After the drama of a puncture during yesterday’s first stage, Dean Herridge was looking forward to a trouble-free run. And that’s exactly what happened, the #993 Subaru WRX STi moving up the placings as the day progressed.

“It’s been a good day”, a relaxed Herridge commented. “We’ve not had any issues today. I was a little concerned on the way to Devonport. There was a bit of rain around, and that’s the last thing we want to see with the tyre choice we’ve made. But the rain held off and we had a good run. We’re now up to seventh. There’s a bit of a gap to Jim Richards, but we’ll just keep on chipping away and see what happens”.

“This event always throws up a few surprises. We’ve already seen a number of high-profile teams retire, and there’s still a long way to go before the finish.”

Both Graham Iddles and Graham Furness put in solid performances during Leg 3, improving as the event progresses. “We’ve had a solid day”, Iddles remarked after stage 24. “We’ve improved more than a second per kilometer over last year, so I’m really happy with that. We’re just looking to maintain a consistent pace and make it to the finish. If we can do that, and get some more experience under our belts, then we should continue to improve”.

For the previous three days, Graham Furness has swapped times with the Subaru Impreza of Paul Thomas. And it was a battle that continued today. “We’re having our own private race! Last night we were equal 22nd, but today he snuck ahead by a second. Our aim was to get into top 20 (stage times), and we’ve done that now. So we’ll start again tomorrow and see if we can take back a second or two”.

Tomorrow, the teams leave Launceston for the final time, heading north-west to Ulverston for lunch, then turning south for the long trip to Strahan. The day includes three stages of more than 30 kilometres in length, including Cethana, Riana, and the challenging Hellyer Gorge stage.

Targa Tasmania 2010 – Leg 3

1 – White / White, Lambourghini Gallardo
2 – Vandersee / Reeves, Skelta G-Force, +1:00
3 – Quinn / Tilett, Nissan GT-R, +1:27
4 – Jones / Searcy, Nissan GT-R, +1:37
5 – Vandenberg / Vandenberg , Mitsubishi EVO IX, +3:41
6 – Richards / Oliver, Porsche 911 GT-3, +3:51
7 – Herridge / Weston, Subaru Impreza WRX STi, +5:08
8 – Alford / Farmer, Nissan GT-R, +5:24
9 – Hendy / Willson, Daytona Couple, +5:37
10 – Bartter / Wheeler, Subaru Impreza WRX STi, +6:15
23 – Furness / Furness, Subaru Impreza WRX STi, +11:20
35 – Iddles / Cary, Subaru Impreza WRX STi, +16:53

After surviving the wild weather of Leg 1, Dean Herridge started Thursday’s ‘North-East Loop’ in equal fifth place. But his day got off on a wrong note, thanks to a stray rock. Dean explained, “The road was still fairly damp in patches, and we weren’t trying push too hard on cold tyres. But that stage (Sideling) is littered with sharp rocks on the edge of the road, and we had the misfortune to run over one early into the stage. We struggled on as best we could, but the tyre was deflating and eventually disintegrated”.

“I think we lost almost three minutes on the stage and then we had to change a tyre. But we were competitive on the other stages. Our main goal all along was to win the ATC, and there is still a long way to go in this rally. So we’ll start again tomorrow, see if we can make up some time on the crews in front of us, and try and put ourselves in a position where we can capitalise if any of the guys at the front run into problems”.

Adding to the teams woes was the withdrawal of the Brian Green/Fleur Pedersen #987 WRX STi. Although the team worked on the car overnight, the engine was too badly damaged to be repaired in time.

But it was not all bad news, with both Graham Furness and Graham Iddles moving up the leaderboard. “I really enjoyed today”, Graham Furness commented after the final stage. “The twisty sections really seem to suit me. I managed to get into a flow early, and the car handled superbly. The biggest difference from last year is that Cameron and I are starting to work much better together in the car. We’ve made a big improvement the year. It was Cameron’s first Targa last year, and today that experience really started to show. I think we’ve gained around two seconds per kilometre, which is a huge step forward”.

Graham Iddles was also enthusiastic after competing the final stage. “It was my best day of rallying ever!”, exclaimed the two-time ‘Longford Challenge’ champion. “I’m now starting to the trust the (pace) notes and be more committed to them. And as a result our times are improving, and Shane and I working together really well”.

Tomorrow the crews will be tested by eight stages, as they make their way from Launceston to Devenport, returning via Deloraine.

Targa Tasmania 2010 – Leg 2

1 – White / White, Lambourghini Gallardo
2 – Glenney / Webb, Mazda RX-8 SP, +0:31
3 – Vandersee / Reeves, Skelta G-Force, +0:47
4 – Quinn / Tilett, Nissan GT-R, +0:59
5 – Jones / Searcy, Nissan GT-R, +1:19
6 – Close / Close, Audi TTRS, +2:28
7 – Richards / Oliver, Porsche 911 GT-3, +2:52
8 – Alford / Farmer, Nissan GT-R, +3:49
9 – Hendy / Willson, Daytona Couple, +3:53
10 – Vandenberg / Vandenberg , Mitsubishi EVO IX, +3:57
12 – Herridge / Weston, Subaru Impreza WRX STi, +4:13
=22 – Furness / Furness, Subaru Impreza WRX STi, +8:08
37 – Iddles / Cary, Subaru Impreza WRX STi, +11:58

Photos courtesy of Angryman Photography.

And that caused all sorts of problems for crews, with a number of accidents in the treacherous conditions.

Three of the four Maximum Motorsport crews survived the wild weather, but there were some ‘interesting’ moments along the way. At the end of todays stages, Dean Herridge was the fastest of the Maximum Subarus, sharing equal fifth place and 50 seconds from leader Jason White.

“Given the circumstances, it’s been a reasonable day for us”, Dean explained. “It was wet all day; I think SS5 was the only stage where it didn’t rain. We’re on hard compound tyres, and the conditions just didn’t suit us. We struggled all day, but the main thing is we’re still in the event. We lost a lot of competitive crews today; Kevin Weeks, the Vandenbergs and Tony Sullens are all out. So to have just made it to the end of the day, and be not too far away from the lead, is not too bad of an effort”.

Like Dean, both Graham Furness and Graham Iddles found the conditions testing, but drivers put in solid results to sit 24th and 32nd respectively. “It was a day to be sensible”, Iddles explained. “It would have been easy to loose the car today. There were some sections where the rain was really heavy. So we had to play it safe, slow down, and get to the end of the stages. Which is easier said than done!”

The one sour note was an accident involving Brian Green’s 2.5L WRX STi. The Kiwi hit a post after under-steering off the road on SS4. The impact caused some bodywork damage, but critically a water pipe was split which forced Green and co-driver Fleur Pedersen to stop on the stage. The damage done to the engine was significant, and will force them to sit out the Leg 2 while repairs are made.

Thursday’s ‘North-East Loop’ begins early, with crews heading toward St Helens, on the Tasmanian east coast. Leg 2 takes in six competitive stages, the first being the tricky and twisty ‘Sideling’ stage.

Targa Tasmania 2010 – Leg 1

1 – White / White, Lambourghini Gallardo
2 – Glenney / Webb, Mazda RX-8 SP, +0:09
3 – Quinn / Tilett, Nissan GT-R, +0:30
4 – Jones / Searcy, Nissan GT-R, +0:32
5 – Herridge / Weston, Subaru Impreza WRX STi, +0:50
5 – Vandersee / Reeves, Skelta G-Force, +0:50
7 – Close / Close, Audi TTRS, +1:08
8 – Richards / Oliver, Porsche 911 GT-3, +1:10
9 – Alford / Farmer, Nissan GT-R, +1:25
24 – Furness / Furness, Subaru Impreza WRX STi, +2:45
38 – Iddles / Cary, Subaru Impreza WRX STi, +4:20

With the field running in their seeded order, the first of the Maximum cars was the ’05 Impreza WRX STi of Graham Furness. “I was pretty happy with it. We were very conservative. It’s been a cold day, the tyres were cold and we weren’t expecting get too much grip from them on such a short stage. So we adjusted the diff settings to help us with cornering, and I didn’t push too hard with the braking. But we got through without a problem, and I’m happy with that”.

The grip from cold tyres caught out a number of competitors, including Graham Iddles in the #985 Maximum WRX STi. “It was just dumb! The third corner in, I locked it up and spun. The tyres were still a bit ‘green’, and I should have known better. The rest of the stage was fine. I backed off a bit; the whole stage was pretty slippery. It was just a simple error and I think we lost around 15 seconds. But there’s no damage to the car; we’re still here and we’ll start again tomorrow”.

Making his debut at Targa Tasmania, Brian Green and Fleur Pedersen also found the stage slippery. “I was pretty happy with that effort”, remarked the experienced Kiwi at the end of day service. “The car was perfect, it was just a bit slippery. But no problems at all”.

The final Maximum car to attempt the Prologue was that of the #993 Dean Herridge Subaru Impreza WRX STi. “I’m very happy with that”, Dean commented after his run. “We’ll start eighth-last on the road, which is just about where we wanted to be in the starting order. The car was good. Like all the other guys, we couldn’t really get too much heat into our tyres on such a short stage. But we coped OK with that, and the car is ready to go again tomorrow”.

With the starting order now determined, the crews will begin Leg 1 tomorrow. The ‘Northern Loop’ takes in eight stages, including Lilydale (to the north-east of Launceston) and then heads west to Sheffield before returning to Launceston.

Targa Tasmania 2010 Prologue

1 – White / White, Lambourghini Gallardo
2 – Hendy / Wilson, Daytona Coupe, +5.65
3 – Jones / Searcy, Nissan GT-R, +6.36
4 – Quinn / Tilett, Nissan GT-R, +6.87
5 – Richards / Oliver, Porsche 911 GT-3, +8.77
6 – Weeks / Allen, Lambourghini Gallardo, +9.28
7 – Vandenberg / Vandenberg, Mitsubishi EVO IX, +9.33
8 – Herridge / Weston, Subaru Impreza WRX STi, +10.26

It’s been a busy day for the Maximum Motorsports crew with a shakedown session at Symonds Plains raceway, preparation for tomorrows Prologue of Targa Tasmania 2010.

Running four cars this year, the West Australian team have returned to Tasmania with three 2008-spec Subaru WRX STi rally cars, for Dean Herridge, Graham Iddles and Brian Green, and a 2005-spec WRX STi for Perth doctor Graham Furness.

Lead driver Dean Herridge will start his fourth Targa, determined to make amends for last year when a gamble on soft tyres didn’t pay off. “It’s been a really good shakedown this morning”, a smiling Dean said. “The car feels great. We ran on old rubber this morning, just to ensure reduce the amount of kilometres on the race tyres. So it’s not exactly what we’ll start with tomorrow. But the car has run perfectly, and we’re giving ourselves the best chance of not only winning Targa, but also of taking the Australian Tarmac Championship title”.

Along with Dean, the 16-person Maximum crew is also running cars for regulars Graham Furness and Graham Iddles. “It’s good to be back in the car”, said eye surgeon Graham Furness after his shakedown session. “Cameron (Furness) and I are back in the car. We competed together for the first time at last years Targa, and we’ve done Targa West and Targa Wrest Point in January. So this is our fourth event together, and we’ve improved as a team with each event. We’ve have some transmission changes to the car since Wrest Point, so we’re out to improve on last year’s result”.

Also looking to improve this year is Perth businessman Graham Iddles. “One of the things Shane (Cary) and I have been working on is our braking. We’re becoming more confident in the car, and although we’ll still err on the side of caution, we really want to improve on our performance and make to the end of the event. The car has had some upgrades, particularly to the engine, and we’re now running very similar setup to Dean. So we’ve got the car; we now need to make the most of it”.

Joining the Maximum team this year is APRC regular Brian Green and Fleur Pedersen. The Kiwi duo have already run events in Finland, Sweden, China and New Zealand this year, but this is their first time in Tasmania. And along with their debut, they’ll also debut a brand-new Subaru WRX STi 2.5L tarmac rally car. “It’s been going really well this morning”, the Kiwi veteran said. “The car is certainly quicker than I expected! It’s a different feeling to the EVO 9 I normally compete in. It turns in faster, and it stops really well. I think if it rains, it will be to our advantage. But it’s our first time here and the goal is to finish and not ‘bend’ the car”.

Tomorrow the 260-strong field heads out to Georgetown, at the mouth of the River Tamar, for the Prologue. This short blast through the town determines the starting order for the rest of the event, with the fastest car running last on the road. And on Wednesday Targa Tasmania 2010 kicks off with the first competitive stages, with loop east from Launceston to Lilydale, then heading west to Sheffield for a total of eight stages.

With just two weeks to go before the start of Targa Tasmania 2010, the Maximum Motorsport workshop is a hive of activity. The Perth-based team returns to Tasmania for its third attempt at the iconic tarmac rally, this year with four Subarus.

After taking two podiums from two starts in the Australian Tarmac Championship, Dean Herridge starts his fourth Targa Tasmania full of confidence. “This year we’re starting from a really strong base. We now have a lot more experience with our targa-spec Imprezas. Our reliability has always been there, and we showed at Targa Wrest Point that our cars are a good enough to put some pressure on the Lamborghinis, GTRs and Porsches”.

“To lead Wrest Point at the end of leg one, against cars which are much more powerful than our own, was phenomenal. It’s a real testament to the Subaru product and the skill of our guys to build and prepare the car. So we’re going back to Tasmania full of confidence.”

“We also have our sights on the Australian Tarmac Championship, which will be decided at this event. Jason White (Lamborghini) has driven really well to take three wins from three rounds, and I fully expect him and Steve Jones (Nissan GTR) to be right up the front setting the pace. But with double points on offer in Targa, there are all sorts of different scenarios that could happen. We are hoping to continue our speed and reliability and have a good run so that we give ourselves every opportunity of becoming this year’s champion.”

In the first two events of the ATC series Dean was joined by his regular co-driver Chris Murphy. But with Chris now residing in the UK, and not returning for Targa, Dean is fortunate to have the very experienced Glen Weston join him for this event. The pair have competed together on several occasions, including last year’s Targa Tasmania.

Along with Dean’s Impreza WRX STi , Maximum Motorsport will take a three other Subaru’s to Tasmania.

Regular Maximum drivers Graham Iddles and Graham Furness will line-up for their third Targas. Iddles will campaign his 2008 WRX STi, the sister car to Dean’s Impreza. Furness, a Perth-based eye surgeon, will again pilot a 2005-spec Impreza WRX with his son Cameron as co-driver.

And adding an international flavour to the team, Kiwi’s Brian Green and Fleur Pedersen will step out of their Mitsubishi gravel rally car and into a brand-new Impreza 2.5L tarmac car, which is nearing completion at the Maximum workshop.

Green began his motorsport career in the 1969 Silver Fern rally, and has been competing in rallies since. Regulars in the APRC and NZRC for many years, Brian and Fleur have already had a busy rally year. Starting in January, they’ve contested the Artic Rally (Finland) Rally Sweden, and Rally Mohe on the Chinese-Russian border. They’ll travel to Tasmania directly from Rally Otago, the first round of the NZRC.

Targa Tasmania kicks off with the Prologue through the streets of Georgetown on Tuesday April 27, with the podium finish at Hobart’s Wrest Point Casino on Sunday 2nd May.