Targa High Country – A great success! (available for viewing on 7 Mate, Sunday 23rd 12 Noon November 2014)
After 6 months month of planning and hard work, the team at Redback Racing made their way from Sydney, Brisbane and Doha to the beautiful Mt Buller, Victoria for the first ever outing in their new Nissan GTR R35.
After the huge effort by all involved to get the car to the stat of the event, things didn’t quite go to plan, when during a test run down the mountain on Thursday before the official start on Friday Adam & Erin had a gearbox sensor fail getting stuck in 5th gear and going nowhere fast. After a few panicked phone calls to ask a few favours, the car was towed back to Melbourne where our service crew, with some much needed help from the guys at Justjap, Motul and Alpine Affair worked through the night to have the car ready to race on Friday morning.
The event went smoothly from that point on with the car running like a dream. Over some of the most beautiful roads in Australia, Adam and Erin had the car running as high as 2nd position outright, finishing in 5th place on the final day but ending on a high after winning their first stage outright on the Sunday afternoon!
Now with only 6 months until Targa Tasmania in late April 2015, the team are focused on making some slight enhancements to the car. Be sure to stay tuned for further updates throughout the year.
As always we would like to thank our incredible sponsors, Cyara, Vivant, Carbon Revolution, Hi-Tech Batteries, Nuance, Corporate Impressions Australia, Oracle Creative, Motul, Cartek, Reno Tech, Dirrawong, JustJap, Feeem and Styling Spaces for their ongoing support and encouragement.
After getting to know the car a little better, the team were able to push a little harder on the familiar day 2 stages which took them out to Pizzini Wines at Whitfield and back.
With the crew and car performing faultlessly they were able to finish the day 3rd, up 2 places from yesterday. Adam, Erin and the crew are thrilled with the day’s results.
The team are looking forward to tackling the challenging stages of day 3 which takes them out to Eildon and back. The biggest challenges of the day ahead are the two 30km stages and the final run up Mount Buller however temperatures tomorrow are set to be a welcoming 10ᵒ cooler which everyone will be looking forward to.
Today was the first day for Adam and Erin in the Nissan GTR.
The team in the car are forever gratefull to their service crew, who worked through the night to get the car to the startline. We would also like to thank JustJap for their help with car parts and Alpine affair who loaned us their workshop.
Today was a steep learning curve in the new car but an enormous amount of fun and we are looking forward to learning the car further and enjoying days 2 and 3.
The big question at the end of last years season was where to go next…
So after a few discussions within the team it was decided that new RedbackRacing Branding and a new car for the coming season ahead.
We started literally the day that Targa Tasmania 2014 finished looking into options and a path forward.
So, with a huge amount of work and effort from so many people we are extremely excited to launch the teams new look branding coupled with our new car.
A 2011 Nissan Skyline R35! We will be competing in the competitive Modern Category of Targa High Country 14 and Targa Tasmania 2015.
We hope you like the new branding and come and say hi to the team at these events.
The team would like to thank our loyal sponsors that have believed in us and have come along for the journey and our new sponsors for this new season. Together you have enabled a dream!
Without you and the team who all donate their time we would not be here.
The big question as the two car Redback Racing Team started a very wet Targa Adelaide back in August was could we score one and two in the 2013/14 Australian Targa Championship. We are excited to report that not only did the two car team get one and two but interestingly, a mid season driver change saw them also clinch third.
We started our quest in the picturesque Adelaide Hills. Targa Adelaide although a long running event, saw both crews competing here for this first time and the conditions thrown at us were challenging to say the least. The roads were wet, windy and slippery (with one stage aptly named the Corkscrew). Driver, Bunjamin Noor and co-driver, Lee Challoner-Miles were pushing hard and had a couple of near misses in the tricky competition sections where they luckily avoided any serious damage to the car. Some crews weren’t so lucky with many crashing out of the event. Some would say it was carnage out there. Fortunately both Redback Racing crews survived the four day event with driver, Adam Spence and co-driver, Erin Kelly claiming first place and maximum championship points with team mates Noor and Challoner-Miles coming a close second.
Next, we made our way to Mount Buller in the heart of the breathtaking Victorian High Country. Being November, you would expect the snow to be long gone however at an altitude of 1,804 metres the conditions on the mountain were freezing with snow still falling and the fireplaces in the alpine lodges burning bright. Thankfully, it was a little warmer once we had raced down the mountain and enjoyed the roads of the Victorian High Country in the lovely sunshine. One of the favourite events of the championship sees us race up the iconic Mount Buller stage. This year, we saw 4 seasons in the 18km climb. The sunshine and dry conditions at the bottom of the mountain gave the crews confidence to push hard however conditions quickly changed to rain, to sleet then to snow catching some out and ending their event. The team of Spence and Kelly won their second showroom win in a row and their second victory at Targa High Country. It was also very exciting to see the team of Noor and Challoner-Miles step up to the second step of the podium for the first time at this event but also for the second time this season.
In February, we competed at Targa Wrest Point in the rolling hills and mountain roads to the south of Hobart, Tasmania and the scenic Huon Valley. We welcomed a new driver to the Redback Racing Team, Andrew Bollom (former Redback Racing Service Crew Manager and competitor), replacing Noor who disappointingly couldn’t commit to the remainder of the season. This event last year saw Adam and Erin lose their wheel on the Airwalk stage putting them out of contention however this year, nuts were checked and then checked again with no chance of history repeating. Both teams thrived in the perfect conditions again, finishing one and two with Spence and Kelly on the top step and Bollom and Challoner-Miles second, making it a hat trick of one and twos for the team.
The last and most grueling event of the championship was the world famous Targa Tasmania, the ultimate tarmac rally. The six day marathon event sees crews travel from Launceston to Strahan then down to Hobart. It is a true test of man and machine. Unfortunately on day one Spence and Kelly came off the road and had to be recovered by their service crew. As a result they incurred a hefty time penalty of 40 minutes meaning their hopes of a clean sweep were dashed. The car suffered some mechanical damage however was still able to be driven meaning they could get to the end in Hobart to score championship points, albeit in third place. Bollom and Challoner-Miles very nearly suffered the same fate on the very same corner with a hair raising moment however kept it on the road and drove their way to Hobart, holding first place for the duration of the event. Bollom and Challoner-Miles set an impressive top 20 outright result, a testament to driver, co-driver and the Renault Megane.
We had moments of joy and sheer frustration over the season however we knew it was never going to be easy. Like a well-oiled machine, drivers, co-drivers and service crew worked hard in their roles, each with their own strengths, and came together to rise above the challenges they were faced. The hard work and determination paid off and we were ultimately successful.
Final championship point scores
Position
Driver
Co-driver
Vehicle
Points
1
Adam Spence
Erin Kelly
2013 Renault Megane RS265
231
2
Andrew Bollom
Lee Challoner-Miles
2011 Renault Megane RS250
160
3
Bunjamin Noor
Lee Challoner-Miles
2011 Renault Megane RS250
125
Justin Hocevar, Managing Director Renault Australia, said: “I’d like to personally extend my congratulations on behalf of Renault Australia to Adam Spence and the team at Red Back Racing. It has been thrilling to see the dynamic Renault Sport Megane dominant throughout the championship and this sensational effort has been rewarded with a convincing series win.”
As a team, we would like to take this opportunity to thank our many sponsors, supporters, family and friends. You are what make this journey such a thrilling and special one to be a part of and couldn’t do it without you.
As for our plans for next season – watch this space. You won’t be disappointed!
After 5 days of Tarmac Rallying throughout Tasmania, the team crossed the finish line on Sunday afternoon. The showroom category finished with Andrew and Lee coming in 1st place, Adam and Erin in 3rd and a Mini cooper works finishing in 2nd place.
Day 5 had very similar conditions to that of day 4 with rain on all but the last stage making it a very challenging last day to the event. The Megane’s handled the conditions very well including the grueling Mount Arrowsmith stage which is nearly 60km’s long, especially in such wet conditions, the cars and teams did really well not to join the numerous other competitors whom encountered accidents or mechanical failure.
Andrew and Lee also were able to finish the race in the top 20 outright which is a fantastic result when looking at the cars in and around that position.
The championship gala dinner is on Monday night, we will put up another post after that to wrap up the 2013/2014 championship and include some more photos in our gallery section in the website, but here’s a few pictures from the final day of Targa Tasmamia 2014 until that time.
Day 4 was a challenging day for all of the Targa field, the conditions were cold, wet and very slippery. The test proved to be more and more difficult for some with more than 30 cars failing to complete all of the day’s stages. The two car team of Redback Racing survived the conditions with Andrew and Lee continuing to dominate the Showroom class. Adam and Erin, after suffering a significant time penalty on day one after an off are in third place. Tomorrow is the last day of the gruelling 5 day event where crews drive the 60km Mount Arrowsmith stage after having left the west coast of Tasmania en route to Hobart.
Day three of Targa Tasmania saw the team drive from Launceston up to the North Coast passed Devonport, then down the West coast to finish at Strahan, going through the Rinadena stage where Adam and Erin unfortunately finished their Targa Tasmania 2013. This year the day went well for both cars with Andrew and Lee increasing their lead in the Showroom catergory – their times would place them 4th in 4 wheel drive showroom and 7th in early modern, which is fantastic result thus far comparing the differences between the cars competing in these categories. Adam and Erin also had a good run through day three making up time on the 2nd placed Mini in the showroom category.
Both cars got through the day with little difficulty, Adam and Erin had a close encounter on a corner with the inside dirt bank, with Andrew and Lee also being chased by other competitors due to water pouring out of their car, thankfully it was only the windscreen washer bottle that had leaked (see photos).
The team will use Strahan as their base for two days with the teams again heading north up to Burnie tomorrow with some long and difficult stages which will again test their skills.
