2005 East Coast Targa

[n b j]

Hi all,

some of you know about and some of you have competed in this great event.

What the East Coast Targa needs URGENTLY is entrants for this year.

please visit http://www.eastcoasttarga.com.au/ for info about the event and registration.

In summary it is the ONLY Closed road (yes closed raod) Tarmac rally in NSW. It is a similar event to the Targa Tasmania. There are about 14 or more closed road special stages every day, as well as laps at Eastern Creek, Oran park and Sections over 3 days on Mount Panorama.

It is a great event and is open to all cars, both classic and modern across many diffrent classes. There have been numerous froggies (mainly pugs and Rens) over the last few years.

Now is the time to stop beating around the bush and get out and drive your froggie like it was meant to be driven! And experience the best tarmac roads in NSW at racing speed!

call 02 9436 4566 for the event office and ask for more info or email: info@eastcoasttarga.com.au

I Hope to see some AussieFroggers in the event this year. This will be my 5th year competing and it is the best event available in NSW.
:drivin:

 

[n b j]

just to add.

This year there is a 604 running (he runs every year and is a member of this forum) and also a 306 GTi6

would be great to see some other froggies. 2 years ago a Renault5 Turbo ran in the event. I believe people in this forum knew the driver of that car. I won't say more about that, and a 504 ran a few years back.

206Gti 180's and Citroen Xaras and Renult Clio Sport's would be suited prfectly to the modern category What am I saying! Any french car would be perfectly suited to the event!

 

[Dijon16]

Verrry interesting. Not a widely known event, perhaps it deserves a bit more of a mention.

However, their entry list needs a bit of correction. In the Challenge category:

Thorpe Mark NSW Peugeot 604 1968 Classic

About 10 years too early I would say.

Dijon

 

[MR604]

Bathurst council isnt supporting the event this year, IMO is a stupid decision.


A few residents out of town have been kicking up a stink about the Targa. Winging about the roads being closed etc.

Its good to see the event is going ahead.

 

[n b j]

Yeah it is a shame especially considering that bathurst council typically support motorsport, being the home of Mount Panorama, etc...

The NSW Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreaion are now supporting the event. So I guess that is good news. It's just a shame the usual street fairs and show and tell of cars in the streets of bathurst won't happen this year.

 

[U Turn]

Very curious as to why the entry fee is almost 6 grand Say there are around a 100 entrants, what would contribute significantly to the organiser's cost being in the tune of more than half a million dollars? Especially since they have a few sponsors to the event, not to mention sale of merchandise and Channel 10 would also surely pay for screening rights.

 

[gti138]

not to mention sale of merchandise and Channel 10 would also surely pay for screening rights.

You would be supprised - I have read/heard somewhere that events like this (include things like the Classic Adelaide etc) actually pay for the tv coverage. Not sure if they pay the production companies and then the network or not though!

 

[n b j]

yes the event has more then double in price this year to some previous years.

Last years event was televised on Channel 10, but I am not sure about this year. And yes, you pay the production company but not the station, I don't think channel 10 paid much if any to televise the event.

I guess the reason the event was stuglling for entries is due to the massive price hike. Our team was very close to pulling out of the event too. If it goes up at all next year we won't compete.

 

[U Turn]

Thanks.

Yeah I can understand having to pay for production, but would have thought the tv station would be paying a half decent amount. I guess everything comes down to ratings and just because I'll try and watch it doesn't mean all those others with no taste (aka 'those who watch Oprah') would do the same.

What we really need is some rich car-crazy generous bugger like Lord March in the UK who hosts the Festival of Speed at his manor where participant and spectator tickets go for (what I'm told by mates in the UK) reasonable prices.

 

[casnell]

yes the event has more then double in price this year to some previous years.

Last years event was televised on Channel 10, but I am not sure about this year. And yes, you pay the production company but not the station, I don't think channel 10 paid much if any to televise the event.

I guess the reason the event was stuglling for entries is due to the massive price hike. Our team was very close to pulling out of the event too. If it goes up at all next year we won't compete.

I really don't understand some of the entry fees eg East Coast Targa, Targa Tassie, round $6000;- Rally Of Canberra(international event, not that many entries) $1000 ! one-sixth!, most ARC's less than $2000...

 

[GRAHAM WALLIS]

You would be supprised - I have read/heard somewhere that events like this (include things like the Classic Adelaide etc) actually pay for the tv coverage. Not sure if they pay the production companies and then the network or not though!

Yes, CAMS pays for its ARC coverage. I asked the ARCOM chairman when would Channel 10 start paying them, he didn't have any ideas but surely 10 must pay for the V8 Supercars.
Yes, I find the prices for bitumen rallies to be over the top. Another thing is that the risk factor is much greater for this type of event and the deaths and injuries that have occurred have led to ever greater restrictions placed on all rallies right down to club level. I and many others would have been a lot happier if Targa Tas had never been thought of.
The reason they exist is that there are plenty of well heeled car collectors who don't want to risk their investments on the dirt but are happy to spend a fortune to enter these events.
Graham

 

[casnell]

Yes, CAMS pays for its ARC coverage. I asked the ARCOM chairman when would Channel 10 start paying them, he didn't have any ideas but surely 10 must pay for the V8 Supercars.
Yes, I find the prices for bitumen rallies to be over the top. Another thing is that the risk factor is much greater for this type of event and the deaths and injuries that have occurred have led to ever greater restrictions placed on all rallies right down to club level. I and many others would have been a lot happier if Targa Tas had never been thought of.
The reason they exist is that there are plenty of well heeled car collectors who don't want to risk their investments on the dirt but are happy to spend a fortune to enter these events.
Graham

I think you're spot-on, it comes down to perceived risk- that gravel is all slippery and dangerous, but I'm safe driving my Porsche at 250ks in Targa cos it's on nice familiar bitumen...and if you can aford a GT3 you can afford $6k entry and all the FIA safety stuff and an international licence...

 

[matt306]

The GTi-6 mentioned in the second post of this thread is also a member of this forum. I was competing with my Dad as co-driver - sharing the driving throughout the event.

We had a blast and ended up 3rd in class (of 25 or 30) behind a Porsche 996 Turbo and a Ferrari F355. Many people were very encouraging of a car that is clearly not in the same class as the leaders, which was still running right up near the front (the aim of this class was not outright speed - although it definitely helps...) Take a look at the modern challenge category in the results section of the targa website.

Unfortunately the 604 also entered had an early end to his event on the 3rd day (I think he was running 3rd in class at the time) when he spectacularly lept off the road into some trees. I heard crew are fine, but the car left on a truck.

I'm not sure if N B J owns the Porsche in his avatar. Assuming he does, he won the Classic Challenge class. I think this may be the 3rd or 4th year in a row he's won that class.

 

[MR604]

The GTi-6 mentioned in the second post of this thread is also a member of this forum. I was competing with my Dad as co-driver - sharing the driving throughout the event.

We had a blast and ended up 3rd in class (of 25 or 30) behind a Porsche 996 Turbo and a Ferrari F355. Many people were very encouraging of a car that is clearly not in the same class as the leaders, which was still running right up near the front (the aim of this class was not outright speed - although it definitely helps...) Take a look at the modern challenge category in the results section of the targa website.

Unfortunately the 604 also entered had an early end to his event on the 3rd day (I think he was running 3rd in class at the time) when he spectacularly lept off the road into some trees. I hear crew are fine, but the car left on a truck.

Congratulations on doing so well. There was a mention of your result in the local paper.

Shame to hear about the 604

 

[n b j]

I'm not sure if N B J owns the Porsche in his avatar. Assuming he does, he won the Classic Challenge class. I think this may be the 3rd or 4th year in a row he's won that class.

No it's my dad's car, but I do the driving (well 90% of it atleast)

we were up until the last day well and truley leading our class, and we were not far behind the F355 Ferrari's times in the Modern class (if we were included in modern category we would have sat in 3rd place, just infront of the GTi6)

However on the last day we were penalised a full 2:00 minutes which put a Massive dent in our overall lead, although even with the 2 min penalty we finished 1st in our class.

Apparently up the top of Mount Panorama, there is speed restriction which my navigator didn't tell me about. To make the target time I was not holding back at all over the cutting and apparently was doing 175km/h through the speed trap where the top speed was meant to be no more then 130km/h or something to that effect. Anyway, we are happy with our class win, but anoyed with the 2min penalty, but hey that's racing!

Well done on finishing 3rd in the GTi6!! :headbang: Gaynor and Colin Bond don't hold back in that Ferrari, and the extra horse power and speed really help on a few of those short special stages, it's great to see alittle pug keep up. We actually beat them the year before last when the modern and classic were all merged into one. It was so much fun battling a new ferrari in our humble 1973 Porsche for 4 days and beating them on the last day with just a 5 second margin

 

[matt306]

Apparently up the top of Mount Panorama, there is speed restriction which my navigator didn't tell me about. To make the target time I was not holding back at all over the cutting and apparently was doing 175km/h through the speed trap where the top speed was meant to be no more then 130km/h or something to that effect. Anyway, we are happy with our class win, but anoyed with the 2min penalty, but hey that's racing!
QUOTE]

I think we were one of only 5 crews not to cop a penalty from that speed trap. We still arrived 1sec early after slowing down under the bridge. We had a WRX STi just 3 seconds behind us before he received 2 mins penalty from the same trap.

 

[n b j]

Apparently up the top of Mount Panorama, there is speed restriction which my navigator didn't tell me about. To make the target time I was not holding back at all over the cutting and apparently was doing 175km/h through the speed trap where the top speed was meant to be no more then 130km/h or something to that effect. Anyway, we are happy with our class win, but anoyed with the 2min penalty, but hey that's racing!
QUOTE]

I think we were one of only 5 crews not to cop a penalty from that speed trap. We still arrived 1sec early after slowing down under the bridge. We had a WRX STi just 3 seconds behind us before he received 2 mins penalty from the same trap.

yeah that speed trap was a bumber. 2:00 mins is a massive penalty

Still it didn't change the result for us in our class, so I guess it doens't matter that much, it was worth it giving the crowds up the top of Mt Panorama a bit of a show, getting a couple of wheels off the ground through some of those esses I was amazed at how many spectators there were up the top of the mountain.

We were way ahead at the chase too, and had to slow and go back to 1st gear for about 10-12 seconds approaching the bridge we still got dinged for 2 seconds early hehehe

 

[matt306]

Still it didn't change the result for us in our class, so I guess it doens't matter that much, it was worth it giving the crowds up the top of Mt Panorama a bit of a show, getting a couple of wheels off the ground through some of those esses I was amazed at how many spectators there were up the top of the mountain.

We were fairly steady across the top, but managed to get the adrenalin going by 4 wheel drifting through the dipper. Sitting on 125 on the straights was painful.

I don't think we were ever in with a chance of beating the leaders, we just drop far to much time on the stages where no car can match the target times.

That's an awesome looking Porsche you guys run. It's great to see the older cars matching (and beating) the newer stuff. You must have loved it when the classes were combined heading in with underdog status and winning!

 

[U Turn]

Awesome thread, go the gti6! I'm sure it helps that you're also a good driver Matt. Is the car modified in any way?

 

[matt306]

Awesome thread, go the gti6! I'm sure it helps that you're also a good driver Matt. Is the car modified in any way?

I have much to learn before I'd be classified as a good driver. I'm trying though!

The car has a Magnex exhaust from the cat back, polyurethane lower control arm bushes on the front and continental conticompetition C1 tyres. Other than that it's exactly as it left the factory!

Must say the tyres make a massive difference, the other 2 mods wouldn't have changed things too much.