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Targa Tasmania 2009: Drama Filled Day 3 for Nissan GT-R Pilots
Day three of Targa Tasmania 2009 was a troublesome one for three of the five Nissan GT-R teams as they battled in early wet conditions. First incident of the day involved Team Donut King’s GT-R driven by Tony Alford when they had an off around 11am on TS19. Front damage included a cracked radiator so he pulled out of the event.
Next was the sad news that Steve Jones, the young Western Australian who had been maintaining a solid top 5 position on days 1 and 2 had also had a more serious off on TS21. Steve was taken to hospital for observation but co-driver Rauri is OK. The car is damaged but witnesses said it could have been worse.
Thirdly, Russel Newman’s GT-R was seen exiting TS20 driving quite slowly. Mechanical dramas may have befallen them but we cannot say for sure. Chances are they will investigate the issue overnight and assess if they will continue in the morning. Fingers crossed.
Tony Quinn who began the day in first position on the other hand, had another top day of racing. No serious troubles except for the serious competition from the Lamborghini teams of Weeks/Crunkhorn (1st) and White/White (2nd) both in 2007 Gallardo Superleggeras. Tony, in third place, is only 4 seconds behind the leader and just 1 second behind 2nd place however as the competition this year is extremely close.
Peter Leemhuis in the second Team Donut King Nissan GT-R had a solid day finishing in 14th spot for day three.
Jim Richards who is always a favourite was also not immune to the dramas that befell teams today. After seemingly misjudging the surface conditions of a second gear corner, not expecting so much loose debris to be on the tarmac, he parked the nose of his Porsche GT2 into an embankment. This was enough to hole the radiator and end the event for him. Jim is in good spirits though even considering this is the first stage of a Targa Tasmania he’s ever entered but not finished.
Two more days of competitive racing ahead, weather is expected to be fine for both of them. Stay tuned for more updates and check out the entire press release from Targa Tasmania 2009 after the jump…
Link: Targa Tasmania 2009 Website – Results
Link: Targa Tasmania – News Website
Photos: Joel Strickland (C) Joel Strickland Photographics
Targa Tasmania 2009: Nissan GT-R Outright Leader for Day 2 in Fine Conditions
An extremely close day of racing sees the VIP Petfoods Nissan GT-R of Tony Quinn and Naomi Tillet maintaining their lead over the field. Equal first / second has had one Lamborghini exchanged for another as the 2007 Gallardo of Kevin weeks has overtaken Jim Richards (Porsche GT2) and the Whites (Gallardo Superleggera) to end the day on par with the GT-R overall.
“I think it’s good for the event that it’s so close. There’s some good cars, some good drivers and a few surprises. The Skelta didn’t last and (last year’s winner, Steve) Glenney is nowhere to be seen.
“It’s the old troopers up the front who are pumping out times that are much quicker than last year. We all made it through and we’re ready to fight another day.”
– Tony Quinn
The top five contenders are within 21 seconds of each other including the fifth place Fabcar Nissan GT-R driven by Western Australian Steven Jones. He’s more than 30 seconds in front of sixth place but just 5 seconds behind 4th so has real potential to move up the ranks.
“We’re doing pretty good. The roads today are very bumpy compared to what I’m used to in WA, particularly in the middle of the corners. The car is just a little bit too low, we just need to adjust the suspension bit and make it suit the bumpier conditions in Tasmania. We’re just trying to keep on the road at moment, as there’s still a long way to go. I’m still getting used to it all. I’m happy with where I am and knew the front runners would go quickly, but I can’t let them get away too much if I want to stay in contention. Because this is my first Targa a lot of it is unknown and I don’t know what to expect next.”
– Steve Jones
Russel Newman is doing better today in his RGM Maintenance Nissan GT-R and has moved his way up to end 7 places better than yesterday for 13th spot in leg 2.
Team Donut King were penalised heavily on day two. Each scoring 20 minute penalties that pushed them right to the back of the pack. Minus the penalties Tony Alford would currently be in 12th place and Peter Leemhuis in about 18th. Instead these guys are towards the end of the field.
Day 3 of the Targa will be wet as it rained in Launceston overnight so the GT-Rs may now begin to really shine. Either way day 3 will be exciting indeed.
Targa Tasmania news release after the jump…
Link: Targa Tasmania 2009 Website – Results
Link: Targa Tasmania – News Website
Targa Tasmania 2009: Nissan GT-R Leading the Pack for Day 1
Leg 1 and day 1 of competitive racing for Targa Tasmania 2009 is completed and the results have been tallied and at the end of day 1 the GT-R is king. A fantastic opening day for the the VIP Petfoods Nissan GT-R driven by Tony Quinn as he takes the outright lead 6 seconds in front of the White’s Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera which trails in second.
“The day has been fantastic. Our strategy was to keep with the leaders until the rain comes, and then to see what we can do. If we are within cooee of the leaders, or about 20-25 seconds behind, we’ll be fine, hard to beat. If it doesn’t rain, we’ll just have to press a bit harder.”
– Tony Quinn
He’s managed more than that, in the dry conditions he’s shown the epic Porsche GT2 driven by legend Jim Richards why he should get back into a Nissan after campaigning in the Porsche for too long.
Steve Jones in the Fabcar Nissan GT-R is doing great as well managing 5th position at the end of day one at one stage being equal fourth at the end of TS7.
Tony Alford is also a strong contender in 12th position overall. Peter Leemhuis is in 18th and Russel Newman rounds out the GT-Rs in 20th place.
The racing continues tomorrow as the weather turns colder and, probably, wetter. Showers are expected and even anticipated by the AWD Nissan pilots. Things could get very interesting very quickly.
Update: Photos from day 1 added courtesy of Joel Strickland
Link: Targa Tasmania 2009 Website – Results
Link: Targa Tasmania – News Website
Photos: Joel Strickland (C) Joel Strickland Photographics
Targa Tasmania 2009: Prologue Results and Photos
Targa Tasmania 2009 Prologue wrapped up yesterday and the Nissan GT-Rs put up a fight. Many competitors used this leg to bed in new brake pads for the legs to come.
No problems were found by the teams fielding Nissan GT-Rs and overall a good day was had by all.
Steve Jones in his GT-R finished 4th in the overall surrounded by 911 GT2s and Lamorghini Superleggeras. Jim Richards in his Porsche 911 GT2 took the outright win in this leg.
Today the serious racing begins so we’re keen to begin to see the results roll in.
Video and news release from yesterday after the jump and expect more updates later today.
Nissan GT-R Results – Temco Prologue
- 4th – Jones – Nissan GT-R
- 7th – Quinn – Nissan GT-R
- 9th – Alford – Nissan GT-R
- 13th – Leemhuis – Nissan GT-R
- 29th – Newman – Nissan GT-R
Photos: Joel Strickland (C) Joel Strickland Photographics
Targa Tasmania 2009: Nissan GT-R Entry Preview
Well motorsports fans it’s that time of year again, the weather is getting colder and Formula one is heating up, yep it is Targa Tasmania time.
Last year we saw only one R35 Nissan GT-R entered but this year sees that upped to 5 competing in the event. There is a wide variety of experience amongst the field of R35 drivers.
First we have the Russell Newman and Chris Murphy 2008 Nissan GT-R. Newman competed in last year’s Tasmanian Tarmac Challenge and has competed in Dutton Rally events. With 12 months under his belt with the car Newman will be interesting to watch.
Next are Tony Quinn and Naomi Tillett driving another 2008 Nissan GT-R. Quinn is coming off a fantastic start to the year with a 2nd place in Targa Wrest Point and outright victory at Rally Tasmania a few weeks later, they will be challenging for another win.
Tony Alford and Karl Farmer in their 2007 Nissan GT-R, part of Donut King racing team. Alford competed in last years event but had suspension problems and retired from the event, he has also competed in last years Tasmanian Tarmac Challenge and both Targa Wrest Point and Rally Tasmania earlier this year. In all those events he was running top 10 and top 5 times. He will be one to watch especially if it gets wet.
Peter Leemhuis and Ben Fitzsimons with another 2008 Nissan GT-R. Leemhuis has competed in only Targa Tasmania in 2008 and Targa Wrest Point this year, unfortunately the Wrest Point event ended early for him down a embankment. The car has been repaired and he is back for this event.
Steven Jones and Ruari Soutar-Dawson in a 2007 Nissan GT-R is the dark horse for this event. After winning Targa West this year on his 3rd attempt, and thus giving the new R35 Nissan GT-R its first motorsports win in Australia, he is favorite for the event. Jones has put a lot of time and effort into his pace notes and is expected to be in the top 10 from the start.
As usual GTRBlog will be covering the results with photos daily, stay tuned for more action from the Targa Tasmania 2009 as it happens this week.
Link: Targa Tasmania Website
Rally Tasmania 2009: Nissan GT-R Victorious!
Tony Quinn and Jim Richards again challenged each other on the final day of Rally Tasmania 2009 but Quinn and his GT-R proved too much for the Porsche GT2 and was able to beat it in 5 out of the final 6 stages.
On the penultimate stage Quinn’s lead was just 4.6 seconds but he opened the taps on the final stage to finish 14.4 seconds ahead of second place Jim Richards.
Tony Quinn and co-driver Naomi Tillet’s victory make this the second Australian tarmac rally win for the Nissan R35 GT-R after Steven Jones’ victory at Quit Targa West in September.
“It’s great to win a fantastic event,
“We had to push really hard today to keep Jim (Richards) at bay, but we managed to bring it home.
“We have not had any problems all weekend. The car has been terrific, and will only get better if it is wet in future events.”
– Tony Quinn
Tony Alford and Kelley Handley also finished strongly maintaining their fifth position just 3 minutes 44 seconds behind the race leader.
This year was an extremely close finish but the GT-R is really beginning to show it’s ability in the tarmac rally sport. Tony Quinn is right on the money when he mentions that the competition better look out if it’s wet. Targa Tasmania is coming up fast and any slippery conditions may upset the rear-wheel drive GT2 crews.
Congratulations to the VIP Petfoods and Donut King Racing teams for bringing home these great results!
Don’t forget to check out our photo gallery after the jump!
Link: Rally Tasmania
Link: Joel Strickland Photographics
Link: Rally Tasmania related articles on GTRBlog
Rally Tasmania 2009: Nissan GT-R Leads the Pack on Day Two
An exciting day of back and forth between race leader Tony Quinn in his VIP Petfoods Nissan GT-R and Jim Richards in the Porsche GT2 today which ultimately resulted in an amazingly close finish for the day with Tony Quinn up just 1 second in front of Richards.
A solid day of racing for Tony Alford in the Donut King Racing R35 GT-R saw him climb to fifth position.
Today’s the final leg of the race, we’ll bring you another update at the end of the day.
| Current Position | Car # | Driver | Time Total |
| 1 | 55 | Tony Quinn | 1:09:00.5 |
| 2 | 51 | Jim Richards | 1:09:02.5 |
| 3 | 52 | Jamie Vandenburg | 1:09:57.0 |
| 4 | 53 | Tony Longhurst | 1:10:08.9 |
| 5 | 57 | Tony Alford | 1:11:40.3 |
Link: Rally Tasmania Website
Link: Rally Tasmania related articles on GTRBlog
Rally Tasmania 2009: Quinn’s GT-R Hot on the Heels of Richards’ GT2
Rally Tasmania got off to a great start today for Tony Quinn in his VIP Petfoods Nissan R35 GT-R. At the end of the day he finished second just 3.4 seconds behind Jim Richards who’s driving his Porsche 911 GT2.
Quinn is very happy with the car so far but knows it’s going to be a challenge to chase Richards in the dry conditions.
Donut King Racing GT-R #1 is also entered in Rally Tasmania driven by Tony Alford. Alford finished up 6th overall at the end of the first day and is also happy with the GT-R’s performance after having solved the brake issues which troubled them at Targa Wrest Point. The tyres are taking longer than desired to get up to temperature but are looking forward to the longer stages at Savage River as this is where the GT-R will shine.
Rally Tasmania continues Saturday and Sunday, good luck guys. Stay tuned for updates!
Thanks to Joel Strickland for the photos and story.
Link: Rally Tasmania
Link: Joel Strickland Photographics
VIP Petfoods Nissan GT-R Finishes Second in Targa Wrest Point Tarmac Rally
The inaugural Targa Wrest Point short course tarmac rally was held this weekend in southern Tasmania, Australia. Three Nissan R35 GT-Rs were entered into the event, the VIP Petfoods GT-R driven by Tony Quinn and the two Donut King Racing Nissan GT-Rs driven by Tony Alford and Peter Leemhuis.
Tony Alford’s GT-R suffered brake pad issues on day one of the event. The front brakes weren’t biting hard enough causing the rears to be overworked. Overheating the rear brakes caused their pace to slow near the end of the day. Team Donut King Racing had experienced the same type of issue during the Tasmanian Tarmac Challenge tarmac rally in October 2008 so saw that pads were changed overnight.
The pad changed proved to be successful and day two was better with Alford’s pink GT-R finishing in 9th position overall.
Peter Leemhuis started off the rally in great shape in the second Donut King Racing R35 choosing to start with a different brake pad compound to Alford. They finished in 8th position after day one.
Day two was not so great for them however, they set a quick pace in the morning but had an off just after lunch time, they chose not finish the race.
Tony Quinn’s rally got off to a great start, being the second rally Quinn has driven the GT-R in he now “believes in the car” after spending the time with it competitively. The experience gained is giving him insight into what the car will do under certain conditions and he’s quicker for it, even managing to have the top speed record of 191km/h on stage TS3 Geeveston.
In comparison to the Porsches Tony has driven throughout the years, he says the GT-R is a lot easier to drive fast. His GT-R remains almost completely standard, standard suspension and tires. An upgraded exhaust is fitted since Tony prefers the car to be loud and finds the standard exhaust to be far too quiet.
Overall he was very happy with the performance of the car;
“The car has gone brilliantly all weekend, we’re really pleased. Look out if it’s wet in Targa in April, we’ll be hard to beat.”
Quinn finished in second place on day one, 16 seconds behind the race leader but poised for a great day two.
Day 2 was a continuation of day 1 for Quinn as the consistency of both driver and GT-R shone through. Tony was able to nudge ever closer to first place, at one point being within 2 seconds of the lead. After some hard work and great driving the VIP Petfoods GT-R finished in second place just three seconds behind the Porsche 911 GT3 RS of Greg Garwood and in front of Targa super-star Jim Richards in his Porsche 911 GT2 and tarmac rally veterans the Whites in their Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera.
Congratulations to Tony, Tony and Peter on your work racing the GT-R in real competition and great work being so successful at it.
Thanks to Joel Strickland for his Targa Wrest Point report and for allowing us to use his photos. Video below and more photos and videos from Targa Wrest Point after the read more link below.
Link: Targa Wrest Point Website
Link: Joel Strickland Photographics Website
Link: Tarmac rally related articles on GTRBlog
Tasmanian Tarmac Challenge: Report and Results
An eventful, if wet, weekend of racing on the northwest coast of Tasmania, Australia this has seen the AWD competitors streak ahead of their two wheel drive competitors and dominate the top positions. Good thing for GT-R fans as even the heavy R35 was competitive on the soggy tarmac.
Saturday saw the race begin with rain and it wrapped up on Sunday the same way. Some great early pace saw the Hi Octane and Donut King Nissans in contention for top five spots and looking great doing it.
After SS2 (Hellyer Gorge South) Newman in the Hi Octane GT-R was 4th in class with Alford right behind him in 5th. Driving the GT-R fast in the wet presents a huge learning curve but the guys are having a lot of fun doing it.
A very slight off for Newman in stage 2 however caused the R35’s pedestrian safety airbags to fire raising the bonnet at an angle and reducing visibility. It took another stage to get back into the groove but was making solid top 10’s in every stage until that happened.
Click Read More link to continue reading and see the rest of the photos from the race.
Images & On Scene Reporting: Joel Strickland
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