HDT Big Banger crashes into Big Tree

The HDT Big Banger replica race car driven by Holden dealers Paul Davies and Mike Kennedy was being repaired overnight after a crash in the final kilometre of the second-last stage of Day One of Targa Tasmania 2010 (Wednesday April 28).

The Holden Commodore VE sedan, with its day-glow colour-scheme a modern replica of the 1984 VK "Big Banger" Bathurst race car, was fifth in its class until running wide in a corner and hitting a tree, damaging the steering and front bodywork.

Nine cars went off on the same slippery stage, including at least one other on the same corner.

"It didn't feel like we were going too fast but clearly we must have been," driver Davies told the Carsales Network.

"Despite the wet road we had plenty of grip up until that point so I'm not sure what went wrong."

The incident occurred on the seventh of the day's eight stages, known as Sheffield, in the final kilometre of the 15km leg. The team initially thought the damage was minor and attempted to limp the car back to the service point. But the steering arm broke about 30km into the journey home and the car was then towed to its place of repair.

"We've damaged the left front guard, steering arm and some bodywork, including pinching the door," Davis said. "It also has bent the windscreen pillar a little so we're trying to fix that and get a new windscreen put in it."

It was Davies' second incident in Targa Tasmania in two years; he crashed out last year on day three while driving the same vehicle.

The Davies-Kennedy Commodore, powered by a 7.0-litre V8, was expected to rejoin the event on Friday morning after being repaired today (Thursday April 29).

Meanwhile, the second HDT Big Banger entry, a 6.0-litre V8 Holden Commodore driven by Perth-based Todd Zani and Lisa Knapp, finished the first day unscathed after their vehicle experienced tailshaft problems during the shakedown in the lead-up to the event. "The car is running really well, very happy," Zani said.

At the end of day one, the event was being led by the Lamborghini driven by Jason and John White ahead of the Mazda RX8 SP driven by Steve Glenney.

Eight-time Targa Tasmania winners Jim Richards and Barry Oliver in a Porsche 911 GT3 RS were outside the top 10 behind showroom class campaigner Dean Evans and Simone Bachmann in a Mitsubishi Evo X.

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