Round two of the championship, Targa Wrest Point, will start and finish on the banks of the Derwent River, however the event’s 14 special stages will be held to the south west of the Tasmanian capital.
The Showroom competition is for two-wheel drive, standard production cars that have only had up-rated suspension, competition brake pads and safety features added, and it is one of the growing categories in tarmac rallying.
On paper, the factory entered Mazda3 MPS of Reeves should be guaranteed of victory in the Showroom category.
Reeves will contest six rounds of the World Rally Championship in 2011 as part of the WRC’s new Rally Academy, and is widely regarded as one of the most promising rally drivers in the world.
But as Reeves discovered for himself at last November’s Targa High Country strange things can happen in Targas. The 22-year old led by a convincing margin, but a driving error at the end of one of the event’s longest stages saw him hit an earth bank and roll the Mazda out of the event.
This handed victory to another Mazda3, the diesel variant of Peter Brown, who took a well deserved win. However, it would be a brave person to bet against Reeves bouncing back and reigniting his Australian Targa Championship aspirations.
The Showroom category now sees entries from a number of different manufacturers, with Holden and BMW also represented. Amongst a throng of Mazdas, Kym De Britt will drive a 2003 Holden Astra SRi Turbo, while Geoff Kennedy will be behind the wheel of his 2007 BMW 130.
The third running of event will take 150 competitors across 208 competitive kilometres, bringing them back to the finish line at Wrest Point on the afternoon of Sunday January 30.
Organised by Octagon, Targa Wrest Point is round two of the three round Australian Targa Championship that also includes Targa Tasmania, and Targa High Country in Victoria.
For further information on Targa Tasmania, go to www.targawrestpoint.com.auÂ
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