Flatovercrest.com - North American Rally News » Targa 2007

Targa: Finish – Hopkins/Hughes Win!

Andrew — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 02:29:17 +0000

In their fifth attempt at the Targa Newfoundland, Roy Hopkins and Adrienne Hughes have taken their sponge-painted 1969 BMW 2002 to the Overall and Classic win. In a demonstration of historic horsepower, all the top finishers were in the Classic division, including second-placed Michael MacKenzie and Kirk Alexander in a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, and Jud Buchanan and Jim Adams in their 1967 Acadian Sport Canso. The top Modern division finisher, in seventh place, was Jeff McKague and Mike Gayowski in their Mazda RX-8. The Unlimited title was taken by the Subaru Canada entry of John and Clarke Paynter. We’ll have more stories and photos this weekend.

UPDATE: After the post-event
technical inspection, Car 415 (MacKenzie and Alexander) have been
reclassified to ‘Unlimited Class’, moving Buchanan/Adams to second and
Bolger/Milnes to third. See results here.

Targa: Leg 4 Wrap Up

Warwick — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 03:18:16 +0000

It was an early start for teams this morning, as the two-hour transit to Burin Peninsula meant that cars were on the road at sunrise. The first stages would take the teams to Harbour Mille, a stunning little fishing village perched on the rocks. As whitecaps whipped at the sea walls, cars roared down the coast in the bright morning sun. The real heart of Targa Newfoundland has begun, as the race order starts to show itself, and teams start feeling the pressure to perform.

As the week winds down, target times start getting a little harder to match, and every second of penalty time becomes more critical. Unlike a cumulative-time rally, Targa competitors are given penalty time if they are slower than the given target. This means that once they have lost time and accrued penalties, they can never lower their score. Competitors must push on and hit their remaining target times, and hope that competitors ahead of them will fall back down the results. Think of it like golf, except you can’t get anything lower than par. The veteran teams know how this game is played, and have been quietly hitting their marks right from the first stage, waiting for the real battle to begin on the last two days. Going into Friday’s Leg 5, teams will be doing all they can to preserve their position.

Today’s stages saw a few mishaps, including the unfortunate introduction between a house and a BMW M3. This was the BMW team’s first foray into rallying, and were doing extremely well in the standings. A little bit of loose gravel changed all that though, and they are working on the car this evening trying to straighten things out in time to roll over the finish line tomorrow. The Mitsubishi EVO of Peter Guagenti was also forced to retire this evening with a failing clutch. There aren’t many EVO clutches kicking around these parts, so they weren’t hopeful of continuing.

At the front of the pack though, Roy Hopkins and Adrienne Hughes in the "sponge painted" BMW 2002 are still out in front, with a pack of 5 cars nipping at their heels, including MacKenzie/Alexander (’69 Camaro), Bolger/Milnes (’63 Mini Cooper), Buchanan/Adams (’67 Acadian Canso), and Sanderson/Carmichael (’81 Porsche 911). As Jim Kenzie mentioned though, "Roy doesn’t make mistakes," and will likely only drop off the top step if he encounters trouble. Unfortunately, last year’s winners, Glen Clarke and Evan Gamblin had to retire today with ongoing engine problems.
Warm up your modems, here is a monster gallery to tide you over until tomorrow night’s Targa finish results!

Targa: Leg 3 Wrap Up

Dean — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:51:09 +0000

Now midway through the week, the teams seem to be getting comfortable and settling into the rhythm of the Newfoundland roads. One of the final cars in the field reported seeing no warning triangles today – a good sign after the brutal attrition of the opening two days.

In 2006, the remnants of Hurricane Florence swept through Newfoundland during Leg 3, and this year was eerily similar. Wednesday saw strong winds, lashing waves, and horizontal rain, mixed with a glimpse of the sun late in the day. Tomorrow we head South to Marystown and the Burin Peninsula for Leg 4, with the picturesque Harbour Mille stage in the morning. We’re on dial-up internet this evening (the horror!) so here is a limited gallery until tomorrow. For the latest results, check out www.rallyscoring.com.

Targa: Results After Leg 2

Warwick — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 03:48:40 +0000

Here are the Targa and Touring results after Leg 2.

Targa Standings After Leg 2

Pos	Time	Vehicle	Class	Driver/Co-driver
1	0:00:02	BMW 2002 69	4 Mod Sm	Roy Hopkins – Spencer Port, NY Adrienne Hughes – Spencer Port, NY
2	0:00:08	Ford Mustang Shelby 65	3 Std Lg	Karl Brunner – Martinsville, VI Will Pearson – Martinsville, VI
3	0:00:09	Porsche 911 SC 81	6 Mod Lg	Tim Sanderson - Stan Carmichael -
4	0:00:17	BMW M3 88	7 Mod Sm	Nick Papayianis – Fort Worth, TX Will Atkinson – Fort Worth, TX
5	0:00:22	Austin Mini Cooper S 63	3 Mod Sm	Dyrk Bolger – St-Andrew’s, MB Terry Milnes – East St-Paul, MB
5	0:00:22	Acadian Canso SC 67	4 Mod Lg	Jud Buchanan – Campellville, ON Jim Adams – Pickering, ON
7	0:00:23	Toyota Supra Twin Turbo 94	8 Std Lg	Richard Kimber – Sydney, AU Brian O’Kane – Calgary, AB
8	0:00:24	Porsche 911 79	6 Mod Lg	Glen Clarke – Mountain, ON Evan Gamblin – Carleton Place, ON
9	0:00:25	Volvo P1800ES 72	5 Mod Sm	Gord Ross – Woodstock, ON Dan Coomber – Woodstock, ON
10	0:00:26	Datsun 240Z 70	4 Std Lg	Bob Trinder – Vancouver, BC Adam Trinder – Vancouver, BC
11	0:00:32	Datsun 510 72	5 Mod Sm	Derek Young – San Francisco, CA Jay Rustulka – Vancouver, BC
11	0:00:32	Mazda RX-8 04	9 Std Sm	Jeff McKague – Cobourg, ON Mike Gayowski – Ajax, ON
13	0:00:35	Porsche 911 SC 81	6 Mod Lg	Scott Giannou – St-John’s, NL Ray Felice – Guelph, ON
14	0:00:40	Chevrolet Camaro 69	4 Mod Lg	Michael MacKenzie – Dartmouth, NS Kirk Alexander – Dartmouth, NS
15	0:00:49	Subaru WRX STi 02	1 Unlimit.	Tony Kloosterman – Grimsby, ON Ryan Kloosterman – Hamilton, ON
16	0:00:50	Subaru Impreza WRX Sti 06	1 Unlimit.	John Paynter – Darthmouth, NS Clarke Paynter – Lower Sackville, NS
17	0:01:01	Porsche 911 SC 80	6 Std Lg	Harold Seagle – Ashville, NC Stan Pendergraft – Charlotte, NC
18	0:01:09	BMW M3 95	8 Std Lg	Jason Byrne – Bemus Point, NY Mark Laitenberger – Kendall, NY
19	0:01:27	Porsche 911 Targa 71	4 Std Lg	William Gordon – Fort Erie, ON Sam Petrella – Fort Erie, ON
19	0:01:27	BMW M3 95	8 Mod Lg	Geoff Corlett – Stuart, FL Scott Lamb – Guelph, ON
21	0:01:28	BMW 2002 Tii 74	5 Mod Sm	Brian Jarvis – Halifax, NS James Partridge – Fallmouth, NS
22	0:01:30	Mazda RX-7 85	7 Mod Sm	Joe Butler – St-John’s, NL Melissa Butler – St-John’s, NL
23	0:01:38	Mitsubishi Evo IX RS 06	9 Mod Lg	Peter Guagenti – Benicia, CA Scott Smith – San Francisco, CA
24	0:01:51	BMW M3 90	7 Std Sm	Steven Levesque – Ipswick, NH Kristin Chute – Casco, ME
25	0:02:00	Chevy Camaro 69	4 Mod Lg	Lance Webb – Collinwood, ON Barry Webb – Huntsville, ON
26	0:02:24	Chevrolet Cobalt 06	9 Std Lg	Bob Yuillie – Dartmouth, NS Troy Webb – Darmouth, NS
27	0:02:39	Lexus GS 450-Hybrid 07	P Std Lg	Marc Lachapelle – Longueuil, QC Jean-Francois Drolet – Neuville, QC
28	0:02:48	Subaru WRX 02	9 Std Lg	Paul Racine – Ottawa, ON Rob Martin – Ottawa, ON
29	0:02:54	Mini Cooper S 04	1 Unlimit.	Jim Kenzie – Milton, ON Brian Bourbonniere – Lawrencetown, NS
30	0:02:55	Toyota Corolla 86	7 Std Sm	Robert Gritten – Vancouver, BC Jeff Hagan – Whitby, ON
31	0:02:56	Subaru Legacy T4 Rally 92	8 Std Lg	David Koszegi – Port Alberni, BC Jason Cahill – St-John’s, NL
32	0:03:12	Lotus Elise 06	1 Unlimit.	Robert Krieble – Montreal, QC Donald Collins – Montreal, QC
33	0:03:14	Acura Integra 95	1 Unlimit.	Matthew Oldford – St-John’s, NL Brian Oldford – St-John’s, NL
34	0:03:29	Pontiac Firebird Ram Air 96	8 Mod Lg	Tom Collingwood – St-John’s, NL Andrew Duffett – St-John’s, NL
35	0:03:38	Volkswagon GTI 91	1 Unlimit.	Thomas Greer – Mason, NH Bob Della Rocco – Derry, NH
36	0:04:07	Porsche 911 Targa 79	6 Std Lg	Edison Wiltshire – Clarenville, NF Marg-O Wiltshire – Clarenville, NF
37	0:04:13	Subaru WRX STI 05	1 Unlimit.	Richard Burton – Toronto, ON Dean Hopkins – Toronto, ON
38	0:05:18	Chevrolet Camaro Z28 84	7 Std Lg	Miles Williams – Calgary, AB Don McMullin – Calgary, AB
39	0:06:13	Subaru Legacy Turbo 91	8 Mod Lg	Bruce Terris – Gander, NL Andrew Proudfoot – Gander, NL
40	0:06:18	Mazda RX7 12A 85	7 Mod Sm	Jacob Gooch – Bracebridge, Mike Gooch – Bracebridge,
41	0:06:31	Factory Five Roadster 65	1 Unlimit.	Steven Friebel – Collinwood, ON Paul Pinchbeck – Collinwood, ON
42	0:08:26	Nissan 240sx 93	1 Unlimit.	Doug Martin – Paradise, NL Chris Kielley – St-John’S, NL
43	0:09:04	Subaru WRX Wagon 02	9 Std Lg	Peter Rotelle – Hatfield, PA Ken Zimmerman – Fleetwood, PA
44	0:10:28	Toyota Echo 05	9 Std Sm	Arnold Hoar – Moncton, NB Greg Turner – Moncton, NB
45	0:11:20	Ford Mustang 00	9 Mod Lg	Rick MacLeod – Sault Ste-Marie, ON Steve McKelvie – Franklin, MA
46	0:11:24	Acura GS 94	8 Mod Sm	Ken Pavri – Toronto, ON John Burnet – Toronto, ON
47	0:19:35	Ford Mustang GT 94	8 Std Lg	Afshin Montazeri – Burlington, ON Paul Brown – Dundas, ON
48	0:24:54	Ford Falcon 65	3 Mod Lg	Tom Silver – Minneapolis, MN David Fuss – Minneapolis, MN
49	0:26:55	Subaru Legacy Turbo 92	8 Std Lg	Nicolas Narini – Curtis, ON Massimo Narini – Curtis, ON
50	0:37:33	Austin Mini 59	3 Mod Sm	Richard Paterson – Aukland, NZ Tony Mattson – Stoufville, ON
51	0:37:53	Ford Mustang GT 90	7 Std Lg	Jim Turner – Newburgh, NY Darryl Deagle – Moncton, NB
52	0:47:01	Austin Healy 100 53	2 Mod Sm	Michael Salter – Toronto, ON Michael Oritt – Salomon, MD
53	0:50:59	Volvo 142 S 71	4 Mod Sm	Doug Mepham – Belleville, ON Dave Osborne – Fort Erie, ON
54	1:06:49	Porsche 914-6 GT 71	4 Mod Sm	Bob Saville – Charlotte, NC Nadine Saville – Charlotte, NC
55	1:08:33	BMW M3 88	7 Std Sm	Dennis Pippy – Pittsburg, PA Levi Pippy – Manassan, VI
	DNF	Merkur XR4Ti 85 Did not started	1 Std	Ian Glyn-Jones - Emmett McKay-Lodge -
	DNF	Honda CRX SiR 90 Mechanical prob.	1 Std	Martin Racine – Ottawa, ON Sebastien Bourgon – Montreal, QC
© George Marcotte, v5.9.5, http://www.RallyScoring.com

Grand Touring Standings After Leg 2

Pos	Time	Vehicle	Class	Driver/Co-driver
1	0:00:07	Caterham Super Seven 90	4	Neil Young – Georgetown, ON Vern Dale-Johnson – Sydney, AU
2	0:00:22	Factory Five Cobra 06	4	Alan Townsley – Palisades, NY David Fuhrmann – Norwood, NJ
3	0:00:48	Porsche 944 86	4	Jim Hauser – Dunnville, ON Mark Hauser – Dunnville, ON
4	0:00:49	Porsche Boxter 06	4	Herb Setz – Peace River, AB Ivan Cop – Peace River, AB
5	0:01:08	Mazda 3 Sport GT 04	4	Alan Kearley – Gander, NF Greg Martin – Gander, NF
6	0:01:45	Porsche 928 S 86	4	Jarret Smith – Toronto, ON Andrew Ingram – Vancouver, BC
7	0:01:56	Mazda Speed 3 07	4	Nika Rolczewski – Richmond Hill, ON Sandra Lemaitre – Aurora, ON
8	0:02:01	MG C 68	4	Robert Grainger – Alliston, ON Jean Wrigth – Alliston, ON
9	0:02:09	Porsche 356 C 65	4	Bruce Burchart – Toronto, ON Mike Kieley – Toronto, ON
10	0:03:46	Volvo 540 T5 Awd 06	4	Jesse Greenberg – Montreal, QC Michael Mire – Montreal, QC
11	0:30:38	Porsche 911 03	4	Michael Martin – Toronto, ON Cathy Martin – Toronto, ON
12	0:31:37	Ford Mustang GT 01	4	Robert Worobec – Peace River, AB Jason Troup – Peace River, AB
13	0:33:43	Porsche 944 87	4	Kenny Sacht – Vancouver, BC Rob Warren – Vancouver, BC
14	0:33:45	Porsche 911 Targa 83	4	James Haggerty – Towanda, PA Felice Haggerty – Towanda, PA
15	1:08:31	Volvo PV544 63	4	Robert Melville – Port Williams, NS Ron Bujold – Tide Head, NB
16	1:14:47	Mercury Cougar 85	4	Stephen LeBlanc – Halifax, NS Scott Healey – Halifax, NS
17	5:35:44	BMW MZ4 06	4	Pete Lazier – Langlay, BC Sharon Middler – Langlay, BC
	DNF	Austin Healey 100/4 54 Off road	4 Std	Ivan Shelton – Barry, ON Ian Shelton – Halifax, NS
© George Marcotte, v5.9.5, http://www.RallyScoring.com

Targa: Leg 2 Wrap Up

Andrew — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 03:42:48 +0000

Leg 2 of the 2007 Targa Newfoundland is in the books, and it was another eventful day for the competitors. Today’s stages included the flat out Leading Tickles turnaround stage. Several motors seemed to suffer under the extended wide open running, with the very trick ’59 Mini of Richard Paterson and the Subaru WRX of Peter Rotelle sidelined with motor failure. Very few teams are running penalty free in these tricky conditions, and the results are ever-changing after each leg. We’re off to the historic town of Greenspon tomorrow, along with seven other stages around the Kittiwake Coast.

Jeff Hagan, Co-Driver, Toyota Corolla – “We hit a tree on the Gander stage. We went wide on a right hand corner and the tree just hit us on the left front. We managed to hobble our way out of the stage. Our crew will have a long night, but I’m confident we’ll be back.”

Gord Ross “The Harvan Engineering Volvo is running great today! Tonight, here in Gander, we took some penalties. 2nd gear is too low, 3rd’s too tall and we’re too soft. It was all the car could do without kicking it into a curb. We’ve got the driveline and engine from Ralph Grants Volvo 142 Targa car. We went from about 70hp last year to over 200hp this year! We’re making base times, which we couldn’t do before!”

Clarke/Gamblin – "We picked up one second yesterday. Car is working great, it’s pulling fine. The engine isn’t quite as crisp as last year though. In Appleton I think we beat the Paynters by 11seconds. No real drama.”

Ken Pavri – “Today was fantastic! We finally got to see Leading Tickles. We had such a great time, what a beautiful stage. Everything is looking good. We’re making all of our Targa times and few of our trophy times. If everyone made all the times, it wouldn’t be any fun, right? We’re happy."

When asked about how the team got their name – Blind and Deaf Motorsport – I thought it was a classic joke about how the typical rally driver never listens to their co-driver, but Ken told me that, no, he really is deaf and his co-driver is partially blind! Another great Targa story…

Tomorrow’s weather is due to turn a little nasty, with wind and rain blowing through. The later part of the week looks to improve, however, hopefully giving us a dry end to the rally.