First Sandman to do Targa Tassie

[will.co]

Well done on the round trip round my home state in the Van Bro, as an official in last years event i can definatelly say that is an amazing effort and a big accomplishment.

As friends of mine are the orgainers at Targa through Octagon i was priveliged enough to be the 999 car which follows the pack through every stage then closes off each one so the next can start, i can say that i thoroughly loved it and am well impressed that you tackled these stages in a thumping big van...

If you are interested in being a part of it in the future contact Stewart and tell him Wilko sent you through,
I would love to see the look on his face with a rush of Vanners coming in hahahaha..he is on Holidays at the moment though for the next few weeks 62218800

http://www.targa.org.au/Tasmania/contact.htm

Get amongst it people it is an amazing event through some spectacular country

http://www.mysandman.com.au/forums/album.php?albumid=94

[playwme]

Does Thrifty know what you're doing with their rental car?

[will.co]

Does Thrifty know what you're doing with their rental car?

Ha ha well i hope not, espescially after how we treated it...:twisted:

Needed new brakes and tyres every 2 days, what can i say we had to keep up with the group!!

Was an amazing experience and weird being allowed to drive as fast as possible on open roads with the police watching!!

I found out that i am a good navigator and left the real driving to my friend who has experience at racing...still there was some hairy moments...espescially when i was driving!!
Was the fastest ive ever been on the open road...legally anyway!

[Rico]

Does Thrifty know what you're doing with their rental car?

Pisser!! I was a detailer for AVIS once and I seen a few cars come back lookin like they had been in a rally. No hubcaps, dinted fuel tanks and crook front ends....all sorts

[will.co]

Yeah i can surely understand why!!

That car got a bit of a touch up...well thats what ill call it anyway!!

[van77]

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Hi Everyone, as promised more pics and a bit of a rundown on the event. Its good to see the 69 plate was noticed, Helen from Octagon, the event organizers, had a great sense of humor and allocated us the number without us asking for it. We had no idea what to expect and it only took stage two of day one to realize we were grossly under prepared. After popping a lead,we damaged the distributor and spent the rest of the day chasing one and replacing it. Thanks to Corie at Auto tech West who became our defacto mechanic. We pushed the car hard the day before at the prologue so we thought how easy is this. By day 2 you start to get a feel for this great endurance race and realize it not all about speed but looking after your car and driving to your limitations. You need to cover 2500km's over 5 1/2 days on some of the most challenging and picturesque roads Tasmania has to offer. We made the decision (wisely) to drop back in the pack a little and make sure we get the car home in one piece, especially after seeing some beautiful machines sitting on the back of tow trucks looking very sad and sorry. Over the next 2 days the sun was shining and even though we had leaf spring rear suspension the old girl handled quite well.
Day 5 saw the Tassie weather turn on us and the long leg to Strahan was run in torrential rain, thank God we decided to fix the wipers the day before we left. By the time you get to Strahan, your tired, wet and just looking forward to the finish. The town puts on a real party and its the first night you enjoy your new Targa friends company, and believe me you meet some great people from all over the world. You still look back in amazement when you think you had lunch sitting next to Jim Richards or Dick Johnson, had a quiet chat with Glen Ridge, Tony Longhurst ect. all there for the same reason, not necessarily to win but to compete and finish. The final day is the run to Hobart and the finish line at Wrest Point Casino. We have a 100 km closed stage through Mt Arrowsmith along the Franklin River. Unlimited speed for 100 km on one of the most beautiful roads in the world. I still cant believe it. Its at this point you notice every squeak and rattle, because by now you have seen plenty of accidents by way better drivers than us, and now you understand Targa... Just Finish. Be there at the end, get your plate, bring the car home. A word of warning though, 5am starts, breath tests each day with zero alcohol limit, and of course being a Sandman and unique to the event, the cops always wanted to have a closer look, so you guessed it we copped the random test before the start each morning. At the finish its one big party. Luckily we had the bar in the back, fully stock of course, and was a big hit with our fellow competitors. Great people in Tassie, lets hope they never give up this event, great friends made along the way, and a great old girl that carried us across the state drawing attention wherever we stopped.

[van77]

Still a bit early for next year, I think their concentrating on Targa Adelaide in September

[will.co]

Great story mate, so much respect to you and your team for doing it.

I'll pass this thread through to helen as well, she will love it.
She is really good at her job isn't she.

Thanks for the pics and if anyone else heads down next year I'll see you there.

[van77]

Thanks Mate, no doubt Helen is one of the reasons its such a great event, she does a power of work and always fun to talk to.

[rallyvan]

Nothing bets a week of rallying! Great choice of vehicle. Did you compete in the main event against the likes of Jimmy Richards, Tony Sullens, Tony Quinn etc or was there a sepate touring event for standard roads cars without all the cage, harness, driving suit stuff? If it was a touring road event I am curious as to how they timed it. Was timing to the minute or the second? I'm sure the brake pedal was getting pretty long by the end of some of the long tight twisty stages! Great to see a classic out there being driven in a spirited manner there should be more of it!

Anthony