Targa Tom

Unlike the majority of Evo Rally cars - ours started as a GSR and therefore fully rego'd The big difference is you can get a race rally base without any duty etc built in, which reduces the cost. Wonder how the WRC cars get on next time round... Tassie is pretty relaxed - we bedded in the brakes and moved the GT3 Cup round for the price of a permit. $45 and must nominate time + too and from address and route to be used. (Great race car - shyte road car) MAIB in Tassie offer a system where non registered cars can use roads for duration of event. Basically from the spirit to spirit for you Australians coming down. TT

So was it you seen ordering an RNJ 370Z at AutoSport 2010

Only seems like yesterday when I stood near Longford and made that blind leap.... the only commitment I ever made LMAO. Take it slow and listen to the advise... we have seen lots of good drivers drop it in the scrub... SB will help you out, and there are a few guys on here with first hand experience. Deal in facts and read that regs book till you know it by heart. [Put a copy in your dunny] Good luck. In the words of someone famous - "It will change your life" TT

Wrong side to pass, wrong wrong wrong. Webber, Sato, Montoya, Alonso. is a short list of guys who are not going to let that happen. My one eyed support is keeping me up this year for one reason. Webber!! I remember watching Jonesy win in Long Beach, and another one 30 years on is not too much to ask. Vetool (like that) is going to win another race before the end of the year and so is Mark, but I bet the other teams wont be cutting the spoilt little German cot dweller any slack - he will also have some DNFs Go Mark Webber - it is your time... TT

You have mail re ballast issues...

Winter race now to be launched... Targa Burnie. TT

"Politically Correct" May have had a couple of bevvys when I was thinking that lol, but have contacted the Dr to see if he is interested. TT

Well thats a bit un PC! Counts me out, but will put the word out. TT

What are the weight and sex criteria? TT

Can someone explain to me how this incident deserves a derived time - besides the fact they are both good blokes and normally someone I spar with... Now the derived time rule was used often this year, and like AFL umpires the interpretation seems to have changed. Can someone explain please, cos I’m losing sleep. Kudos to all those who applied for derived times and got them… but Im sorry the words complete & under your own power must have lots of meaning I don’t get. Will accept any reasonable explanation. TT

D1 from JJ a few years ago... No problems, and the spin the wheel to engage makes very convenient. I always give it a tug toward me as insurance... it becomes habit like checking your belts three or four times just before a start. The 997 cup is trick too, but must be lined up before engaging. TT

What you mean more in the know... You Nav broad minded persons get all the good gos! I feel a bit sorry for MSR as they bought a brand that was on the way down and couldnt turn it around. There is a big conflict when you are trying to run a round of the ARC in Tassie and keep it on Tamac. I think CAMS needed to tow the Octagon line and not let ego's get in the way... Then we would have one set of rules, and in a shrinking market the best rallies on Tarmac would be supported. We are just doing a tear down for rebuild... and either build a AASA weapon (CAMS cheater) or CAMS compliant (AASA non competitive) thiing. Personally I think they both have it wrong, and somewhere in the middle would be good. Anyhow I digress... The big W is off the gaspers!!! And I cant wait to do some of these types of events (inc road trip for the crew). Can do 3x per year for the price of Tugga. in a shrinking ecconomy and budget pull back... I think that is the way to go. TT Love the way the Auto Mod changed 5Lut5 to "Broad minded Persons LOL

Its a no brainer for me... run anything that will pass post race inspection (read thorough inc pull down) for the class rules in play. If you go the creative route - make sure your story will convince a panel of stewards and maybe another panel at later appeal that you are correct. It does not matter what you do with rules, not all will be happy.... So build the car that suits the rules, not the one that looks best in your forum sig. Tugga for instance had the 2010 tyre rule in place for 2009, but then reverted back on the eve of the event... accusing those who turned up with 6 tyres as smart arses. IMO those who hadnt got the reading correct threw the teddie out of the cot. It was no surprise to me that it was back to 6 tyre rule for 2010, after all the non rule readers had time to regroup. TT

Dont help this year, but we will be looking at these sorts of events next year... However the k's / $ and relative to distanc hauled is always a consideration. These events are critical, because they are ideal tests for the bigger shows. Rally Tas struggles... and that is one of the best value for money events in the country. Plus it uses some Targa stages. Why more people dont use it as Targa Test I dont know... yet Targa West Point is fully subscribed. Biggest problem is AASA v CAMS rules me thinks. TT

So a broken drivers seat sitting on the consol didnt surprise you... Its the cardboard box theory... an open box upside down has strength... with opening up - weak as p155. Ask Simon Evans - even the best cage is not going to work best in a big sill impact, that is more car strength. TT

I had similar experience with the worlds fastest driver and best magazine editor. (they are the same person) lol

Think the thing is that since the R32, the Nissans have ran in modifiable classes... therefore the "engineer down to a price" rather than "up to a standard" comes into play. They put effort into seats n the like for the road punters. My evo (showroom GSR - not RS) came with an MT/6, but even now - 5 years on - the prefered homoligation is MT/5. I am tipping the Nissan engineers didnt engineer their OEM box to be subject to 300-400wkw, as during that time their factory race cars at a minimum were being fitted with dog boxes. Dont forget most guys in Targa run aggressive paddle type clutches too which transfer more stress to the GB. If I were an engineer building a street car as a race platform, the only parts "up-specd" would be those not allowed to be changed out in the target rules... my guess is Nissan too that approach maybe? TT

Should be a salary cap I reckon!!! If you are lucky enough to get an experienced nav for free... I think thats fair. Tim, for instance over the last 3 years has gone to the trouble of getting seat time and improving his skills. He has been in a ute (and the reports from that event weren't glowing), some dirt cars, an unexperienced evo, then a couple of trips with BW bought him to this years event. Now I would say on the strength of his CV and his enthusiasm for improvement he has gone from paying to fee charging. In future he will have the choice of riding for free, helping out, or being paid. Well done Tim - Poor art dealer in Qld just bumped his entire stock 3% so he can afford you... Summary Roy, two by novices = split cost, two mates may = split cost (or if one mate is travelling ok - free). Very Good Nav may charge for the privilage (but they will only be looking at the quick chairs) TT

Just knew you could condense it into a few words... Would have taken me for ever to say that, then would have been side tracked. When I first entered Targa, a chap that was with me on the Spirit a year previous said "If you are going in Targa, read the rules, read the rules, chose a car then read the rules again" He was refering to Classic which runs on handicap, when a mod may mean you have to complete the stage 1se/k quicker than the opposition when it only gives you a .25sec performance gain. I have taken that approach every year, even though modern is different it is the same... ie GTS-T (MS) 1300kg v GTR 1700kg (LMS) (R32 I'm Talking) As for evo stuff, it is a mystery to me how a Evo IX Bathurst LE TMR conforms to "showroom" It cannot even be registered in Oz. The model however is availble X factory in Nippon ie GSR with only the TTS option. As for the IX, there have been a few "Showroom" GSRs runniing (colour coded door handles easy pick) and they have AYC, ABS MT/6 ACD. (that is what we ran last year) In Australia however like South Africa, they only come with single boost control solenoid... (we ran in 07/08). The TMR built vehicles are an RS or GT, which have dual solenoid, but also mech diffs MT/5 and ACD.... it is my opinion that you have to run either/or but not a mixture - hence last year we ran a std front evo (understeer inducing) front diff. Next time out it will suit the rules, ie built to them, rather than build the car then see where it sits... For the record, the woo keeps banging on about recce, and if there are any future players here I will reinforce his point. You cannot do enough!! last year we did 3 weeks in an evo ix, the last week fitted with my showroom DMS suspension. We regraded every stage - some had 2 - 3 changes others many. Some grades went from 3.5 to 5 which is an increase of 30kph at apex. Eg Kayena, we arrived at the chicane flat in 5th compared to plucking 4th the previous year.... we were 17seconds quicker and that gave us enough confidence to drive the event to our notes. In summary, read the rules 5 times, and recce 2 days for every day of racing.... The difference between recce and performance is recce gets you through the turns quicker - and there are lots of 'em TT

+1

The 999 rule has been there, but in CAMS days and since has been re-jigged. What I dont understand, is - you roar into a stage at 30sec intervals... Now for example, you are car 20, so you are 10.5 min in front of the 999. You tip it off, wait till your crew (and the good ones are right behind the open road car) arrive and get you out... You exit the stage (must be over your trophy time) and get your card stamped by the officials - if they are there. You then roar off, get in front of the 999 at the next stage (que) and bingo - derived time!!! Question. If for eg it has been a dry event and you are blistering on harder rubber. You get to a long wet stage and the soft tyre mob are going to run you down.... Answer. I drive in... park somewhere before the finish, drive out behind the 999 then ask for derived time. My main question is the rule states you went off or had mech prior to the sweep starting.Where was that taken into consideration this year?? how can a derived time be 13th quickest?? And the rest of the field didnt crash??? I am sure I must be missing something... but thing is atm, I have a couple of years to work it out. Derived time should be trophy time + 1 min. maybe... it should not advantage you at all. (Assistance at accidents maybe need some incentive to stop and not be penalised) A car on a tow rope should not receive a derived time - period. TT

You may not have won the event Snowman, but the way you have conducted yourself post event is very proffessional... for that alone you are a winner. If you are wondering how YT went on the notes... see his times on roads they had no notes. And if you want to know why he is quick... look at the vid from this link. Was in the company of the Woo on Day 3 and where we watched was a good indication of times. Oh... Snowy, another prize you picked up. The MOST agressive cut by a long way - last RH before the finish on Stoodly TT

Morning Woo... by the time you read this far your head will be spinning LOL Can anyone tell me the Trophy Time on Arrowsmith this year... TT

Ummm - So Tiger dont come here much??? I'm tipping those comments - whether accuate or not - maybe better left to hearsay rather than commiting to the 3 W's. TT Just a kid in an old mans body.

Dont ask me its name... but not too hard to google whiteys car. There is a squillion images of 'em and Lambo are making plenty. Skelta, has been round for a long time (only needs to be five) and the spec has had one upgrade. Last year there were 3 this year two. Ayres previous run (UK importer name R33) which enabled big exhausts and wheels started the change in rules. Speaking of Dave - I thought the Nismo R400 was 2WD, can someone clear that up please. (dont worry 400R = 4wd GT-R LM = 2wd) TT