The team set out with an objective to test their GTR after its repairs following Targa Tasmania earlier in the year.
The positive news is that the car ran faultlessly. The team picked up a number of stage wins and got the opportunity to run the car in the wet.
Now some time will be spent over the coming months to prepare for the 25th anniversary of Targa Tasmania.
Click here to view the gallery
Targa Tasmania was definitely an event of highs and lows for the whole team. The highs were; the pace we had from the start of the event, in only the second running of the car and also our debut of the CR9 Carbon Revolution 20 inch wheels. They really transformed the car and especially on some of bumpy roads throughout Tasmania, the wheels made a significant performance improvement.
Another high was working with such a great team that worked like clockwork!
Obviously, it was a huge disappointment to leave the event midway through. A tough pill to swallow with everything running so well to that point. We have learn’t from that experience and will come back stronger with an aim to have the same pace coupled with greater consistency. We will work hard over the coming months to repair our car and team Redbackracing will be back stronger than ever!
Watch this space!
Click here to view the pictures from Targa Tasmania 2015
On Monday the 27th of April 2015, Adam Spence, Erin Kelly and the team at Redback Racing will enter the record books, being the first race team to run their Nissan R35 GTR with a one piece, full carbon fibre wheel set. These wheels, produced by Carbon Revolution of Geelong, Australia, are the world’s first aftermarket carbon fibre automotive wheel.
The Redback Racing team have been working along side the Australian owned and operated Carbon Revolution on the fitment of a wheel suitable for their GTR.
Adam Spence, team principle, said “We did some early testing on the wheels and you could feel the difference immediately, completely changing the dynamics of the car. Acceleration and breaking performances were improved over our old aluminium wheels due to dramatic weight savings, the Carbon Revolution CR-9 has improved the overall wheel and tyre combination, which makes such a difference to the cars handling”
“We know we still have more to learn about the GTR and what it is capable of and after a solid 5th outright at Targa High Country in November last year, which was our first outing in the car, we know that running such a great product will help us gain those precious seconds needed on every stage to be competitive again this year”.
Brett Gass, Executive Director of Carbon Revolution said “Our partnership with Redback Racing has been a tremendous project for Carbon Revolution. We have been looking for the opportunity to work with an innovative racing team to prove our wheel technology in the harshest conditions possible. We are looking forward to supporting Redback Racing as they strive for great success in this world famous race”
The team at Redback Racing would once again like to take this opportunity to thank all of their support team and our major sponsors Vivant, Corporate Impressions Australia, Cyara, Hi-Tec Batteries, Motul as well as Oracle Creative, Cartek, JustJap, Freem, Styling Spacing Spaces, Renotech and Nuance.
CARBON REVOLUTION
Geelong, Australia, based Carbon Revolution has designed, engineered and manufactures the world’s first carbon fibre automotive wheel. The Carbon Revolution team includes former senior engineers and manufacturing executives from global automakers and suppliers, R&D specialists from the aircraft industry, industrial composites manufacturing specialists and numerous PhDs with materials and structures expertise. Carbon Revolution has utilised this team’s depth of experience and knowledge to develop proprietary and patented processes that are literally revolutionising the wheel industry.
Carbon Revolution, as a global leader in composite technology, has key technology development partnerships with Deakin University and RMIT in Australia, which are both recognised in their respective fields of materials sciences and aerospace technology. The company has met global automaker standards for component supply to ensure a world-class approach to quality and process control. Carbon Revolution’s automotive carbon fiber wheel technology is proven to improve performance and efficiency and the company is working with key partners to develop aerospace, military and industrial vehicle applications to take vehicle performance and efficiency to new levels. “PERFORMANCE IS EVERYTHING. EFFICIENCY IS EVERYTHING ELSE.”
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.
Thanks
Adam, Erin & Team Redback Racing
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.
Many Thanks
Adam, Erin & Team Redback Racing
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.
