TMR SCOOPS TARGA TROPHIES
TMR Performance Lancer Evolutions have taken out the double at Targa Tasmania 2011, winning the 2011 TMR 4WD Showroom third round, and also the 2011 4WD Showroom Australian Targa Championship.
Showing its force in tarmac rallying, TMR Performance was supporting 12 cars at this year’s Targa Tasmania, spread amongst the Showroom and Modern classes.
Scott Millar and Christopher Dean claimed the round victory at the 2011 Targa Tasmania for the TMR Performance 4WD Showroom class, beating 2009/2010’s winner Tony Warren by a solid 6min:21sec in their Hyperactive Designs Evo X RS.
Proving consistency is just as important as speed, Millar was battling for second place with fellow TMR Evo X RS runner Matthew Heskin, but it took until stage 26, Cethana, for Millar to move into the lead.
The class-leading Evolution IX RS of Tony Warren failed to start the stage due to an ECU-related problem and missed the following two stages, dropping him way down the order, while Millar’s other rival, Heskin, coincidentally crashed on the same Cethana stage, handing Millar the lead by a comfortable 6 minutes.
While both Warren and Heskin rejoined the field, albeit with time penalties, Millar played it safe and ensured a safe and risk-free finish, assuring himself of the TMR Performance 4WD Showroom win at the 20th running of Targa Tasmania.
The Championship crown went to another TMR Evolution X of Greg and Rhonda Burrowes. Consistent throughout the three-round championship, the husband and wife pairing closed out their championship with a solid 5th at Targa Tasmania, the double-points round, to back up their 4th and 5th at Targa High Country and Targa Wrest Point respectively. Millar’s two victories (Targa Tas and Wrest Point) just weren’t enough to overcome his round one DNF at Targa High Country.
In the Modern outright category, the Hankook Evo X RS of Dean Evans and Toni Feaver made a charge for the podium, swapping times with the established stars of tarmac rallying, and moved from 12th in prologue, up to 11th, 8th, 5th and then 4th over the subsequent days. The Evo X was holding off the STi of two-time Targa winner Tony Sullens and Bathurst 1000 winner Tony Longhurst until the first stage of the final day, when a sudden and crippling electrical problem cruelly put them out of the event with just five stages to run.
Max Williams Evo X SST was threatening the top 10, the previous problems of the dual-clutch gearbox now sorted, even winning the Hellyer Gorge stage outright, aided somewhat by some fortuitously timed rain. Though suffering a small engine oil leak that was easily fixed that dropped him down the order, Williams was putting in some very strong outright times.
For more info on how you can join in the action of tarmac rallying, contact TMR Performance.
