Devonport duo Jason and John White have finally added a Targa North West title to their impressive trophy room, but focus has already turned to the “big fish” that is Targa Tasmania.
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The Whites led from start to finish in their Dodge Viper ACR Extreme, establishing a one minute lead on Saturday and pushing it out after Sunday’s six stages finish one minute and 28 seconds ahead of Paul Stokell and Kate Catford in their Lotus Exige.
Third place went to Michael Pritchard and Adam Butler in a 2016 Porsche GT3 RS, while John Ireland finished fourth in his Dodge Viper after clutch problems on the opening run through Hellyer Gorge ruined his podium quest.
”It was a bit of the monkey off the back, as Targa North West has not been the best for us until this weekend,’’ Jason White said.
“But this was good as obviously it was a strong field.
“There were numerous stage records we accomplished and we pushed on very hard yesterday and pushed on even harder today even though we had a little bit of a gap, but when everything feels right and the car is working well and the team is working well, it is a shame to waste the opportunity.
“All these events are the same, that if you find yourself with a lead, you’ve still got to make it to the finish, so the nerves are still there as far as you feel you might be cruising along, but you still have to push on pretty hard.”
White said the event had been a “great challenge” considering the weight penalties they had, but knew it was just the first piece of the puzzle that is the CAMS Australian Targa Championship.
Mechanical failure at this event ruined any chance of taking the overall title after he tasted success later in the series.
But all-in-all, it was a victory that was a solid tune-up for Targa Tasmania, an event the Whites have won seven times.
“Things are going well heading into Targa, as we had a new set up this week and the tyre wear was working even better, so the car was faster and the tyre wear was better,’’ he said.
”But we will continue to try new things to make sure we can move in the right direction, because the competition is always sneaking up on you.”
Targa Tasmania will start on April 29.