reliability problems with the big-horsepower Triumph have hampered him in recent events, however Haysman has made suspension and brake changes to the car over recent months in order to improve mid-corner speed and the balance of the car on the faster roads.
“We have gone back over the entire car and put life spans on critical components so that we now replace them before they break,” Haysman said.
“The stress and strain on components when we start pushing large amounts of horsepower through a 40 year car is an ongoing issue.
“Targa Tasmania is a monster event and to win requires a lot of skill and luck, so we are concentrating on all of the things that we can control and are not worried about the external influences.
“I have a great bond with my co-driver, Mary Hughes, and with a new team behind us, we hope that we will be in touch with the top three heading down to Hobart.”
Yet while drivers such as Pete Nunn and Craig Haysman are chasing outright success, others, such as the Victorian husband and wife duo, Ross and Jill Steuart, have no such grand plans.
Ross Steuart's 53 year old Ford Anglia 105E is a crowd favourite.Driving a 1962 Ford Anglia 105E with a 1250cc engine, the Steuarts are one of dozens of crews in Targa Tasmania who simply love the challenge of driving a nice car over the best tarmac rally roads in Australia.
“I built the car on a budget, from a bare shell with no high-tech stuff, trying to achieve speed and reliability without huge expense,” Ross explains.
“I had three Anglias when I was a kid in the 60s, so I wanted to step up to the challenge of getting the best out of a low powered car.
“I think we succeeded on that score as the car has rewarded us by never failing to finish a stage, despite being driven flat out all the time.”
The quirky little Anglia is now 53 years old, but Ross says that he’s more than happy to push the car to its limits, although both he and Jill have different goals when entering Targa Tasmania.
“I think anyone who comes to Targa and expects to do well without driving to the car’s and the crew’s potential would be deluded. I look forward to the challenge and the reward gained from competing, because no other event comes close.
“As for Jill, she’s just looking forward to the finish line” Ross adds.
Haysman, too, sees Targa Tasmania as the ultimate challenge, and can’t wait for this year’s event to get underway.
“The passion of continuing to come back to Targa Tasmania is that it's a true endurance event, unlike the other short sprint style events,” he explains.
“Targa Tasmania requires respect, and in a classic car the focus is to preserve the car so that will make it to Hobart. As we have seen in the past, it is one thing to have a quick car, but it’s another for the quick car to last the entire event.”
That is the challenge that all competitors in the Shannons Classic competition face. Whether it’s Dave Ryan’s 1954 FJ Holden, Peter Ullrich’s 1963 Jensen CV8, Tim Branch’s 1983 Mitsubishi Starion or any of the other combinations built before 1985, getting to the finish will be the priority.
While those in the Showroom and Modern competitions will be enjoying the benefits of modern day technology, the hardcore Classic competitors will be doing it tough – much to the delight of Targa’s thousands of fans who simply love to see the older cars in action.
Targa Tasmania will take place from Monday, April 27 to Saturday, May 2, with a field of over 200 cars set to enjoy the Tasmanian roads, considered to be the finest tarmac rally roads in the world.
Photos: Perfect Prints
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