After an informal, interactive introduction by Rallyschool boss Mick Ryan, head instructors Steve Glenney (2008 1st outright Targa Tasmania, 2009 1st Classic Targa Wrest Point), Brendan Reeves and co-driver Rhianon Smyth (2010 Pacific Cup Rally Champions, 2010 1st 2WD Showroom Targa Tasmania) took over the laid-back vibe, whilst discussing the key points of difference between tarmac rallying and circuit racing, with attitude, safety and ‘getting the car to the finish’ being the main priorities.

The group was then split into drivers and co-drivers, the drivers taking practical instruction in their own vehicles on the challengingly narrow and undulating 2.16km Broadford circuit (chosen to simulate a tarmac stage) whilst the co-drivers gained further insights from Rhianon on all aspects of co-driving, focussing on preparing rally documentation, safety requirements, reconnaissance and pace noting.

This split format allowed the drivers a solid two hours of instructional track time, where they could call on the services of Steve and Brendan to hone their tarmac lines, which Steve said “should allow for a metre of road on either side of the car, to allow you room to re-adjust should something unexpected occur”.

“It was an awesome experience,” said Ryan, a rookie who is building an Escort for Targa High Country. “The old work ute (which he brought along) hasn’t seen 5000rpm for a long time! The guys taught us to be alert, to look for where the surface is greasy or bumpy, and to drive with a safety margin…because anything could lie beyond that blind crest on a Targa stage.”

Over a tasty lunch of scones and rolls the crews reconvened with the instructors to communicate their learning experiences. The importance of working as a team and preparing for consistent, sustainable pace was re-iterated, along with some driving tips that would contribute to finishing well- things like running one gear higher than you might on a circuit to ease tyre degradation and modulating braking over inconsistent surfaces.

Rhianon passed on some basic pace notes for Broadford, which the teams could take on-circuit to modify as they worked on developing their own rhythm.

For the afternoon session crews jumped in and out of the pits, speaking with Mick and the instructors, who answered an array of questions from setup (“Soften the suspension from a circuit spec, for traction and bump compliance”) to numbering corners in the notes (“On a 1 to 10 system, a 3L should represent a 90 degree left turn…”).

Andrea and Lyndal, who were “Co-Drivers A and B” in Scott’s Evo 6, were amazed at the level of advice Rhianon provided. Lyndal, who was already looking to book further training with Rallyschool, confessed to “having the bug,” but after seeing her climb weak-kneed out of the Evo, we weren’t sure which bug she was referring to!

Just as the crews were gaining confidence, Mick played his joker. The cars would now run the circuit in an anti-clockwise direction- a first, according to the Broadford officials.

All of a sudden the circuit became a Targa stage, full of unknowns. Though the instructors remained on-hand, the onus of developing notes now fell on to the crews.

Continuing to practice what they had learned on the day, confidence returned, and speeds rose in correlation to the smiling faces. Lapping continued well into the afternoon, the session ending after 4pm- a great deal of instructional and free lap track time for only $375 ($95 for co-drivers including food through the day).

As goodbyes were exchanged, Mick summarised the feedback he had received: “The groups that had some experience all said, ‘We wish this training was available when we were rookies!’ whilst the newcomers commented that the day has given them a far more solid grounding for the coming Targa events than they otherwise would have received.”

Rallyschool’s aim is to host more of these events in future, which is a great thing for the sport.

UPDATE: Rallyschool received the following feedback from one of the Broadford training participants, Owen Boak:

“As a competitor with quite a few years driving around racetracks I came to Targa with the attitude that I can drive fast – so let’s go and show ‘em… and crashed like many from the same background before me (including many ‘name’ drivers).

The reality is that rallying is a totally different mindset and unless you realize this and the importance of the team effort involved you will likely come unstuck.

I only wish that I could’ve had the opportunity to spend some time with top flight drivers to learn more about the different approach required when I first started – I think Targa should make this course mandatory for ALL newcomers who do not come from a rallying background- no matter how big their reputation, ego or bank balance.”

Water crossing
They decided to make a splash on the international scene by tackling Rally Whangaeri in New Zealand with a leased Ford Fiesta. This first foray overseas also saw Brendan’s front-drive competition debut. “Rally Whangaeri came about because the Fiesta Sporting trophy hadn’t taken off in terms of popularity and they wanted an international driver to boost exposure. We had minimal testing in the car and I found that it needed to be set up for entry well before a corner, so we could drive through under power. My usual left-foot braking technique wasn’t as effective in the Fiesta, due to the brake booster (he had never rallied with one before) altering the pedal feel and making it harder to pivot into turns. Despite this we lead all Fiestas after the first day and were again ahead of the pace on the second. A puncture cost us some time but our challenge ended when we returned to the car. It wouldn’t start because the battery had gone flat,” he remembers.

Whangaeri was the precursor event to participation in the WRC round in New Zealand, again in the Fiesta. When I ask Reeves about nerves, he smiles, but his response is quite assured: “We took a lot from the experience, just seeing how much importance the WRC guys place on reconnaissance and being specific with their notes. I wasn’t nervous being in front of them, as obviously they were running well ahead on the road.”

As for the rally itself, they finished first in the Fiesta class and 25th outright- despite a broken ball joint on the last stage sapping time. Off the back of this performance Brendan earned a wild card entry to the UK for a Fiesta shootout. The majority of other invitees had been running the cars all season…

“Twenty junior drivers were flown in from around the world to compete, the prize being a contract with M-Sport (Ford’s international rally team). The first day we did fitness and psychological tests, and I came out at the top of the list. Day 2 was the actual driving. The conditions were very difficult for me, being minus five degrees and with an icy surface- I’d never driven on that type of surface before. It was a 3km stage and we had three allocated runs each, but I never had my last run as the driver before me destroyed the Fiesta! My second run was good enough for eighth overall, but I had a lot more time in hand as I got to grips with the car. Unfortunately I never got the opportunity to show it,” he says with slight annoyance. Regardless, Reeves made it through to the final five and was interviewed by an illustrious panel that included Marcus Gronholm and Malcolm Wilson. After his demeanour was assessed, they placed him third overall- a remarkable result given the circumstances.

Targa time
Back in Australia Rhianon had an opportunity to co-drive for Rick Bates in the Targa Tasmania for the factory Mazda team in a Mazda3 MPS. Bates was impressed with her professionalism and when an opening came up to drive a second MPS she recommended Brendan. The siblings were subsequently entered in the showroom class for the Tasmanian Tarmac Challenge, as preparation for an assault on the Targa in 2009. The result was a strong eighth outright and first in showroom class.

This momentum carried into the Targa as they won the 2WD Showroom class at Targa Tassie after mixing it in the wet with the Mitsubishi Evos- until the MPS was penalised for a tyre change (against Targa rules) after a puncture.
Gravel, however, continued to be the Reeves focal point. “Our intention was to do as many pace noted gravel rallies as possible, to gain more experience and good enough results to allow an entry into the Australian WRC round in Perth,” he says.

The early results were encouraging despite a small budget which did little for continuity of competition and equipment. “We were fortunate to have Mick offer us a Rally School STI for a couple of events. We won outright at Rally Lithgow in NSW and came second behind Eli (Evans) in South Australia despite being in a less developed car. “

Rising star
Two further key results leap out from his results page. The first was his performance in the Pirelli Star Driver event in Queensland, with Glenn Weston co-driving (Smyth was part of an all-girl team with Emma Gilmour). “This concept pitted drivers under 26 against each other where we competed for points on each stage rather than going by totalled stage times,” he says. “There was some exceptional competition with Eli Evans, Hayden Paddon and Nathan Quinn present. The top 2 guys were to be invited to an Asian Pacific shootout, with the winner getting a paid drive in the Production Car class of the WRC.” Reeves/Weston were duly victorious and one guaranteed spot was theirs, the shootout scheduled for aforementioned WRC round in Northern NSW.

The wander back to Whangarei
A chance for more international exposure came when Brendan was able to lease Emma Gilmour’s STI to enter the New Zealand APRC round, again at Whangarei. This time his intent was nothing less than outright victory. With Weston alongside, Reeves showed confidence and poise as he mixed it with the best rally drivers in the Asia Pacific championship. “The car was very well set up; with a terrific diff program that Emma had developed with Possum Bourne Motorsport to suit the NZ roads. Again we didn’t have much opportunity to test, but still we were running second overall behind Paddon. Cody (Crocker) was third, but driving a new and unsorted car so I expected a fight as the rally continued on. On the fourth last stage, we caught up to Richard Mason, who had blown a turbo and filled the stage with smoke. I lost too much time behind it, and Cody’s clear run allowed him passed. There just wasn’t enough time for me to catch it back up!” The rallying fraternity were mightily impressed with this 20 year old arriving to drive a leased car serviced by borrowed crew to a podium in his first outright Asia Pacific event. Things were looking great, and confidence in the Reeves camp was sky-high for a memorable performance in the Australian WRC event.

Learning experience
Rhainon returned to the co-driving chair for the ARC’s Rally SA, but it was here that all the hard grafted momentum stalled with a massive accident that separated the Rally School STI’s engine from its frame. “We were really focussed on running at the front and we were setting fastest stage times. Unfortunately the car developed a misfire and with the time lost came a need to claw it back. I don’t remember much of the accident- but in the lead up we were doing over 180km/h approaching a 9L over a crest. We landed on a gutter on the right side, the gutter then pulling the car up and into a gumtree before spinning us into another tree on the left. “

Rhianon suffered breaks in both legs and heels, while Brendan cracked vertebrae in his neck. As a result, the guaranteed entry into the Australian WRC in Northern NSW had to be shelved as it was on only three weeks later. “We were pretty shattered and Rhianon had to have several operations to set her legs. She maintained her positivity throughout, and she has vowed to get back alongside me again in 2010,” he explains.

An incident as monumental as this can have a negative effect when one climbs back behind the wheel, however Reeves enlisted the help of a sports psychologist, Anthony Klarica, who was recommended by Simon Evans to assist in his rehabilitation. “He basically helped me refocus on my goals for the future, and to move forward with real positivity for the time ahead,” Brendan remembers.

Fightback
The return came on a local VRC round, the Akademos that he had previously won outright in the naturally aspirated RS. This time he entered in the STI that he had prepared for Perth, alongside Ben Atkinson, who is best known for sitting with Cody Crocker. “My intent was to ease myself back into the groove. Ben was so good about it, being very encouraging. To start with I was braking far too early, but I knew my reasons for it. We were initially running second outright, eventually upping our pace and eventually taking the win, so it was great for the confidence knowing I could still do it.”

Moving forward
So, what lies ahead in 2010 for Brendan Reeves? “I have an entry in Rally Tasmania in our LHD STI Spec-C, with Rhianon returning alongside,” he says. “We are entered in the outright class which allows us some freedoms in tyres, gearbox and engine. The competition is going to be intense- Jim Richards in his Porsche GT2 will be there, Tony Quinn’s GT-R…and Steve Glenney in a similar spec car to my own.” A ‘who’s who of recent Targa Tasmania winners, in other words.

“Things are also looking good for another attack on Showroom class in the Mazda MPS at Targa Tasmania and we’d love to do it again. It is a an event that consumes you… our ‘recce’ last year racked up over 6000kms as the roads change so much in wet/dry conditions. The challenge in making the tyres last the event was an education in smoothness and utilising a higher gear in corners to rely on torque to drag you out without spinning wheels.”

Strong drives in these local events will contribute to 2010’s ultimate goal- to further develop an international profile with entries in selected Asia Pacific and (hopefully) WRC rounds. Reeves is currently talking with a couple of international outfits to achieve this, and early feedback suggests things are progressing well.

The competition driving will be augmented with further work at the rally school (“It’s very cheap testing!”) and his ability to develop hardware has led to some further opportunities- in fact, after our chat he is off to test a new generation of tarmac rally tyre at Phillip Island, aboard a Les Walkden 2008 STI. I jokingly offer my availability should he “Need any circuit tips,” and he kindly goes along with the (attempted) comedy in his easy, down-to-earth manner. As we depart, it is this flash of personality that leaves the biggest impression. He combines good nature with an immense natural talent that is supported by an inquisitive, professional, committed attitude; the net result bringing a true self-belief that will see him go a very long way in the rallying world. Watch this space and remember the name- ‘Brendo’ is on a mission.

*If you are interested in supporting Brendan and Rhianon’s rallying, please feel free to contact us at info@lautista.com.au for further information. They have also introduced a new service designed to develop co-drivers- again, email us for info or visit www.brendanreeves.com.au .

With a jab of handbrake, the Evo pulls alongside the viewing platform, its driver’s face already broken into a smile as he hears yet again the incoherent ramblings of another passenger who has just had their perceptions of fast driving altered forever. The driver, completely relaxed, climbs out, the Evo now sitting idle, its previously superheated internals now ticking cool. He pulls up a chair alongside mine, shakes my hand. “G’Day, I’m Brendo. Nice to meet you.”

‘Brendo’ is perhaps better known as Brendan Reeves, the 21 year old country Victorian who has already proved himself as one of the quickest rally drivers in the country. His resume is already highly impressive and many in the industry are tipping massive things in his rallying future.

Fuelling the passion
How did it all begin? “My Dad Michael was a successful rally driver, winning the Victorian Rally Championship in 1997 and 2003. I remember going to watch him long before I was old enough to drive, helping out in the service crew. I was fascinated by the sport, and when my older brother Nathan got into go-karting I wanted to as well,” he recalls.
Even at the age of 7, Reeves had established that he wanted to be a professional rally driver when he grew up. Obviously not yet old enough to drive a car, he entered the world of karting and participated until he was 11, but found the atmosphere a little tense with other parents pushing their children a little too firmly to be the next Schumacher.
Being so young at the time, he remembers that the new information was quickly absorbed. “I learned race-craft on the karts, and almost unconsciously developed an understanding of the tarmac ‘line’- of entry, apex and exit, which helps me even today on bitumen.”

Reeves played Aussie Rules football and hockey as he ticked away the couple of years required before he could legally compete in local Autocross events. By the time he was 15, brother Nathan was already into rallying and father Michael felt it was time to retire from the stages to devote all his time to developing his children’s rallying interests (I say children as daughter Rhianon Smyth is today a highly successful co-driver in her own right, and usually partners Reeves on major events.)

Dirty work
Out at the family farm at Wedderburn, Michael built a dirt practice track and Brendan’s first memorable dirt experiences came in an assortment of Datsun’s, along with a stripped out Falcon. “It had no weight in it so the suspension worked quite well, and it had a torquey engine so I quickly learned about oversteer!” he laughs.

Brendan fondly recalls Sunday afternoons where he would race a stopwatch over 6kms around the track, battling for top time against his father, brother and friends. “It was fantastic to have the benefit of that track. Combined with Dad’s advice, along with that of his rallying friends, was invaluable. I still occasionally venture out there for testing.”

The move into autocross was “To learn the ropes in a competitive environment at low cost,” he says.
Obviously a fast learner, Brendan at 16 years old became the youngest ever winner of the Victorian Autocross Championship, which pits drivers against the clock over a range of 2km dirt circuits. He competed in a Datsun 240Z that he keeps to this day. “It was a great, reliable car, with around 280bhp and the ‘Option 1’ dog-leg gearbox which the works teams used back in the Seventies. Being rear-wheel drive and quite powerful, I learned a lot about being smooth with my inputs and aiming for the cleanest, grippiest exit lines during that time.”

At the end of 2005 Brendan entered Nathan’s Datsun 1600 in his first stage rally with his father’s old co-driver, Robin Smalley. “Having an experienced hand guiding me at that point was vital,” Brendan remembers. “I drove right on the edge in the first stage, as fast as I could go. As the stage ended, Robin said ‘You don’t need to drive anywhere near that hard to win this event.’ The underlying message really sunk in- you had to manage your speed in a way to combine good pace with enough margin to bring the car home. I also discovered how fit you had to be to achieve consistency. There was a 57km night stage, still the longest I have ever driven, and I came out of it panting. Dad caught me, and said ‘What’s the matter, Brendo? A bit puffed are we!?’”

Brandan’s quickly developing professional mindset was enhanced by an invitation to a 3 day course at the Australian Institute of Sport Rally Development program. Here he was presented with further tools that would assist his development. “We basically learned the other side of rallying. Most people think we just turn up and drive the cars. The AIS educated us about nutrition and mental/physical fitness, but also introduced skills in dealing with the larger rallying community- sponsors and media in particular.”

Adaptation
2006 saw Reeves participate in a couple of rounds of the RS Cup, a championship designed for the all-wheel drive, naturally aspirated Impreza RS. “It was…enlightening!” he grins. “Going from the 240Z which had big power but not much grip to something completely the opposite dictated a change in driving style. The RS was all about keeping up momentum through the corners.”

He quickly adapted, winning the RS cup with a twelfth outright at the 2006 NGK Rally of Melbourne, a round of the Australian Rally Championship (ARC). Rallyschool.com.au owner Mick Ryan reminds me that “Brendo also won a Victorian event outright in the RS…against turbocharged STI Imprezas… including one driven by his brother!”
In light of this banter, it is obvious the siblings enjoy a good natured rivalry. Rhianon, who also works the Melbourne rally school weekends with her brothers, appears to enjoy stirring the pot- at one stage cheekily asking a returning school student which brother was the quicker ‘hot lap’ instructor. When “Nathan” was the response, she made sure Brendan heard about it! “But those laps are about going sideways not about speed!” was his smiling response.

The national stage
Brendan’s impressive performances in the RS led to a real breakthrough for 2007, as Les Walkden provided a privately owned left hand drive STI for Brendan and Rhianon to compete in the ARC. “Les was a big supporter of the RS challenge and after it finished in ’06 he wanted to give a young driver a chance to step up. I was lucky enough to be chosen,” he recalls.

It was another steep learning curve as Reeves was new to LHD and the Impreza’s ‘dog ‘box’. The established rallying fraternity, more close-knit than in other forms of motorsport, were quick to lend the new boy a hand. “Cody Crocker was great,” Reeves says. “A fortnight before the first Rally in Queensland he came out to the farm and, on that same dirt track Dad had made, he showed me how to get to grips with the car.”

This quick familiarisation led to a scarcely believable third outright in Queensland, but the lingering taste of champagne was not long to last, for at the next event in Western Australia Brendan and Rhianon failed to finish. “We’d come through to the last stage and were again looking good on pace. It was a wet stage…we crashed and basically destroyed the car. It was humbling, especially after experiencing the elation of Queensland.”

Reeves/Smyth ended the ARC season sixth overall and third privateer. Ever competitive, he recalls with disappointment the missed opportunity to take third overall with a strong finish in the Melbourne finale. “The Victorian drought made the surfaces very slippery. On the fourth stage I misheard the pace note for a 7 Right and lost my spot on the stage. We ended up rolling seven times…,” he says, voice trailing off at the memory.

The ‘new boy’ had thus made an STI-sized dent (sorry) on the sport, and as time went by he found that the advice that was once free-flowing from guys like Crocker, Simon Evans, Ed Ordynski and Neal Bates was now replaced with competitive banter as their respect for his ability grew. “Cody and Simon sometimes work for the rally school, and we always try to one-up each other, the aim being to slide the car as much as possible!” he laughs.

The brother/sister team then spent the summer of 2007/08 developing their pace note communication, adapting the familiar 1 to 10 corner grading system to their own specifications under the guidance of the aforementioned Crocker and Ordynski. A more diverse range of opportunities were to come in the new year….

Follow the link for part 2: Part 2

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Ford’s opinion was that those who required more performance would plump for the 240kw XR6 turbo or 260kw XR8 if a V8 grumble was required. There was no longer any need for a hotted up atmospheric version of the six, especially since the standard engine was so far ahead of the competition. So, the XR6 became a handling and cosmetic package; a recipe of wider alloys, lowered suspension and body addenda.

The lineup remains similar in today’s FG range, though the numbers have changed with development- the XR8 sporting 290kw, the XR6T 270kw, while the base Barra motivating the XR6 produces 195kw @ 6000rpm with 391nm torque @ 3250rpm. Given those figures match the entry level XT, does the sporty handling tune accentuate the Barra’s strengths enough to justify the XR6 beyond its body kit? Let’s find out.

The test
Welcome to Tasmania, known for apples, cheese, pinot noir and breathtaking wilderness. This wilderness provides a stunning canvas from which to paint sinuous ribbons of black tarmac, celebrated annually by the world renowned Targa Tasmania.

We have nabbed the keys to a new XR6 finished in the popular Nitro Blue and matched to a non-showy Black cloth interior. It is in a standard spec with the no cost option 5 speed auto replacing the 6 speed manual, and a 245/45/17 wheel/tyre combination designed to compliment the lowered, stiffened ‘Virtual Control Link’ front and ‘Sports Control Blade’ rear suspensions. Our aim is to discover the abilities of the XR6 across as broad a cross-section of roads as we can find, and following the route that comprised the ‘West Coast trundle’ of the 2009 Targa Tasmania sounds ideal.
Coming for the ride is photographer Daniel, a veteran of XR Falcons having previously owned EB XR8 and EL XR6. Leaving Launceston for Highway 1, the FG’s gleaming blue paintwork shimmers off the shop windows, standing out against the bleak greyness of a typical Tassie morning.

After finding a comfortable seating position through the manually adjustable seat and steering wheel, we head west for Deloraine. First impressions are of a big, relaxed sedan that is in its element at a loping 110km/h cruise. Passengers are reasonably seperated from road undulations and the engine makes unobtrusive progress. Unfortunately, that degree of separation also feels evident in the steering. Though the car sits solidly with no tram-lining tendencies, it’s feels as though there is a feedback barrier distorting the message between rack and hand, dampening the chatter from the wheels. While this detachment contributes to the sentiment of progress-with-minimal-effort, we hope that the XR6 can break the barriers when the road starts to fall back on itself.

Another early bugbear is the auto’s lack of intuitiveness. It often kicks down unexpectedly, disrupting driving flow. As a result we experiment by nudging the lever into manual mode, which is quite a reach across fat centre console (forget even attempting this if you have bottles in the central cup holders). This achieved, we lock the ‘box into 5th gear to determine if the early kick-down is masking a lack of low-rev torque. My right foot plummets through the false stop in the throttle, and we glance at the speedo to await the corresponding increase…hmm, it seems to take a long time to gather enough momentum to turn 90km/h into 110, and is “Nothing on even the manual EL’s high gear, low rev-range response,” according to Daniel. Running it back through the lower gears suggests the big 6 only really starts to wake up with 3000rpm on board, with the combination of older-tech auto and 1800 odd kilos dulling the 195kw motor’s response.

By the time we reach the road that makes up the Mole Creek Targa stage, familiarity has grown and we are ready to explore the XR’s dynamic repertoire in more detail. Sport mode selected with the DSC engaged, the big Falcon transitions from Jekyll to Hyde with a multivalve snarl as revs rise, replacing the previously hushed vocal track. Grip from the Dunlop sport tyres is mightily impressive, and they play a key role in assisting the XR6 to overcome its girth and allow it to turn in with respectable agility. Little roll is evident laterally, and traction in the dry is good enough to not overly worry the DSC system, though over 50kgs of luggage (which was quite easily swallowed by the boot- if you are into that kind of data) set right on the rear axle has to help. Despite these attributes you are still left yearning for more feel, the power steering remaining slightly aloof and lacking the kind of granular feedback that allows you to truly key in to the tarmac beneath.

We gather our thoughts as we cross Oliver’s plains to take in the legendary Cethana stage, cutting through Cave country, rocky outcrops providing an imposing backdrop as we ascend, then traverse free-fall down Mt Claude. Here there is either a camber, gradient or surface change around every corner; the bends themselves ranging from hairpins to flick-flack esses. Cethana’s second half is known as a brake killer even at legal speeds and the XR proves this with the previously nippy pedal response replaced with a degree of sponginess, accompanied with a hint of ‘brake whiff’. It doesn’t dilute the sense of awe at driving this strip of bitumen, which compresses every aspect of a rewarding road into 37kms that locals proudly proclaim as the “best piece of tarmac in the world.”

Unfortunately our relationship with the rain has turned from on-again off-again to a live-in arrangement so it’s a good time to settle back into cruise mode, passing through the historic town of Wilmot and spotting the local extroverted letterboxes (from a model steam-train to an outhouse) along the way to tackling more Targa turf in the form of a winding dive to Gunns Plains and a steep climb through Lowana, which sees the wipers working wilfully to keep our field of vision clear.

The Falcon further impresses, maintaining its composure with exceptional body control and a surprising resistance to scrubbing understeer, even without DSC. Switching this off provides an opportunity for the rear to have more input into the cornering process, with a tentative throttle squeeze early in a hairpin revealing that the nose will push wide initially before trimming back to the line as you move to the apex. A more confident input balances the car nicely, avoiding that initial washout, while stabbing harder still offers a relatively benign transition to power oversteer- provocation of which is exacerbated by the conditions. After one sliding instance, Daniel remarks “It’s amazing in this day and age that you can access an engine like this in a car primarily aimed at families. It’s lucky the DSC defaults on when you turn the key…could you imagine Mum on the school run being distracted by the kids in the back and getting broadside in a roundabout?” Thankfully, that aforementioned numbness in low-rev delivery means that it takes quite a prod to do draw this reaction unless the gate is locked in 1st gear.

After our overnight stop on the north coast at Ulverstone, the Targa route takes us through Burnie (with a detour to the Hellyers Road whisky distillery thrown in- well recommended for passengers) before gliding south west towards the conclusion of the trundle in Strahan.

It’s raining harder than ever, so much so that at one point we have to stop to pause for breath, the swiftest wiper speed unable to cope with the deluge. Despite this the Dunlops continue to impress with the way they find grip even in puddles that appear designed to cause aquaplaning of true heart-in-mouth proportions.

Through to the famous Hellyer Gorge we continue to make assured progress between thick forests and meandering rivers (do watch for tourists parking their cars in the middle of the road near the gorge itself…) and the short, intense stage of Mt Black before taking in Rosebery and the final, 33km Rinadeena stage that gradually descends into Strahan.

It’s a grower, this XR, revealing further depth here as initial sweeping corners morph into 30km/h snaps left and right. It carries a poise that is particularly well resolved, with bumps on corner entry being ironed flat (they barely register through the wheel), the shock absorbers maintaining body control as the big Ford settles into the apex. This control is tested during one particularly challenging moment when we negotiate a DSC-free tightening left over a crest, followed by a quick pivot into an adverse camber sharp right. The rear lifts, goes light- the momentum building into a slide, but a settling of the throttle combined with a smooth but swift steering correction settles things down once more. So, you can play but we would advise to keep the DSC on for regular road driving.

Overall, as we settle into a dinner of fresh ocean trout, it is safe to say that the XR6 has exceeded early expectations. But is it still relevant in today’s market? Daniel: “It’s a slow burner isn’t it? I couldn’t bring myself to see beyond its weight and the detached, dulled initial responses. But you learn to adjust…you can get it to flow by easing it into the apex, trusting the grip and using the manual shift mode to exploit the engine more completely. I’d still take the 6-speed manual, though.”

It has to be said that the XR6 still fills its intended niche despite the standard engine, which isn’t short of power in the first place. It is entertaining enough to keep the enthusiast interested, yet is spacious enough to carry five adults comfortably. The ride mixes a tinge of sportiness without being harsh and though the steering could use more feel its overall blend of power and handling is very well judged. It is also cheaper, more fuel efficient and easier for anyone to get in and drive than either of its more illustrious XR siblings. Even without the sparkle of extra stomp, the XR6 still makes a strong case for itself.

Having recently driven through the Queenstown Targa stage, in normal road conditions but in the wet, and knowing how damn slippery it is (the muddy rock run-off from the mining country surrounding the road turns it into a quagmire) I have an even greater appreciation for the skill and commitment of the guys that run at it this hard during Targa time. Enjoy!

These commissioned arrangements obviously make it more challenging to maintain the content here in our spare time around our other work commitments.

On top of this, Adam and Brendon have both moved house and Greg married his gorgeous girl Michelle…not long before other wedding bells sing in the camp either, it seems…

Some creative introspection has led to some exciting concepts being conceived, with a book idea being developed that covers the famous Targa Tasmania but in a slightly different light.  More on that as it develops.

In the meantime, we look forward to bringing some fresh content to the site, along with the usual motoring related fun stuff.

Cheers

Adam