Few competitors would know Targa Tasmania’s stages better than Victorian driver Geoff Taylor. That’s because Geoff has competed in every one of the past 24 events and is the only competitor to do so.
Before the inaugural Targa Tasmania in 1992, Geoff had been a regular in hillclimbs, sprint events, motorkhanas, navigational trials and the Grand Prix Rally, which ran from Melbourne to Adelaide.
In his own words, Geoff, then in his 40s, had never experienced what he called serious motorsport until Targa Tasmania came along.
“Targa was my first taste of real motorsport,” he said.
“When I heard about Targa Tasmania, I thought it was the perfect opportunity.”
Geoff had built up a 1965 Ford Lotus Cortina for the Templestowe Hillclimb event, which was quite close to where he lived, and he also used it in several Grand Prix rallies.
However, when Targa Tasmania rolled around, the Cortina was in the midst of an engine rebuild, so Geoff convinced his wife to loan him her Porsche Carrera 911.
“Back then, a roll cage wasn’t compulsory and I remember my wife telling me as I backed her Porsche out of the driveway, not to bother coming home if I pranged it,” he said.
Geoff did manage to bring the Porsche home in one piece, but he was well and truly bitten by the Targa bug by then.
He was able to borrow the Porsche for the next two Targas, but the unthinkable happened when he ran off the road in the 1994 event.
By the time Targa 1995 hit the roads, Geoff’s Lotus Cortina had been re-built, so under instructions by “she who shall be obeyed”, he raced the Cortina that year.
However, Geoff was already thinking about more Targas and he wanted something less fragile than the Cortina and more bulletproof, so he bought a 1974 Porsche Carrera 911, which has since become quite a rare example of the model.
“It’s one of only 14 left in Australia now,” Geoff said.
Ever since Targa Tasmania 1996, Geoff and his familiar yellow Porsche have become part of the Targa landscape.
“The car’s been inducted into the Targa Tasmania Hall of Fame, for which it has to have completed at least 15 Targas and achieved 10 plates,” Geoff said.
Over 24 years of competing in Targa Tasmania, Geoff has had some memorable results.
“I’ve finished second in classic outright twice and I’ve been second twice and third twice on handicap as well,” he said.
When asked if he had a favourite Targa, Geoff couldn’t give a definitive answer.
“Not really – they’ve all been good,” he said.
Geoff also doesn’t have a favourite Targa stage either, but likes several, including Hellyer Gorge and The Sideling (when run in North to South orientation and not the reverse).
Despite having traversed numerous Targa stages over the past two and a half decades, Geoff has been able to resist the temptation of going “off notes.”
“I know some of the stages pretty well, but I can’t tell if a particular corner is a four or a five for example, so I still rely on my navigator a lot,” he said.
Geoff has had three different navigators during his Targa journey, with his current left-hand man, Leigh Harper, joining him in 2001, making this year’s event also a personal milestone for him as his 15th Targa Tasmania.
One of Geoff’s Targa highlights has been getting eight-time outright winning driver Jim Richards involved in 1993.
Having an association with Mobil – a sponsor of Peter Brock at the time – Geoff tried to get Brocky involved in the 1993 Targa.
The deal didn’t quite come off, but former team-mate Jim Richards was suggested instead.
“Jimmy’s now done 23 Targas and we’ve become great mates,” Geoff said.
“He missed the first one, but has done every one since then.”
Geoff’s also seen a lot of changes over Targa’s 24-year history to date.
“The biggest thing has been in the area of safety,” he said. “There were a lot of wrecked cars in the first couple of events, so in addition to better protecting competitors, Targa had to also clean up its act if it was to continue to have the support of the Tasmania Police, the Tasmanian Government and the public.”
“They did that, I think the type of event we have now is the best thing since sliced bread.”
“I still love Targa Tasmania, even if I’m a bit slower than I used to be and I’ll never see a podium again.”
Geoff, now in his early 70s, said he had no plans to retire yet.
“I’m having too much fun - I’ll only quit doing Targa when they carry me out in a box,” he said.
SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO READ THE FULL STORY
