Targa team thanks

Tasmania is possessed of some of the best roads in Australia. Some might say some of the best on the planet. Who are we to argue? Suffice it to say, even without a Tasmanian Nicolae Ceausescu on hand to build a super road to nowhere (refer the Top Gear trio's idea of the best road in the world), the organisers of Targa aren't going to run out of tarmac raw material any time soon.

But as good as the roads are, it's not the bitumen that makes Targa the memorable event it has become; nor the cars... It's the people.

Targa is unique in Australian motorsport in the way it affects a large proportion of the local population. From the mums, dads and kids that camp out at their front gate in pouring rain to watch the entrants zoom by, to the volunteers that work all hours for weeks in the lead up to the event; from the school kids that cheer the cars on their way through each town, to the service clubs that feed the travelling circus... And then there's the 1000-plus crew members -- drivers, co-drivers, service crews and cheer squads.

The interaction between event, the crews and populace is in the main positive. From the top pollies to the Police to the man in the street, there's more locals in favour of Targa than ag'in it. It's a status quo the organisers don't take for granted, however. They are keenly aware that the access to Tasmania's roads is a privilege only granted with local populations' support and local authorities' permissions.

Team Targa works hard to maintain positive relations on the Apple Isle and later this year will take the same ethos to the mainland for first time in the shape of the Targa High Country based around the Victorian high country town Mansfield and nearby Mt Buller.

It's to this group of committed rally tragics, Octagon's Targa team headed by Mark Perry, Stuart Benson and Helen Coad, that co-driver Justin Hunt and yours truly extend our first official 'thank you'.

Perry has breathed new blood into Targa since he took over the event in 2007. It's a much more efficient event and one that is keen to attract new manufacturers -- just like Skoda. We're convinced that next year's 20th anniversary Targa will be the best ever. Stay tuned, because Octagon has some extra surprises in store in 2011.

Closer to home, Team Skoda Carsales has a number of other people and organisations to thank. Without them we wouldn't have fronted the starter, let alone have experienced our trouble-free run and none-too-shabby result.

Thus, in no particular order, we tip our lids to:

  • The team at FabRAIcations that built a work of art inside the Octavia RS-P that the unimaginative call a rollcage;

  • John Taylor, Rhett and co at Decently Exposed for the graphics and wrap that turned the RS-P into one of the most instantly recognisable cars at Targa 2010;

  • Bayford Group, including the Camberwell Volkswagen's service team who at boss Carlo Di Campli's prompting, were able to drop everything and help us fire up the RS-P after its record three-week build. Thanks too to Elvis for invaluable advice.

  • Steve and the crew at Adventure cams, who made it possible to record our in-car antics via their GoPro and POV camera systems.

  • Rik Sloane from Rik Sloane Cycles, who allowed us to bolt his brand new Bianchis to the roof of the RS-P for our George Town stunt

  • The Team at Skoda Australia headed by Matthew Wiesner and Oliver Peagam who were mad enough to understand our ramblings about taking an Octavia to Targa in the first place.

  • And of course, our own Carsales team that worked hard to get our videos and stories online in the face of comms difficulties that we struck. Seriously how anybody does business on the move in Tassie has me stumped...

But our heartiest thanks must be reserved for our car builder and on-event service team, Performance Parts and Engineering.

After first discussing a 'Skoda to Targa' adventure in late 2009, by the time we were able to finally give PPE the go-ahead to build our RS-P for Targa, the start date for the event was less than 25 working days away. Anybody else would have laughed at us, yet around a table at PPE's Hallam (Vic) headquarters there were no histrionics or grandstanding -- they just got down to it. People were working on the car before we left the building -- well, almost!

The small team that pulled off the build was headed by Craig Tulloch -- at Targa Craig was again in the hot seat and didn't let us down. Though just 30 years of age, Tulloch shows knowledge and composure beyond his years. He's thorough and confident -- traits that instill confidence when it's you behind the wheel.

Targa is as much a battle of logistics and organisation -- service crews have to juggle road closures and often the need to be in two places at once. Craig and helper David Barclay were exactly where they said they would be every time, with a smile on their faces, ready to jump into action if necessary.

Tulloch's a very capable operator, but then he's had good mentors. As PPE is a sister company to Team Mitsubishi Ralliart, he's worked under TMR's Pete West for almost five years. In that role, though they wore a different car company's uniform throughout the event, we must also extend our thanks .

We're eager to work with the guys again. And with a decent result already under our belt, who knows, that could just happen...

Contacts:

Decently Exposed
Tel: 03 9827 7033
Fax: 03 9827 7344
www.DecentlyExposed.com.au

Adventure Cams
Tel: 1300 115 007
Fax: 08 9397 5687
www.AdventureCamsHQ.com.au

Skoda Australia
www.Skoda.com.au

Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at www.carsales.mobi.