MASON DOMINATES FIRST DAY OF DUNLOP TARGA ROTORUA
By Chris Grant
6th June, 2010
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Six stages made up the Day 1 action - a total of 164 kilometres - and the BNT Mason Motorsport driver was in imperious form, winning 5 of the 6 high speed tests at an average speed of more than 132kph.
Richard didn't hesitate when offered the opportunity to celebrate the life of one of Targa's most passionate supporters and participants in this way and, along with Stace's regular Co-driver Simon Kirkpatrick and their crew, have being 'Doing it for Stace' - and in the best way possible!"I am really honoured to have been invited to be here this weekend and there's no question today's results are a fitting way for us all to remember Stace," said Richard.
"But, as we have learnt all too often in this fabulous, but incredibly fickle, sport we all love so much, the job is only half done, and we have to go out tomorrow and finish it off before we can really feel we have achieved our goal for Stace."
And to give themselves every chance of doing that, a replacement engine has been sent down from Auckland and will be fitted overnight by Stace's team, after the original began to overheat during the 4th stage when a radiator hose split.
"Although we backed off as much as we could for those last three stages, the engine has 'suffered' somewhat and it's doubtful it would last. So rather than just pack up and go home, and in the classic Targa spirit, Stace's guys are digging deep and working well into the night to get #969 ready for the restart in the morning," said Richard.
Sunday sees the competitors head out from 7am over into the Waikato to run 9 stages totaling 154 kms, with a lunch break in Cambridge, before returning to the Finish on the Village Green at the Rotorua Lakefront from 430pm.
The roads and competition will no doubt be fantastic, but unfortunately the weather looks like it will be anything but, with rain and strong winds setting in - just as it did on the final day of the 2008 Targa when Richard and Sara stormed through treacherous conditions to snatch victory on the final stage.
So it looks like a very tough day ahead for all involved, to wrap up the Dunlop Targa Rotorua for 2010.
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Checkout the video ‘streaming’ on the website www.targa.co.nz courtesy of Black Magic Television fronted by Jamie McCarthy.
For Detailed Results - http://targa.tvd.co.nz/public/
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