Targa Tasmania 2017 - Day 1

Overnight in Launceston, the heavens opened and the first day of racing looks to be wet wet wet. Our first stage - Kayena - is a non competition shakedown stage. Stages like this are designed for us to settle into the event gently, especially for the newcomers.

After Stage One is the dangerous Sideling, which is very slippery when wet - 14km of it! We were told by the locals that this rain is the first for four weeks, so this makes it even more slippery than usual.

Just as we were about to start, the hazard display went off as one competitor slid off the road down an embankment and landed on their roof. Fortunately all occupants were OK. 3… 2… 1… Go! Off Kate and I go for a challenging wet run. With a fair bit of slip sliding we managed to get through safely, 8th fastest.

We then headed to the next stage - Moorina - which is almost 9km. It was slightly wet and we managed to do a good time on this stage, equal 4th fastest. The fourth stage - Weldborough Pass - is a very fast and flowing stage 13km long. Feeling more confident now the road is drying allows us to utilise the Shelby GT’s potential and finished in 8th position. Pyengana is six and a half km long, and is another slippery stage in places. We had a decent run, only 11 seconds off the leaders in 6th place.

Elephants Pass is an 11km long, fast, flowing stage. It was wet and very slippery in the middle, but we got through in 7th place. The last stage for the day was Rossarden, a 12km long very fast stage which was a little damp in areas. Kate and I finished equal fifth on the stage, and we got through with the day in 8th position in the GT2 competition - very happy with the day’s wet racing. Tomorrow is a quiet day, with George Town being the only stage, as we pay our respects the ANZAC’s.

Stay tuned,
Craig.

A big thank you to Angryman Photography for the great action shots!