Targa Tasmania veteran, Frank Purdey, has his fingers crossed that he makes it to the start line for the 17th running of the famous tarmac rally, from April 15 to 20.

Competing in Rally Tasmania in mid-February, the Queenslander missed a pacenote on a fast section of road and crashed his 2005 Porsche 996 Turbo S, doing considerable damage to the car and putting his Targa plans in jeopardy.

However, he’s determined to be at the start in Launceston, in what will be his seventh Targa Tasmania.

A Porsche devotee, Purdey will be co-driven by New South Welshman Peter Burrey in the six-day tarmac classic, in the same car that he drove in the 2007 event.

The Porsche 996 Turbo S is stock standard, apart from upgraded shock absorbers and an ECU chip to improve handling and performance.

With an eleventh and twelfth placings in previous Targas, Purdey would love to achieve a similar result in 2008, but is setting himself moderate goals.

“The aim this year is just to finish the event,” Purdey said, with the Rally Tasmania accident obviously still fresh in his mind.

“Hopefully the weather will be dry and we can have a good, clean run.

“I don’t like the wet – that’s for ducks,” he added.

Targa Tasmania will start in Launceston on April 15 and come to a grand finish at Hobart’s Wrest Point on April 20.