Keeping the Mazda honest

The Team Skoda carsales Octavia RS, driven by carsales editor-in-chief Mike Sinclair is still keeping the class-leading Mazda3 MPS honest.

The Skoda remains second in the two-wheel drive Showroom category after Leg Two of Targa Tasmania; behind pro rally driver Brendan Reeves but well ahead of the next car.

The hatchback Mazda, which has more power than the Skoda wagon, will be hard to catch but every day the Octavia RS gets quicker as the team fine-tunes the chassis.

Leg Two's racing included two of the most iconic stages on Targa -- The Sideling and Elephant Pass -- and Sinclair pushed hard, giving co-driver Bill Hayes the odd fright. But the car returned to rally HQ at Launceston's Silverdome without a scratch.

"We did okay and were a lot quicker than last year but we have a car in front of us going even faster and, of course, that's Brendan Reeves in the Mazda," Sinclair said.

"But the Skoda didn't miss a beat and we've managed to sort the handling balance between the front and rear and the car is steering better. Leg Three's longer stages will suit the Skoda even better so I'm looking forward to them."

Hayes was also encouraged by the car's performance for Leg Two.

"The stages were a lot more technical than yesterday but we pushed really hard all day and Mike was definitely in the groove, enjoying the changes we've made to the car," Hayes said.

"We had a couple of interesting moments when I was really glad we had the bigger brakes on but Mike managed to keep it on the tarmac."

Targa entrants are only allowed six tyres for the event and managing tyre wear is critical for performance. The rough Tasmanian tarmac is giving a lot of competitors, including the Octavia RS crew, cause for concern.

"Tyre wear is becoming an issue for everyone," Hayes confirmed.

"The Skoda is front-wheel drive and the front of the car works the tyres pretty hard so we're just having to manage that a little bit."

Friday's Leg Three is from Launceston to Devonport and back, and includes eight stages.

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