Queenslander Paul Stokell has landed back-to-back CAMS Australian Targa Championships following his stellar season.
Driving a 2014 Lotus Exige, Stokell and co-driver Kate Catford carried off the Modern Overall crown after a year that was punctuated by a maiden win in the signature Targa Tasmania.
In the prestigious Classic Overall section, Victorian Mick Downey and co-driver Jarrod Van Den Akker won the CAMS title taking their 1979 Holden Group C Commodore.
Stokell, a former highly successful open-wheel and sports car circuit racer who won the coveted Australian Driver’s Champion gong three times in the 1990s, compiled 289 points across the four-round CATC season.
The 51-year-old finished second at the season-ending Targa High Country Championship last weekend behind Jason and John White (Dodge Viper) who were second overall in the title race on 240 points.
Third in Modern Outright was John Ireland and Janet Binns in another Dodge Viper.
“It got hairy there a few times on the final day at High Country but we held it together,” a jubilant Stokell said.
“We had to finish in the top seven in terms of sealing the Championship which we managed to achieve.
“And to come away with a podium was a bonus. So I can’t be happier with the way it all panned out,” Stokell said after finishing runner-up to the White Viper at High Country.
Stokell and Catford also carried off the national crown in the GT2 class just 19 points ahead of the Whites.
Downey steered his 1979 Holden Group C Commodore across a consistent season that saw him compile 295 points across the four rounds to topple Peter Gluskie and Samantha Winter who scored 243.
Downey and had already wrapped up the Classic GT title going into the final round.
“It is just great to get this Championship which means so much,” Downey said. "The competition is so strong and there is so much that can go wrong but we got it done."
Classic Handicap saw Nik Prieston and Dylan Braithwaite take the honours in a tightly fought contest with the Fiat pair accumulating 299 points to edge Gluskie and Winter on 276.
In Early Modern, Will Gordon and Angus Peltzer took the prize in their 1999 Mitsubishi Evo VI, while in GT4 Luke Anear and Alan Stephensen (2015 Subaru WRX) sealed the title on 257 points.
Mitchell and Darryl Ringuet (2017 Lotus Exige Sport 350) finished on 289 points to beat Tony and Sandra Seymour (2013 Lotus Exige Sport 350) by a mere eight points in GT Sports Trophy.
Thoroughbred Trophy was taken out by Tyson and Celise Cowie (1970 Ford Escort Mk1) while Peter and Tristan Taylor (2013 Lotus Elise S) landed the TSD Trophy national class honours with 300 points over Robert Bryden and Ian Noble (2017 Lotus 380 Cup) who finished on 261 points.
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