THE EVENT
Targa Tasmania is an exciting International motoring Classic. A tarmac car rally with competitive stages on closed roads for the best touring, sports and GT cars in the world. Its inaugural year was in April 1992 when Tasmania first hosted this distinguished motoring event.
The competition concept is drawn directly from the best features of the Mille Miglia, the Coupe des Alpes, and the Tour de Corse. However, Targa Tasmania is not a slow-motion re-run. It is a genuine ‘red-blooded’ motor sport competition. It is also a unique annual opportunity for the owners of sports cars and GTs to drive them the way they were designed to be driven, on some of the most exciting and challenging tarmac roads in the world.
Targa Tasmania has established itself as an annual event, conducted in April each year. The present format is to conduct the event over six days (including a Prologue), on some 2,000 kilometres of tarmac roads.
Targa Tasmania entrants comprise a wide range of media-attracting personalities including former World Champions and other well-known motor sport competitors from both Australia and overseas, as well as national and international celebrities.
Targa Tasmania caters for up to 300 select cars. Entries are selected from Applications to Compete, by a Vehicle Selection Committee, with the event broken into 6 core categories :-
a) Modern Comp (Competitive)
b) Classic Comp (Competitive)
c) Internationals (Competitive)
d) Vintage Rally (Competitive)
e) Rookie Rally (Competitive)
f) The Tour (Non-competitive)
For more information about this event, go and see –
http://www.targa.org.au/
The PROTAGONISTS
The Skipper
A 40something married man with a lovely wife and two stable, hard-working children. Of Australo-Slovenian extraction, raised in Melbourne Australia, and at the time of this writing based in Hong Kong. An Asia Regional Executive in information technology, his mind and body then honed to move at warp speed, sometimes without thought for that small animal directly in his path
The Nav
A 40something single man who owns a terrific 2003 BMW Mini Cooper - in British racing green livery - named ‘Monty’. A New Zealander of Gael – Anglo – Welsh extraction late of East Africa, also at the time of this writing based in HK. An Asia Regional Executive in food manufacturing, the Nav is a considered individual who takes tasks at the speed of an electric tram, invariably due to working in an industry where, if you get it wrong, you bury your customer
DAY 1
Right, straight off the Cathay Pacific flight direct from HK, through immigration and customs, onto the bus into town, and eventually got to the Melbourne hotel
Shown up to the room by the nice concierge, door bell rung, door flung open by an exasperated Skipper. Concierge paid off and given his marching orders, Skipper drags the Nav into the room, bangs door shut, and loudly chastises Nav for not sneaking up to the room, with massive loads of bags, to avoid questions from hotel staff about ‘2 men sharing a room’ or from USA employer questioning room invoice for ‘one extra person.
Bags dropped, uniforms dispensed about the place, then straight down to nice quiet hotel bar 'Tonic'. No but Skipper wants to go across to dodgey bogun sports bar in the casino. Find bar. Essendon v Footscray with everyone with pony tails - women bleached. VB, Guiness, Fosters? No sais Skipper, Carlton Draft ‘cos that’s what they drink in Victoria
Nav’s Melbourne based mate somehow finds us. 3 hours of man-talk, drinking pints of....Carlton Draft....Melbourne mate drinking low carb 'Pure Blonde' beer. Weave to casino exit 2am. Pass out 2.30am with Skipper rumbling 8.13am train - work backwards - 7.30 taxi - work backwards - full breakfast 6.45 - work backwards - shower 6.15 - work backwards - alarm set for 6
6 - alarm bangs off - Nav jumps out of bed in boxers - Skipper comatose snoring - Nav hits alarm - passes out - 6.15 repeat above - 6.30 repeat above - 6.45 repeat above - 7 "Oh sh*t!"
Shower, shave check out 7.30 - no breakfast - taxi 7.40 - station 7.50 - tickets coffee chicken wrap train - 8.13
What a disaster! Very sore head, stomach surging, train weaving....."Who ordered the bl**dy Carlton Draft!"
So day 2 commences....
Targa Tasmania is an exciting International motoring Classic. A tarmac car rally with competitive stages on closed roads for the best touring, sports and GT cars in the world. Its inaugural year was in April 1992 when Tasmania first hosted this distinguished motoring event.
The competition concept is drawn directly from the best features of the Mille Miglia, the Coupe des Alpes, and the Tour de Corse. However, Targa Tasmania is not a slow-motion re-run. It is a genuine ‘red-blooded’ motor sport competition. It is also a unique annual opportunity for the owners of sports cars and GTs to drive them the way they were designed to be driven, on some of the most exciting and challenging tarmac roads in the world.
Targa Tasmania has established itself as an annual event, conducted in April each year. The present format is to conduct the event over six days (including a Prologue), on some 2,000 kilometres of tarmac roads.
Targa Tasmania entrants comprise a wide range of media-attracting personalities including former World Champions and other well-known motor sport competitors from both Australia and overseas, as well as national and international celebrities.
Targa Tasmania caters for up to 300 select cars. Entries are selected from Applications to Compete, by a Vehicle Selection Committee, with the event broken into 6 core categories :-
a) Modern Comp (Competitive)
b) Classic Comp (Competitive)
c) Internationals (Competitive)
d) Vintage Rally (Competitive)
e) Rookie Rally (Competitive)
f) The Tour (Non-competitive)
For more information about this event, go and see –
http://www.targa.org.au/
The PROTAGONISTS
The Skipper
A 40something married man with a lovely wife and two stable, hard-working children. Of Australo-Slovenian extraction, raised in Melbourne Australia, and at the time of this writing based in Hong Kong. An Asia Regional Executive in information technology, his mind and body then honed to move at warp speed, sometimes without thought for that small animal directly in his path
The Nav
A 40something single man who owns a terrific 2003 BMW Mini Cooper - in British racing green livery - named ‘Monty’. A New Zealander of Gael – Anglo – Welsh extraction late of East Africa, also at the time of this writing based in HK. An Asia Regional Executive in food manufacturing, the Nav is a considered individual who takes tasks at the speed of an electric tram, invariably due to working in an industry where, if you get it wrong, you bury your customer
DAY 1
Right, straight off the Cathay Pacific flight direct from HK, through immigration and customs, onto the bus into town, and eventually got to the Melbourne hotel
Shown up to the room by the nice concierge, door bell rung, door flung open by an exasperated Skipper. Concierge paid off and given his marching orders, Skipper drags the Nav into the room, bangs door shut, and loudly chastises Nav for not sneaking up to the room, with massive loads of bags, to avoid questions from hotel staff about ‘2 men sharing a room’ or from USA employer questioning room invoice for ‘one extra person.
Bags dropped, uniforms dispensed about the place, then straight down to nice quiet hotel bar 'Tonic'. No but Skipper wants to go across to dodgey bogun sports bar in the casino. Find bar. Essendon v Footscray with everyone with pony tails - women bleached. VB, Guiness, Fosters? No sais Skipper, Carlton Draft ‘cos that’s what they drink in Victoria
Nav’s Melbourne based mate somehow finds us. 3 hours of man-talk, drinking pints of....Carlton Draft....Melbourne mate drinking low carb 'Pure Blonde' beer. Weave to casino exit 2am. Pass out 2.30am with Skipper rumbling 8.13am train - work backwards - 7.30 taxi - work backwards - full breakfast 6.45 - work backwards - shower 6.15 - work backwards - alarm set for 6
6 - alarm bangs off - Nav jumps out of bed in boxers - Skipper comatose snoring - Nav hits alarm - passes out - 6.15 repeat above - 6.30 repeat above - 6.45 repeat above - 7 "Oh sh*t!"
Shower, shave check out 7.30 - no breakfast - taxi 7.40 - station 7.50 - tickets coffee chicken wrap train - 8.13
What a disaster! Very sore head, stomach surging, train weaving....."Who ordered the bl**dy Carlton Draft!"
So day 2 commences....
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