Team MINI Financial Services has a new lease on life as the 2007 Targa Tasmania Rally races to its conclusion.
After four days and more than 1,400 km of the event completed, the Team MINI wild-at-heart racers are ready to switch to their Grand Final strategy.
Leading the MINI pack is Paul Stokell with navigator Peter Burrey at his side in the Tasmanian Tiger MINI. They are placed 11th overall at the close of Day 4, just three seconds outside the top ten after 35 competitive stages. Paul’s MINI was in and out of the top ten through a day of dramatically changing conditions.
Grant Denyer and Dale Moscatt in the MINI Cheetah have picked up their pace to be 15th, five seconds off 14th position, and just 46 seconds away from a top ten spot.
The MINI python of Mike Sinclair and Bill Hayes are gaining ground at a sensational rate, now 24th and going hard for the finish in Hobart on Sunday.
The 471 km trip from Hobart to Burnie included 106 km of competitive stages, and was lashed by rain for part of the day.
Four days in on the same set of tyres is not proving to be too great an obstacle for the Team MINI drivers.
“We swapped the hard front tyres for the softer compound that was on the rear and the car went faster, ” Paul said.
“We had more grip, which was just as well as some of the stages were very wet. ”
“Cethana was a great stage for us, we made up a lot of time, but then lost a heap on Gunns Plains when I overshot a corner, and blew 15 seconds.
“At South Riana we also lost some time as it was very wet, and we had to stop for an emergency vehicle on the last stage of the day (Fern Glade).
“We haven’t been trying that hard so our results are really solid. There’s still plenty more in the tank for tomorrow, ” Paul said.
“We had a terrific day, a ten tenths day” said and enthused Grant Denyer.
“It was probably the best experience I have had in a car ever, ” he said. “Well, in the front seats anyway. ”
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