Targa Bambina: Inkster Leads but Laments Quinn's Retirement

2012 Targa Bambina
Auckland-Coromandel-Auckland
Fri-Sun
March 16-18
2012

Day 1 Report: Inkster Leads but Laments Quinn's Early Retirement

Last year's event winners Glenn Inkster and co-driver Spencer Winn have claimed an early lead in this year's Targa Bambina tarmac motor rally with Paeroa pair Mark White and Tracy Lance fastest in the new two-wheel-drive Modern class and Neil Tolich and Cully Paterson again the fastest classic two-wheel-drive pairing.

This year's event attracted just under 80 starters and headed from Auckland to Waiuku and Pukekohe in the morning then the northern Waikato, Hauraki Plains and Coromandel Peninsula in the afternoon.

At day's end in Whitianga Inkster and Winn had an overall and Instra.com Allcomers four-wheel-drive class lead of 1.12 minutes over fellow Mitsubishi Evo pairing Todd and Rhys Bawden with Leigh Hopper and Simon Kirkpatrick less than a minute behind them in a Subaru WRX Impreza, and David Rogers and Aiden Kelly fourth in a Mitsubishi Evo 10 fourth.

Unfortunately, an early casualty was last year's Targa New Zealand winner Tony Quinn and his co-driver Naomi Tillett in their Nissan GTR-35. In a repeat of what happened to Quinn and Tillett at last year's Targa Bambina and Rotorua events their GT-R35 broke a front driveshaft early in the event, forcing the Queensland-based Scott and his co-driver out on the spot.

The other GTR-35 in the event, the car of Auckland pair Harry Dodson and Glen Cupit, also struck trouble, the pair losing the car's sump plug when they landed heavily after getting airborne over a high-speed crest on the third stage west of Pukekohe. They, however, were able to stop before any engine damage was caused and were back in the event within an hour.

Having won last year's Bambina event in similar circumstances - after Quinn and Tillett were forced out by a mechanical problem, former rally ace Glenn Inkster said that while he was happy with his lead he would have preferred to have fought Quinn and Tillett for it.

"We've got a decent lead and we have had fun out there today, so from that point of view it's been a really good day, but - you know - it's disappointing not to be able to battle Tony for it. We had a massive battle in Targa NZ last year but so far I've yet to beat him fair and square and I was hoping to have that opportunity this weekend."

Having himself being forced out of the Targa New Zealand event late last year Paeroa farm services dealer Mark Whyte was just happy that he and co-driver Tracey Lance got to Whitianga without too much drama (the pair had to stop at Pukekohe to replace their V8-powered Toyota Altezza's alternator) this year so the lead in the new Instra.com Modern 2WD class was a nice bonus.

"Yes, " he said, "I'm quite surprised actually, I thought Steve Millen (who has swapped from his own 4WD Nissan GT-R35 to a mid-engined Ford GT 2WD car for this weekend's event) would have been quicker, though I'm not surprised by the pace of the (Ross Johnson/Mike Patching) Porsche."

Johnson and Patching head into the second day of competition on Sunday second in class behind Whyte and Lance with BMW M3 pair Mike Tubbs and Michael Vincent third, and Millen and wife Jodie fourth.

In a virtual repeat of last year's result Aucklanders Neil Tolich and Ford Capri Perana co-driver Cully Paterson arrived at Whitianga with a 1.05 minute lead over the BMW M3-driving pair they beat to the top spot of the Metalman Classic podium this time last year, Wellington pair Mark and Chris Kirk-Burnnand.

Another BMW pair Rex McDonald and Daniel Prince are third and Foxton market gardeners Bevan Claridge and Jason Easton are fourth in a Holden Commodore V8.

A highlight, meanwhile, for the many spectators who lined stages today were the demonstration runs by top new Zealand Drifter Cam Vernon from Pukekohe. As part of a joint T4T (Targa 4 Touge) promotion aimed at building links between the two motorsport disciplines Vernon completed two stages before the main field ran through them. For more details - and live timing - go to www.targa.co.nz.

Instra.com Modern 2WD
1. Mark Whyte/Tracey Lance (1999 Toyota Altezza) 00:46:12
2. Ross Johnson/Mike Patching (2002 Porsche 996 GT2) 00:46:48
3. Mike Tubbs/Michael Vincent (1992 BMW 325 M3) 00:47:30
4. Steve Millen/Jodie Millen (2004 Ford GT40) 00:47:40
5. Gary Murphy/James Bell (1993 BMW M3) 00:48:07
6. Barry Hare/Andrew Mackintosh (2002 BMW Mini Cooper) 00:48:13
7. Richard Krogh/Glenn Sharratt (2005 Porsche 911) 00:48:52
8. Derek Cecil/Rebecca Hayes (1997 BMW E36 M3 Evo) 00:49:14
9. Rick Martin/Corban Martin (2008 BMW 135i) 00:49:21
10. Bob Boniface/Simon Butler (2008 BMW 135i) 00:49:22

Metalman Classic 2WD
1. Neil Tolich/Cully Paterson (1970 Capri Perana) 00:46:38
2. Mark Kirk-Burnnand/Chris Kirk-Burnnand (1987 BMW M3) 00:47:43
3. Rex McDonald/Daniel Prince (1990 BMW E30) 00:49:25
4. Bevan Claridge/Jason Easton (1992 Holdon Commodore) 00:50:16
5. Garth McGregor/Adrian McGregor (1971 Holden Torana) 00:50:53
6. Barry Kirk-Burnnand/Steve Kirk-Burnnand (1989 BMW M3) 00:51:04
7. Ross Graham/Steve Hildred (1977 Holden Torana) 00:51:27
8. Mark Parsons/Sean Jackson (1978 Triumph TR7) 00:52:19
9. Andy Mygind/Abbie Mygind (1972 Datsun 240Z) 00:52:32
10. Peter Cullen/Craig Strachan (1983 Izuzu Gemini) 00:52:51

ENDS

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