Targa Tasmania 2019 - Day 3

Day 3 threw us plenty curve balls. The morning skies looked like an overcast day to come, however there wasn’t any rain in sight - great news! The first stage was The Sideling, a challenging stage and very slippery in the wet. Mary and I were keen for a dry run, and our wishes came true as the sun came out and the roads were dry.

We went through The Sideling in 7:57. The Shelby's handling with the MM Shockworks suspension and Steeda sway bar combination is working fantastically, very confident and forgiving, however the Shelby still had a random misfire. Looking at the logs and gauges it showed the fuel pressure being low. Aaron our Mustang Motorsport tech replaced it with a new one and we were on our way. On the following stages we put in some fast times to place Mary and I in 8th place at the lunch break.

We went through the first stage after lunch - Pyengana - in 9th place, but Elephant Pass brought trouble. We overshot the corner and hit a bank, breaking two wheels. We limped to the end, losing around four minutes. We changed the rims and managed to get the Shelby back on the road and finished the day's final stage - Rossarden - in 9th place. It was ultimately a great result considering we didn't know the extent of the damage.

Everything was at least pointing in the right direction, but the front and rear wheel alignments were out and we will have to finish it off in the morning. If you take the car out for repairs it costs time penalties, so making do with 'near enough' is sometimes the best option.

With the time loss we dropped to 11th place in GT2, but times are close and we are still in the mix for a great finish,

Craig and Mary.

Thanks to Angryman Photography for the great race shots, and also to all our sponsors and supporters.