O
ver a sunny, fine but distinctly crisp July 04/05 weekend, Leigh Hopper and co-driver Michael Goudie (Subaru Impreza WRX) dominated New Zealand’s rescheduled two-day Targa Hawke’s Bay tarmac motor rally
Winning nine out of the ten special stages the Orewa, Auckland, pair crossed the finish line in Havelock North on the Sunday afternoon with an advantage of over three minutes over second placed Ivan Knauf and Trevor Corbin, also in a Subaru Impreza WRX.
Local farmers Knauf and Corbin were the only other duo to take a stage win (albeit by just five seconds) off Hopper and Goudie – through the fast but undulating 29.07km Porangahau run from Wallingford to Wimbledon in the far south-east of the province just before the lunch time service stop at Dannevirke on Sunday.
Hopper, however, made up that deficit – and more – with the only sub-15 minute run home through the final 36.7km stage of the day from Tod Rd on the outskirts of Waipawa and on down the roller-coaster run along Middle Road to the ceremonial finishing arch in downtown Havelock North.
The surprise early demise of two of his usual competition (David Rogers and co-driver Shane Reynolds to a trip off-road in Rogers’ Mitsubishi Evo 10, and Jason Gill and his co-driver Malcom Read to a mechanical issue with Gill’s new VW Polo R special, both in only the second stage of the event on Saturday morning) did make Hopper and Goudie’s first day this year a little easier.
However, local pair Ivan Knauf and Trevor Corbin were quick to take up the challenge, ending up second behind the leading pair in five of the ten stages to edge out Bruce Herbert and Bevan Parker for second place at the end of the first day by just over half a minute (0:36.2 seconds), and in the event overall by close to a minute (0.52.0 seconds).
In fourth place – at the end of both days – was former Targa NZ winner Martin Dippie and co-driver Jona Grant from Dunedin in the first of the 2WD cars home, a current model Porsche 911 GT3 RS.
There was very little, however, in it between the BMW pairings of Aucklanders Jeremy Friar and Katrina Renshaw (BMW 330ti), their Hamilton-based alter-egos Mike Tubbs and Brook Walden (BMW M2), and Christchurch-based interlopers Andrew Oakley and Steve Hutchings (Audi RS5).
Friar and Oakley actually dead-heated for fourth quickest time through the first stage of the day on Sunday morning (the 20.4 km Waimarama one just outside Havelock North) and from that point on the Audi man was either quicker than either or both BMWs or splitting them to end up seventh overall, a little over a minute behind fifth placed Friar and Renshaw but just 31.9 seconds shy of Tubbs and Walden in sixth.
There were some new faces on the top step of the Classic 2WD podium this time, with dynamic Nelson duo Bruce Farley and Glen Warner (BMW E30) finally rounding up the Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 of Mark McCaughan and Lindsay Lyons down Middle Rd (the last stage of the event) to take Classic 2WD class honours.
The rescheduled Targa Hawke’s Bay tarmac motor rally was the first major New Zealand motorsport event run here since the Covid-19 lockdown was lifted with the roads lined two and three deep in some places with Hawke’s Bay locals keen to catch a piece of the action, having been starved of ‘live’ motorsport since late March.
The focus of Targa competitors and fans alike now turns to the annual five-day Targa NZ event which will again be run in the North Island between October 14-18.
Targa New Zealand events are organised by the Ultimate Rally Group with the support of sponsors AndrewSimms.co.nz, Chicane Racewear, Global Security, NZ Classic Car magazine, Race Brakes, Race4Life Trust, Racetech, TrackIt, Vital and Writeraze.
For more information go to www.targa.co.nz or check out the Targa NZ page on Facebook.
