Talkin’ Targa Tasmania

Tasmania turned off the sunshine over the 17th until the 22nd of April, setting the stage for John Ireland and Michael Ribot to take on the tumultuous topography of Tasmania in the 2012 Targa Tasmania.

And they did it in style, completing the challenging five-day rally and bringing their classic 911 home third outright in Classic and third in Late Classic Handicap. These results, brilliant on their own, secured them the Late Classic Tarmac Championship along with an impressive second outright in the Classic Tarmac Championship.

The 2012 event was the longest that Targa Tasmania has produced; offering six hundred competitive kilometres and nearly three thousand travel kilometres. Ireland and Ribot went into it with their long-term championship goals in sight, and pushed to achieve them; putting in their best preparation efforts and building on them through reccie and the lead up to the event.

Of the 38 competitive stages, only eleven were dry. And then when the sun did come out, it was nearly as bad as the fog, slipping under sun visors and blinding the drivers.

“The conditions in Targa Tasmania are different to any of the other events during the year. Adelaide, Wrest Point and High Country are mostly dry – in this there is always a high risk for rain and fog. The roads are challenging at the best of times, but once they get wet it’s very tricky and you have to keep on adapting to the different conditions, making it hard to get into a rhythm.”

“It’s the event which challenges teams more than any other.”

The work they put in during preparation and tweaks to soften up the setup on the second day paid off in the tough conditions, giving them the confidence needed to push and fight at the pointy end of the field.

From that point they were able to drive to a plan, manage the gaps around them and push for the championship. And push they did, consistently finishing stages in the top four and fighting off hard-charging rivals like Paul Stewart in Late Classic Handicap.

John was quick to commend his co-driver, car and the supporters and organisers who braved the weather to put on another great event.

“My navigator, Mike, was excellent all weekend and the car was brilliant; the boys did a good job in preparing it. It was flawless all weekend.”

“It’s always great down there. I always enjoy the camaraderie and the locals are always good value. A nice break.”

Congratulations to the boys on a brilliant result in Australia’s toughest of Targas and on their Late Classic Tarmac Championship win!

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Shane Smollen Takes Elite Win at Barbagallo

Shane Smollen has taken his first Elite round win in Carrera Cup, with two second place finishes and a fourth giving him enough points to take victory in the third round of the 2012 Season at Barbagallo Raceway in Perth.

Jonny Reid wins at Barbagallo Raceway while Shane Smollen takes his first Elite Class round win

In form Kiwi Jonny Reid has taken his Hunter Sports Group team to its first ever Porsche City Index Carrera Cup Australia race and round victory at Barbagallo Raceway.

After missing the opening round of the all-Porsche championship, Reid secured the backing from the Nathan Tinkler owned Hunter Sports Group to race at Albert Park, where Reid scored three second placed finishes.

Having stepped into the Newcastle branded team full-time, Reid claimed his fourth-straight second placed finish in yesterday’s Race 1 at Barbagallo Raceway.

Reid then broke through for the team’s first ever Carrera Cup victory in today’s Race 2, followed by its second race win later in the day, including the fastest lap in every race at the West Australian circuit.

The results handed Reid the round win and promoted him to third in the 2012 outright standings – an incredible feat having missed one of the three rounds this season.

“I want to really say a big thanks to the Hunter Motor Sports team. When we went out on to the track on Friday I wasn’t happy with the car and it didn’t suit my driving style. The boys worked really hard on my car over the weekend to suit my driving style and  it’s showed in all the races. The first race we were second with the fastest lap, followed by two race wins today with the fastest lap in each. It just shows what we are capable of as a team when everything goes well,” said Reid.

“The team has such a great upbeat bunch of guys with a lot of hunger. In addition to my hunger as a driver, we work really well. I think we showed that this weekend.”

After finishing third in Saturday’s race, Baird completed his Perth round with two second placed finishes in Sunday’s two races, placing the reigning champion second for the round and elevated him to the lead of the championship standings.

Race 1 victor Alex Davison finished third for the round with two third positions in Sunday’s two races. Davison’s deficit to the championship leader Baird was extended to 11 points having received a six point penalty post-round for a Race 1 altercation.

Daniel Gaunt finished fourth for the Barbagallo Raceway round in the outright points, followed by Steven Richards and Team BRM duo Nick Foster and Tom Tweedie.

The Elite Class featured a tight fight at the head of the round standings, with eventual winner Shane Smollen claiming his maiden class round victory.

Smollen finished second in the Elite Class in Saturday’s race and finished fourth and second in class in Sunday’s two races; placing the Sydneysider one point ahead of nearest Elite Class driver James Koundouris at the end of the event.

“I think this weekend showed the importance of finishing races and being consistent throughout the weekend,” said Smollen.

“Every corner of every lap can count, and today I fought pretty hard when those opportunities arose. And it counted at the end of the day; we got a one-point win.”

Twigg finished third in the Elite Class points for the round behind Smollen and Koundouris, with Tony Bates in fourth; the top four Elite Class drivers split by a mere six points at the end of the round.

Porsche City Index Index Carrera Cup Australia will next race at the Sucrogen Townsville 400 on July 06-08, 2012.

Via Porsche Cars Australia Motorsport News – Carrera Cup

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Lawlor Debuts in GT3 Cup Challenge

Terry Lawlor made his debut in the Staff Solutions GT3 Cup challenge a few weekends ago at Mallala, coming home with a brilliant ninth overall and best finish of seventh.

The team’s goal for the weekend was to get a race weekend’s worth of experience in the car and series under their belts and finish within the top ten; a goal they surpassed handily.

It was Terry’s first outing in the series, first race in the car and the first time he’d been out to Mallala. So, they took it easy and kicked it all off with an endurance race.

Race one was held as one of the season’s three forty-lap endurance races, which run for close to an hour. Did I mention that the rules only allow for six tyres to be used across the whole weekend? That’s six tyres, not six sets, for the forty-lap endurance and two normal races.

The endurance run turned out to be an excellent way to highlight the differences between the historics and Touring Car Masters series Terry has been running over the last few years, and the Cup Car.

“It was a real challenge for me personally, really one of the hardest things I’ve done. It’s very hot inside, which really takes it out of you. The level of fitness required is significantly higher than in historic racing and Touring Car Masters.”

“Everything’s happening a lot faster and the workload is significantly higher.”

It’s those differences that really put the tinkle in his eye. The GT3 Cup Challenge field sits at around 23 cars, and they’re all exactly the same. There is much more variance and unpredictability in historics, where different cars have different strengths at different points of time and there can be substantial speed differentials between the fastest and slowest machines in the field.

The GT3 Cup Cars all have the same stopping power, acceleration and handling capabilities. This provides consistency, in that you know what the machines around you are capable of.

Which means that drivers can get down to the business of racing with a degree of confidence and predictability, and that the outcome ultimately comes down to the skill and bravery of the driver.

“The only real speed differential is the driver’s capabilities. That’s the great part of racing in the category.”

Similarly to historics, however, it’s about close racing with a great deal of respect; “it promotes the social side and wants to be a gentleman’s class and try to avoid coming together and damaging the cars.”

As the race weekend progressed, so did Terry’s skill and bravery. He moved up the field in the first two races and was running close to the top five in race three until he had a spin that put him back down to fifteenth.

“We were really happy. Other than the spin in the last race it was a fantastic weekend.”

“The car went brilliantly, especially with Matt and Grant in support. We replaced a seeping brake calliper and that was about the only thing we had to do.”

Terry heads to Phillip Island this month for round two of the championship, held over the 25^th to the 27^th of May. It’s a track he has some experience on from historic racing and, with a race weekend under his belt, he’s really looking forward to getting out and racing again.

We wish him the best of luck, and are looking forward to following his progress over the coming months!

Photography by James Smith

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For Sale: 1990 Porsche 911 CARRERA 2

This one is for the 964 RS nuts.

With a genuine Australian delivered 964RS costing over $200,000 today, why not go for the next best thing – in arguably the best of the genuine RS colours. The previous owner has already done most of the work with two lightweight carbon seats that are virtually identical to the factory’s original Recaro Pol Positions, RS-look steering wheel, matte black 17″ cup rims, RS door trims & door handles and Rennline aluminium pedal set.

This 964 Carrera 2 was built in late 1990 as a 1991 ‘M’ year model car. It was then complied and delivered in May 1992 By Hamiltons in Melbourne.

Being a 1991 year model car, it has the later factory-fitted barrell O rings that helped stem the early oil leak troubles experienced by the first 964s and is therefore very dry underneath.

Chassis, engine numbers and colour have all been verified by Porsche as being original.

We’ve serviced this car over the last 7 years and know it very well. There should be very little to spend in the next 12 months, with the next major valve adjust service not due until 126,000 kilometers. It’s also had the notorious ac evaporator replaced, along with many other things comensurate with a car of this age.

Comes with original books, wallet and a brand new Blaupunkt IPOD and Bluetooth compatible stereo.

Just remove the rear seats and you will have a fantastic RS recreation with all the expensive items already done for you.

Either way you’ll have what is easily the most popular of all the 964s in a colour that simply stops ‘Porsche’ people in their tracks.

Click this link for the full details.

Hit this link for the full range of Porsches that we have for sale.

Autohaus Hamilton has been Sydney’s leading independent Porsche specialist since 1970. We are located just 25 mins from the CBD on the Northern Beaches. If you’re serious about buying a Porsche, give us a call.

Autohaus Hamilton - Your Source for Porsche

For Sale: 1990 Porsche 911 CARRERA 2

This one is for the 964 RS nuts.

With a genuine Australian delivered 964RS costing over $200,000 today, why not go for the next best thing – in arguably the best of the genuine RS colours. The previous owner has already done most of the work with two lightweight carbon seats that are virtually identical to the factory’s original Recaro Pol Positions, RS-look steering wheel, matte black 17″ cup rims, RS door trims & door handles and Rennline aluminium pedal set.

This 964 Carrera 2 was built in late 1990 as a 1991 ‘M’ year model car. It was then complied and delivered in May 1992 By Hamiltons in Melbourne.

Being a 1991 year model car, it has the later factory-fitted barrell O rings that helped stem the early oil leak troubles experienced by the first 964s and is therefore very dry underneath.

Chassis, engine numbers and colour have all been verified by Porsche as being original.

We’ve serviced this car over the last 7 years and know it very well. There should be very little to spend in the next 12 months, with the next major valve adjust service not due until 126,000 kilometers. It’s also had the notorious ac evaporator replaced, along with many other things comensurate with a car of this age.

Comes with original books, wallet and a brand new Blaupunkt IPOD and Bluetooth compatible stereo.

Just remove the rear seats and you will have a fantastic RS recreation with all the expensive items already done for you.

Either way you’ll have what is easily the most popular of all the 964s in a colour that simply stops ‘Porsche’ people in their tracks.

Click this link for the full details.

Hit this link for the full range of Porsches that we have for sale.

Autohaus Hamilton has been Sydney’s leading independent Porsche specialist since 1970. We are located just 25 mins from the CBD on the Northern Beaches. If you’re serious about buying a Porsche, give us a call.

Autohaus Hamilton - Your Source for Porsche

And…exhale!

Once upon a time there were easy horsepower gains to be had by bolting an aftermarket exhaust to just about any car.  One of the side-effects of motor manufacturers looking to increase fuel efficiency is that those days are long gone.  But that’s not to say that there are no gains to be had from aftermarket exhausts, it’s just that the gains are different.

It’s all about the sound, you hear.  And that’s especially true for more recent cars, as manufacturers – even Porsche – make increasingly quiet cars.  While few people want a car that makes small children burst into tears at idle, many drivers do want a car that sounds as good as it looks, and as well as it goes.

Autohaus Hamilton can offer choices from a number of respected brands.  For the owners of classic 911s there are a number of options from Dansk.  We are expecting a shipment of Dansk mufflers which will include polished stainless steel mufflers for pre-1974 cars, and the more aggressive ‘Sport’ muffler, also in stainless steel, for impact bumper cars of 1974-1989.  We’ve also got Dansk mufflers coming in for Boxster and 996 cars, and tail pieces for 964 and 993 cars.

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A Driving Adventures Update

Driving adventures are some of the best kinds of adventures. So, in search of adventure, we thought it was time to catch up with our friends at Driving Adventures to see what they’ve got going on.

Let’s start, as we so often do, with the track day. It’s up first on Monday the 7th of May and features a day out on the track at Wakefield Park. These are very social days, in which you are provided as much time on the track as you are comfortable with, in a low-pressure, safe environment. They’re not race days, which means they’re a great opportunity to get to know your car, its limits, and your own!

David is planning to take a gentle day-trip down to Goulburn on Sunday the 6th to stay overnight at Trappers. This is something we often do when heading to Wakefield for a  track day as it makes it easy to get to the track nice and early, without getting up at a terribly ungentlemanly hour and putting in a two-hour drive before getting started.

More of these days are planned for the 16th of July, 17th of September and 10th of December.

Later on in May, from the 21st to the 23rd, is the Snowy Mountains tour, which is an excellent introductory tour and takes in some amazing driving roads in a beautiful part of the country.

Next up is the Tour of Europe 2012, which runs from the 10th of June to the 2nd of July and looks to be an absolutely once-in-a-lifetime experience. If there is a road, track or event in Europe that has a place in driving or motorsport culture and history, this tour will give you a chance to drive on it or experience it. Spa, the Nordschleiffe and Monaco are just a drop in the ocean.

There’s only one spot left, so you’ll need to be quick if you’re interested.

Back home for October and the Tour of Tassie. It runs from the 8th through to the 18th of October and follows the Targa Tasmania special stages. The roads are light on traffic and heavy on beautiful scenery and entertaining driving – a great adventure in a breathtaking and peaceful part of the world.

To finish up we have something still in development – the West Coast USA tour. Currently set for the 22nd of September through to the 7th of October, the plan is to include flights, accommodation and a convertible Mustang for a tour through Los Angeles, Joshua Tree, Lake Havusa, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Death Valley, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Mt Lassen, San Francisco, Monterey and Santa Barbara.

Driving a convertible Mustang through California sounds pretty fantastic to me, even if the engine is in the wrong place!

Check out the Driving Adventures website here and get in contact if you’re interested, and we hope you all continue to have amazing adventures in your amazing cars!

Photos via Driving Adventures

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TV Alert: Round One of the International GT3 Cup Challenge Australia and the Quit Forest Rally

Power up your plasmas – it’s time to check out some Autohaus Hamilton motorsport on The Box. Both Round One of the Porsche Staff Solutions International GT3 Cup Challenge Australia and the Quit Forest Rally are to be broadcast on Australian television, and we’ve got the dates, times and channels for you.

Terry Lawlor’s debut in the International GT3 Cup Challenge Australia, which took place in Mallala last weekend, will be broadcast on SPEED and SBS in early May.

Speedweek
Channel: SBS
Date: May 06, 2012
Time: 12:30pm
Categories: Porsche Staff Solutions International GT3 Cup Challenge Australia, Kerrick Sports Sedans, Australian Swift Racing Series.

Shannons Nationals
Channel: SPEED
Date: May 09, 2012
Time: 8:00pm
Categories: Porsche Staff Solutions International GT3 Cup Challenge Australia, Kerrick Sports Sedans, Australian Swift Racing Series.

The Quit Forest Rally, in which Jeff David and Grant Geelan secured victory in the Classic Rally Challenge, will be broadcast on Ten and ONE over the coming week.

Bosch Australian Rally Championship Round 2 – QUIT Forest Rally
Channel: Ten
Date: April 21, 2012
Time: 12:00pm

Channel: ONE
Date: April 22, 2012
Time: 12:30pm

Channel: ONE
Date: April 25, 2012
Time: 8:30am

Channel: ONE
Date: April 27, 2012
Time: 12:30am

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A Weekend With the Porsche Boys at Bathurst

Autohaus Hamilton and friends took to The Mountain over the Easter weekend to enjoy an epic weekend of motorsport at the 2012 Bathurst Motor Festival.

The Porsche Club of New South Wales headed to Bathurst to join in on the event, taking part in the Porsche regularity – just one category in a field of racing and regularity machines that was well on its way to a massive 300 entries.

The well-organised event provided an excellent opportunity to bask in a brilliant atmosphere, enjoy the company of the Porsche Club Australia participants, including PCNSW, and the huge field of fellow enthusiasts, peruse a massive variety of motoring machinery and, of course, tackle the timeless twists and turns of The Mountain.

The boys all put in very impressive times, much to the delight of Grant Geelan; “the boys certainly had an enjoyable weekend and really did Autohaus Hamilton proud with some fantastic lap times.”

We had a chat with Mark Croudace and Simon Tate to get their thoughts on the weekend. Read on to hear from them and make sure to check out their hot laps!

Mark Croudace nailed a personal best time of 2:42

The weekend was fantastic! From the cars to the circuit to the support from Grant and Matt at Autohaus, to the endless laughs – and there were plenty!

My car, a 1993 968CS, ran flawlessly and was handling like very few other cars there. I nailed a personal best time of 2 minutes and 42 seconds on R-spec tyres, which I am ecstatic with. Then I drove home without any problems afterwards. That’s perfect club level Motorsport!

- Mark Croudace

Simon Tate put in a super-quick 2:38

It was awesome. One of the best tracks around, Bathurst has everything – tight turns, fast straights. A good mix of testing your ‘go fast appetite’ and technical skill.

When we watched guys getting airlifted to hospital in the production sports session, it certainly kept it real for the Porsche guys. Credit should be given to the club for the culture that exists around being sensible and courteous. We had close calls but no offs and no accidents. All of the drivers kept their heads and focused on safety before lap times.

The Autohaus guys are also very focused on safety, in my case picking up on a toe adjustment that had an impact coming through the chase, basically making the rear of the car very light through the fastest right turn the track has to offer. By adjusting the toe, the car felt safer and went faster.

The crew also decided to do a brake bleed as the peddle travel was increasing gradually through the sessions. A huge thanks to them for doing a great job in support!

From my personal experience, the last time I raced Bathurst, I was in my m3 and was very pleased with a 2.49.5. Doing a 2.38.7 and feeling like there’s loads more in it has me pumped for next year. I must admit going out 8th on the grid surrounded on both sides by menacing GT3s was a little intimidating, but the Humble Carrera S kept her own and what she lacked in exit speed she compensated for up the hill and across the top. She surprised and delighted me!

- Simon Tate

Thanks to Mark and Simon for taking the time to chat with us, and for the excellent photos and videos!

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Video: A Very Special Porsche 911

Check out this very special 911 from our mates at Tuthill.

It’s a historic 911 rally car, complete with a 3.5 litre motor that pumps out 365hp, dog-box (developed with a little input from Autohaus Hamilton) and a lithe and sprightly curb weight of around 1000 kilograms. Right up our alley!

The video is from Drive‘s Chris Harris, who has a ball banging around in the car, interviewing Richard Tuthill and waxing lyrical about what makes these machines so special to drive.

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