TARGA: Subaru WRX STi is our car for TT30

The rarest automotive unicorns will be easier to find than a Tasmanian Tiger on the Apple Isle this week. In fact, you’ll be tripping over them.

The 30th anniversary of the iconic Targa Tasmania tarmac rally begins today. And it’s a record entry.

More than 480 entrants across the competition and touring segments make this Targa one of the world’s biggest motorsport events – if not THE biggest.

And carsales will be right among the front runners, with Editor-in-Chief Mike Sinclair driving a Subaru WRX STi in the super-competitive GT Production category alongside television star and racer Grant Denyer.

Sinclair and Denyer are in identical WRXs sponsored by the Dutton Group, which owns the Targa series.

“It was a late call-up for Grant and I, but I’m really excited to be lining up for my eighth Targa Tasmania. It’s especially exciting considering the event is celebrating its 30th anniversary,” said Sinclair.

“My co-driver Julia Barkley has won this event twice – so I have no excuses. But even results aside, this is undeniably one of the best motorsport events in the world. We’re competing on some of the greatest driving roads on this planet. It’s bucket list stuff.

“The great thing about Targa is that you enter the Tour section in your everyday road car without having to turn it into a race car and get to experience the essence of the rally without any of the competitive pressure.

“Or, like us, you can compete against the clock – and some of the best tarmac rally drivers in the country – for outright, or class, honours.

“And to do that, you can’t bring a knife to a gun fight.”

Sinclair’s Subie was built by WA-based Subaru specialist Maximum Motorsport, under the guidance of Australian rallying ace Dean Herridge.

While it doesn’t look like it from the outside, the car itself isn’t the same WRX STi model that is sold in Australian showrooms.

It starts life as a JDM competition-only version, which is a special model built specifically for motorsport homologation purposes and has less sound deadening material in the bodyshell to reduce weight.

Only a handful of these cars were ever imported into Australia and they can only be used for motorsport.

Unlike the road-going WRX STi which has a 2.5-litre boxer four-cylinder with a conventional turbo, the donor WRX is powered by a 2.0-litre engine with a twin-scroll turbocharger. Because Targa rules are so restrictive, the fundamental elements of the engine remain in showroom specification.

It does feature a hand-made dump pipe on the back of the turbo as well as a free-flowing (and loud!) exhaust system. It also is fitted with an EcuTek engine management system that allowed Maximum Motorsport to calibrate the engine for high-octane 98RON unleaded to optimise its performance and efficiency.

The EcuTek system also includes a 200km/h speed limiter – the maximum allowed under Targa rules.

“We are not chasing record power and torque numbers. Instead we’re chasing driveability and reliability,” Herridge said.

“These cars are built for a purpose, fast but predictable. It’s not designed to bite you in the ass if you’re not overdriving it.”

The DuttonOne WRX’s six-speed manual gearbox is standard except for having a heavy-duty clutch to handle the stresses of full-throttle fast starts at the beginning of each of the 30-plus stages that make up the #TT30 event.

The biggest differences are in the handling package, as the car is equipped with MCA coil-over dampers that can be adjusted for bump and rebound via external canisters.

It also has lightweight 18-inch alloy wheels that are fitted with Yokohama Advan A050 semi-slick tyres. A high-performance, unassisted AP Racing brake package with Pagid RS4-2 brake pads completes the major mechanical upgrades.

“Compliance is the key to making a fast car here at Targa because we’re driving on bumpy country roads, not a smooth racetrack,” said Herridge.

“The good thing about this car as it comes from the factory is it’s quite direct anyway, so once you get the overall balance sorted then you need to ride the bumps really well.

“A lot of the speed here comes from the driver’s confidence across a range of roads and conditions. This is more important than us spending two days tweaking the suspension to go faster at Symmons Plains [racetrack], because then the car would be darting and jumping all over the place [on the rally stages].”

With all the added performance, safety was also high priority in building the WRX STis for Targa competition.

Inside the cabin, the car is fitted with a full weld-in roll cage, lightweight carbon-fibre Sparco race seats, six-point OMP racing harnesses and an onboard fire suppression system.

“The Subaru WRX STi was born from rallying, and Dean and the Maximum Motorsport crew have done a brilliant job building these cars for Targa Tasmania,” said Sinclair.

“Typical for this time of year – and Targa – the weather looks like it will be changing all week. And that could play into our hands with all-wheel drive.

“Grant and I will certainly be giving it a good go. Hopefully we can put in some giant-killing performances and see where that gets us by the end of the week.

“No matter what happens, or where we finish, this year’s Targa Tasmania will be epic.”

Targa Tasmania begins today, April 26, in Launceston, and traverses almost the entire island state over five days of competition to finish in Hobart on Sunday afternoon.

Stay tuned to carsales for daily updates on the event and the performance of Denyer and Sinclair in the Dutton Group’s Subaru WRX STi duo.

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