TARGA: DAY 1 - It's White-hot at the top

Tasmanian duo Jason and John White have assumed their usual position… up-front at the end of Day One action at Targa Tasmania.

Their Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo Stradale (aka ‘Superalphabet’) has a 20-second lead over the rapid Nissan R35 GT-R of Glenney/Webb, with Close/Close slotting into third place, their Audi TT RS finishing 58 seconds off the leaders.

The battle is tighter in Classic Outright competition, with six-time winners Broadbent/Batten currently second in their 1974 Porsche 911 RS, trailing the spectacular 1976 Holden Torana A9X of O’Keefe/Winton-Monet.

The Torana took an early lead, but Broadbent closed the gap through the afternoon, reducing an initial 25-second lead to a mere four seconds. The other A9X of Garwood/Allen is third after the Cardinaels/Page Datsun 240Z struck mechanical trouble.

In Early Modern only one second separates two combatants, the Pritchard/Mourant 2003 Porsche 911 GT3 RS just ahead of the impressive, rear-drive Manion/Roach 1990 Nissan Skyline GTS-t. Another R32 Nissan, the (deep breath) ATTKD Select R SP of Thatcher/Handley, is third -- 43 seconds off the pace.

In the burgeoning Showroom category Renault Meganes are dominating, the Spence/Kelly RS 250 holding a 25-second lead from Team motoring.com.au Renault Sport Australia’s Grant Denyer/Dale Moscatt, with the other team car of Mike Sinclair/Bill Hayes 46 seconds off the lead.

Showroom 4WD sees the Millar/Dean Mitsubishi Evo X leading the Kennard/Wheeler Subaru Impreza WRX STi by some 39 seconds. The Newman/Lewis STi is 51 seconds behind in third.

The Showroom Sports category saw the Dean/Quigley Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 set the pace with several stage wins, however, issues on the Nook stage in the morning saw the crew lose more than 20 minutes to the Ford/Maher Chevrolet Corvette Z06.

Unfortunately the 1938 Dodge -- the only entry in the Vintage category -- failed to set a stage time today.

Thursday’s Leg Two takes in the incredibly varied roads of Tasmania’s North East, with a morning run through Rossarden and the famed Elephant Pass before a lunch-stop in the coastal town of St Helens.

From there crews pass through dairy country, the challenge peaking with a run through The Sideling before a relaxed transport back to the Longford Town Stage.

* The team at motoring.com.au wish to express their sincerest condolences to the family and friends of the driver who passed away at Targa this morning.

Latest rally news from Targa Tasmania 2013 at motoring.com.au

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