January 10, 2011 - We are going back to Newfoundland!
Our entry is in for 2011. But we need your help. We need to raise at least $10,000 to bring our two-car team back, and we're asking Targa fans to help by donating. Details
If you're a fan of the car and the team, please consider giving us a hand to make it back and compete at the top level.
The top level? Yes indeed. With the loss of the handicapping system, the only hope cars like ours have is for a class win - and there are so many of those that it's unlikely there would be more than one or two cars in each class. This basically renders the classes irrelevant. So we're throwing out the carefully designed rule book and going into Open class. This means we're up against the fastest of the fast. Heady company indeed.
However, there is The Lesson Of The Blue Mini. Doug Mepham ran close to us in outright speed in 2008 - we were always staged at the start line together. In 2010, he finished 6th overall by simply staying out of trouble. Granted, Doug does have as much Targa experience as anyone, but if a team with similar speed to ours can finish so well, what could we do with a faster car?
So the Targa Miata is going to get that V8 I've been dreaming about for two years. Yes, the beautiful little 2.0 is coming out. I'm going to miss it (and it's for sale!). Going into its place is an LS1 V8: all-aluminum, 5.7 litres and something like 350 hp. The exact specification hasn't been decided yet, but it should be dramatically healthier than the previous. The weight will go up slightly, but probably only around 150 lbs. So, the plan is for the same handling but the ability to vaporize the boring straight bits. This year, I'll have to lift to avoid hitting 200 kmh even in the town stages!
We're also going as part of a team, under the Flyin' Miata banner. Flyin' Miata (or FM) was a major sponsor of ours in 2008, but this year we're actually driving for them. The team will have two cars, the Targa Miata in Open Class and another Miata running in Grand Touring. That one will (likely) be another V8 car, but in full luxe street trim and with Bill Cardell driving. Bill's the owner of Flyin' Miata, and I think he's tired of hearing me talk about the Targa! His codriver has not yet been announced, but we're speaking to several high-profile journalists about it.
So that's it. We're going back - if we can raise enough money. Our entries are in, help us get to the start line!
Buckle up, there's some serious construction ahead.
tags: annoucements |
THE DIARY