This will be Broadbent’s 13th Targa Tasmania, and together with current co-driver, Chris Randell, they will start the event as the favourites in the Classic competition.
With his 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RS ready to do battle, Broadbent says that a sixth straight victory is just one of his goals.
“Yes, I’d love to achieve that, but I’m also up for the Golden Diamond Targa Trophy, which is probably foremost in my mind,” Braodbent said.
“But finishing the event is always the highest priority. Targa Tasmania, to me, is the pinnacle of tarmac rallying.”
Because he only contests one event a year, Broadbent is a notorious slow starter in Targa Tasmania, giving his opponents the chance to get an early break on him.
Is it a trait that is likely to repeat itself this year?
“I hope not, but I suspect it will be,” he admits.
At 63, Broadbent has plenty of experience on his side, but he sees his age has a downside as well.
“I’m not getting any younger and it is difficult to just switch on straight away.
But I am conservative, and if it takes me the first day to get up to speed, well, that just makes the remaining for days a bit of a challenge.”
Broadbent’s Porsche, so successful in the previous five Targa Tasmanias, will start the event in the same specification as last year, with “absolutely nothing” being done to improve the car’s performance.
“I gave it a wash and replaced a leaking master cylinder in the brakes and replaced a shock absorber. Other than that, all I’ve done is return it to A1 competitive condition.”
This year’s event features a raft of course changes, with many new stages, or old tests that will be run in the reverse direction to previous years.
“Previous experience matters little in this event, as you have to re-learn it all,” Broadbent said.
“We’ve allowed an extra day of recce in order to learn all the new stages properly,” he says, adding that co-driver Chris Randell’s input this year will be vital.
Similarly, the reliability of the Porsche could make or break their rally.
“That’s one good thing about Porsches is that they tend to be reliable, but it’s going to be a very tiring event.
“The event used to be 500 kilometres long, now it’s 600 kilometres long, and cars do get tired. It’s something that’s certainly in my mind, and another reason why I’m not too worried about being a little slow on the first day, as it just means I’m taking it easier on the vehicle.”
It wouldn’t be a Targa Tasmania if the weather weren’t a factor. Again this year rain is expected to add an extra element to the event, particularly when the rally heads down the West Coast of Tasmania, and from Strahan across to Hobart on the final day.
“The Porsche isn’t over endowed with power, but at least when it’s wet you can still use most of it.
“The biggest competition at the moment is coming from Capri Peranas, and although I haven’t competed against them in the wet, my feeling is that they wouldn’t be as good in the rain as a Porsche.”
Having said that, Broadbent isn’t heading into the event with a set plan, knowing that consistency more than outright speed is what wins Targas.
“It’s never a plan of attack as far as I’m concerned,” he stresses.
“I go as fast as I can in the middle of the road, following Jim Richards’ philosophy. It’s more just a plan of survival and we see where we all end up at the end.”
For Broadbent and Randell, hopefully that is on the top step of the podium, but there are many others eager to end their winning streak and put their own names into the history books.
On Sunday, April 22, we’ll know the answer.
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