Tasmanian Jason White has finished day one of Targa High Country with a commanding one minute lead after his main rival, Steve Glenney, crashed out on the final run up the Mt Buller road.
Driving a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, White trailed his South Australian rival by 10 seconds after the first seven closed road tarmac stage, but the Nissan GT-R driver fell foul of the unseasonal winter conditions, which turned the mountain road into a nightmare drive.
South Australian hot shot, Craig Haysman, leads the Classic Outright competition in his 1981 Triumph TR7 V8, while Angus Kennard holds a narrow three-second advantage in the 4WD Showroom class.
Round two of the CAMS Australian Targa Championship got underway with a street stage in Mansfield on Friday evening, before four stages led cars from Mt Buller to Whitfield on Saturday, before competing over the same stages in the reverse direction in the afternoon.
After his convincing win in round one of the championship in Adelaide in August, Glenney shot out of the starting blocks quickly in his Nissan, and was fastest on the first seven stages to establish a handy 10 second buffer.
But it all went wrong on the run up Mt Buller, with rain, fog and even snow giving crews an extra challenge.
"We hit a guardrail about two thirds of the way up the mountain, splitting an oil cooler and put us out of the event," Glenney said.
"We were driving at a safe speed, braking early into corners, but we were caught out and hit the guard rail at about 25km/h."
It gave White a lead of one minute and three seconds after the first day, and while happy with his advantage, he was disappointed Glenney's event had come to an end.
"It's one of those funny situations where it’s a relief that you don't have such a close tussle anymore, but it's a real shame because we were having a hell of a battle," White said.
"Usually the closest battles offer the sweetest rewards, but having said that it's nice to take a one minute lead into tomorrow.
"We've had no mechanical issues today, only the tyre choice that we were a bit concerned with in the dry, and we're looking forward to tomorrow's eight stages."
Victorian Matt Close moved into second place in his Audi TT RS Plus, a further minute clear of the Nissan GT-R of Ben Searcy.
Veteran touring car driver and motorsport legend, Jim Richards, made the most of the afternoon's wet conditions to move into fourth place in his Porsche 911 GT2 RS, just clear of Jamie Vandenberg's Nissan GT-R.
In Classic Outright, Craig Haysman is out make up for his round one exit with victory in his Triumph TR7. He enjoyed a trouble free day, and holds a 17 second lead over the 1970 Datsun 240Z of Jon Siddins. Former touring car star, Andrew Miedecke, is third in a 1970 Ford Capri Perana.
We had a crack this morning and went out hard, as we knew there were a lot of guys who were on the money, and we had built up a time gap by lunchtime," Haysman said.
"But coming up that mountain was the hairiest thing I've ever done - and now it's snowing, so how cool is that!"
"We're hoping it's dry tomorrow because they're really, really beautiful stages, so we can't wait."
There's a thrilling battle in 4WD Showroom, with the first four cars separated by just 15 seconds. The Subaru's of Angus Kennard and Ben Newman are first and fourth, with the Mitsubishis of Clinton Arentz and Scott Millar sandwiched in between.
"It's been a good day, but it's been a contrast with extreme weather conditions - hot and dry down in the valley, and wet up on the mountain," Kennard said.
"This is the first time I've driven this car, so I'm just feeling my way, but it feels alright. Everything's going to plan at this stage."
In other categories, Peter Ullrich (1963 Jensen CV8) leads the Early Classic Handicap, Craig Haysman also leads Late Classic Handicap, and Adam Spence has continued his dominance of the Showroom competition.
Tim Hendy's Nissay Skyline is 10 seconds ahead in Early Modern, Michael Minshall (Audi TT RS) controls Showroom Sports, and Neill Ford heads the exciting new Modern Muscle Cars class.
Day two of Targa High Country heads from Mt Buller to Eildon over eight closed road tarmac stages, with the cars finishing back on Mt Buller late in the afternoon. With snow forecast on the mountain on Sunday, it could make for an exciting finish.
Targa High Country – provisional results after Day 1 of 2
MODERN
1. Jason White / John White, 2011 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera
2. Matt Close / Gary Mourant, 2010 Audi TT RS Plus, +1m03s
3. Ben Searcy / XX Payne, 2006 Nissan GT-R R35, +2m06s
4. Jim Richards / Barry Oliver, 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS, +2m28s
5. Jamie Vandenberg / Dennis Sims, 2009 Nissan GT-R, +2m36s
6. Frank Purdey / Cameron Reeves, 2009 Nissan GT-R, +4m06s
CLASSIC OUTRIGHT
1. Craig Haysman / Neil Branum, 1981 Triumph TR7 V8
2. Jon Siddins / Gina Jeffries, 1970 Datsun 240Z, +17s
3. Andrew Miedecke / Daniell Wilson, 1970 Ford Capri Perana, +43s
4. Peter Ullrich / Sari Ullrich, 1963 Jensen CV8, +1m38s
5. Simon Gunson, Jurgen Lunsmann, 1971 Ford Capri, +2m12s
EARLY CLASSIC HANDICAP
1. Peter Ullrich / Sari Ullrich, 1963 Jensen CV8
2. Jon Siddins / Gina Jeffries, 1970 Datsun 240Z, 17s
3. Andrew Miedecke / Daniell Wilson, 1970 Ford Capri Perana, +1m22s
LATE CLASSIC HANDICAP
1. Craig Haysman / Neil Branum, 1981 Triumph TR7 V8
2. Steve McClintock / Jann Skinner, 1985 Mazda RX7, +25s
3. Robert Gambino / Mary Hughes, 1976 Ferrari 308 GTB, +37s
EARLY MODERN
1. Tim Hendy / Joanne Sibley, 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R
2. Jason Whitburn / Warren Phillip-Clarke, 1999 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6.5, +10s
3. Brett Morse / Rodney Ng, 1994 BMW M3-R, +1m36s
SHOWROOM
1. Adam Spence / Erin Kelly, 2013 Renault Megane RS 265
2. Bunjamin Noor / Lee Challoner-Miles, 2011 Renault Megane RS 250, +3m01s
3. James Hallett / Alice McKenzie, 2005 Holden HSV Clubsport DTS, +3m16s
4WD SHOWROOM
1. Angus Kennard / Ian Wheeler, 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX
2. Clinton Arentz / Pete Burrey, 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, +3s
3. Dean Millar / Chris Dean, 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, +8s
SHOWROOM SPORTS
1. Michael Minshall / Kirrilee Gentleman, 2011 Audi TT RS
MODERN MUSCLE CARS
1. Neill Ford / Colin Maher, 2011 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
2. Dale Carpenter / Michael Herridge, 2008 Holden VE SS Ute
REGULARITY
1. Gluyas / Gluyas, Toyota 86 GTS, 26pts
=2. Frith / Frith, Porsche Boxter S, 30pts
=2, Hope / Hope, Porsche 944 Turbo, 30pts
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