When you’re just one competitor among 300 it can be quite a daunting task, but when you are also contesting your very first Targa Tasmania, the hurdle in front of you can seem even greater.
That’s the task facing Gosford driver, Joshua Hilton, and co-driver, Rodney Vanderpoel, when Australia’s ultimate tarmac rally roars into action in Launceston on April 15.
Most of the publicity in an event like Targa goes to the big names of the sport – the likes of Jim Richards, Tony Longhurst and Jason White. But every future Targa star has to start somewhere and the Gosford pairing are just one of many teams hoping to make their mark on the event.
That in itself isn’t easy. With 440km of stages and a total competitive distance of nearly 2000km over the five days of the event, just getting to the finish is a tough job.
For their first Targa outing, Hilton and Vanderpoel will drive a 2003 Toyota Corolla Sportivo – the sports version of Toyota’s best-selling small car. With a high-revving engine and brilliant handling, the front-wheel drive Sportivo should be ideally suited to Tasmania’s twisty, tarmac roads.
“The car is pretty standard with only an aftermarket engine management system fitted, and fully adjustable suspension,” Hilton says.
“We fitted competition seats and harnesses, but basically the car is standard.”
Sensibly, their plan for the event is to enjoy the experience, finish, and hopefully place in a reasonable position.
Hilton, whose father, Brian, runs Brian Hilton Toyota in Gosford, has called on a friend and work colleague to work on the car during the event.
“Nigel Clarke is the head of our Mechanical and Performance Division at Brian Hilton Toyota,” Hilton added. “He’ll be the only person in our service crew for the event.”
If all goes to plan then the Corolla will run reliably over the course of the event and Clarke can have an easy time of it, while Hilton and Vanderpoel concentrate on getting the car to the finish in one piece.
Targa Tasmania is widely regarded as one of the best tarmac road rallies in the world, and this year has attracted competitors from Australia, the USA, UK, UAE, Japan and Hong Kong.
2008 will be the 17th running of the event, which starts in Launceston on April 15 and takes competitors through the heart of Tasmania, before finishing at Wrest Point, in Hobart, on April 20.
