The combination of Matt Close and Cameron Reeves continue to hold on to hope of knocking off seven-time Targa Tasmania champions Jason and John White in the event’s final two days.
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The Porsche pair sit 37 seconds behind heading into stage five following Thursday’s fourth leg , which started in Cethana.
Close blamed a loss of time on the Riana stage to an oil slick, but is still hopeful.
“I don’t think the Viper is as bad on tyres as the Whites are saying. I reckon they will be okay on that front,” Close said.
“We had to go slow on Riana with an oil slick, which went for about five kays.
“But we won’t stop trying. We’ve got 500bhp he’s got 700bhp and our car operates very differently. Ninety-nine bends should help us a bit better tomorrow.”
The Whites again unleashed the Viper late in the day to move to their most decisive lead in the competition and in the race for GT2 honours.
The duo extended their led by 12 seconds through the 36km Riana stage, throwing caution to the wind by maintaining their attack plan despite running the risk of using up their tyres.
Steve Glenney and Andy Sarandis started to leak time in overall standings but are in charge of the GT4 standings.
Michael and Daniel Bray have forged to a decisive lead in their 1975 Holden Torana in Classic GT, while Joshua Sutcliffe and Jon Mitchell (2006 Subaru S204) continue to lead the way in Early Modern.
The Rookie Early Modern class sees Adam Gosling and Ian Noble, driving a 2002 BMW E46 M3, stretching their lead over Leigh Ford and Nicholas Browne (2003 Honda Integra Type R) to 5.37. Jeff Morton and Steve Fisher continue to lead Rookie GT in their 2017 Lotus Exige and Justin Gan and David Hart (1978 Porsche 911) are the sole survivors in Rookie Classic GT.
Martin Duursma and Richard Wodhams (2013 Lotus Exige S V6) hold the upper hand in the GT Sports Trophy and Jack Waldron and Vin Gregory (1981 Mitsubishi Sigma) control the Thoroughbred trophy.
Darryl and Peter Marshall have taken over the lead of the TSD Trophy.
STILL TO COME
- Friday | Leg 5: Strahan-Queenstown-Mount Arrowsmith-Tarraleah-Molesworth-Grasstree Hill.
- Saturday | Leg 6: Tinderbox-Pelverata-Gardners Bay-Oyster Cove-Cygnet-Longley-Hobart.
STANDING ORDER
OVERALL
1 – Jason White/John White 2016 Dodge Viper ACR Extreme
2 – Matt Close/Cameron Reeves 2017 Porsche GT3 RS +37sec
3 – Steve Glenney/ Andy Sarandis 2015 Subaru WRX STI +2min11sec
GT2
1 – Jason White/John White 2016 Dodge Viper ACR Extreme
2 – Matt Close/Cameron Reeves 2017 Porsche GT3 RS +37sec
3 – Michael Pritchard/Gary Mourant Porsche 911 GT3 RS +3min58sec
GT4
1 – Steve Glenney/Andy Sarandis 2015 Subaru WRX STI
2 – Angus Kennard/Ian Wheeler 2015 Nissan GT-R +2min23sec
3 – Mark Balcombe/Brian Foster 2011 Nissan GTR R35 +6min33sec
Classic GT
1 – Michael Bray/Daniel Bray 1975 Holden Torana
2 – Anthony Genocchio/Scott Hamilton 1983 HDT Commodore +5min41sec
3 – Mark Hammond/Dennis Neagle 1980 Jaguar XJS +6min17sec
Classic
1 – Graham Copeland/Josh Herbert 1941 GMC Jimmy Special
2 – Nik Prieston/Dylan Braithwaite 1975 Fiat 131 Abarth +3min49sec
3 – Ashley Yelds/Charlie Hughes 1961 Volvo 122S +5min18sec
Early Modern
1 – Joshua Sutcliffe/Jon Mitchell 2006 Subaru S204
2 – Liam Howarth/Larry Howarth 1995 Nissan Skyline R33 GTR V-Spec +2min39sec
3 – Adam Kaplan/Aleshia Penney, 2004 BMW M3 +3min40sec
Corey Martin
Having started at The Examiner as a cadet in 2009, I have held various positions telling the stories of Northern Tasmanians in sport and news. I was appointed deputy editor in 2019 and became editor in September 2021.
Having started at The Examiner as a cadet in 2009, I have held various positions telling the stories of Northern Tasmanians in sport and news. I was appointed deputy editor in 2019 and became editor in September 2021.
