[outback_ute]

Did anyone see the Targa NZ on the telly yesterday? I came across it by accident while flicking channels during the cricket lunch break and was quite happy I did.

Great flat-out action and a couple of big crashes. One was an Escort coming up to a notorious LH corner way too hot and ploughing off the road. The comment from the driver was "I thought ok, I'm going through the fence and into the paddock, but then I saw the large ditch..." The ditch was large enough to swallow the Escort whole!

Another drivers-are-optomists one was the guy who had rolled his BMW(?) 3 or 4 times ending up on its nose leaning against a bank on the side of the road (that's earth-type bank not money-type btw!) Anyway the driver said “well, the engine is not damaged so we’ll get it back and have a look at it and hopefully we can fix it overnight and be back in the race tomorrow” The voice-over said it all “Um, do you want to have a look over your shoulder (at the car)?” Certainly didn’t look as if it was any chance!

They have a few different regs in NZ, take for example the Mk 1 Escort with turbo Nissan engine, Toyota 5 speed and Falcon diff – 420lb/ft @ 4000rpm in less than a tonne. The driver’s comment was “people don’t give an old Escort a second look until they see the times”

 

[Ambrose_1]

is that the one where some old dunger holden rolls down a hill and gets wned:

 

[hoon69]

this wasa yesterday on CH 10 i watched it in full,was good to watch.

the bmw went down first then the esky got understeer went "oh well go straight" yeah right straight into the embankment of the creek bed,it was a VERY hard hit,you could hear em they were winded from that (so you would be) was some good action even a esky going air born over some garden and then the holden followed shortly after.


so yeah i watched it *winks*

 

[outback_ute]

The Escort over the garden was a classic, and veeeery lucky he didn't roll! For those who came in late he basically slid sideways off the road and into a heap of bushes, then the car went up on the branches about 3 feet and slid across the top, probably a couple of metres and down the other side onto the wheels and away.

 

[Aussie Falcon]

Yeh I caught the end of it. It was more entertaining than the Tasmania version. Was that blue BA Falcon a XR6T?

I thought one funny scene was that 17 year old kid who blew a couple of engines. His first replacement cost him ~$50 and came from a mates car. the next one cost him $600 to buy.

 

[outback_ute]

Yes it was an XR6T, apparently had also been in Targa Tassie.

 

[FordHawk]

I also flicked over and managed to see it, but only at the end which is a bit annoying. I did see a green XE/XF era falcon with a massive wing though. Didn't look to bad, and looked like it was flying!

 

[The Stylist]

Yes the XR6T was used in the Tasmania Targa and was raced in the NZ Targa by Steve Millen. It was good to watch over here in NZ as the rally came through the region where I live.

I was able to get to my favourite viewing points and watch the cars go past.