Targa Tasmania 2022

Posted on 28/06/202228/06/2022 by admin

Targa Tasmania 2022

Targa Tasmania 2022 was a special year, as the 30th Anniversary of the Ultimate Tarmac Rally, which also corresponded with Adams 14th and Lee’s 11th Targa, the 3rd year with both Adam and Lee competing together in the same car with the ultimate aim of taking the top step of the podium.

Before the race began, the team at Redback Racing hosted a number of sponsors at the Symons plains raceway, just outside Launceston. This gave a great opportunity for Bahco Sponsors, friends and families to get up close and personal with the BMW M3 CSL, including laps of the challenging supercars track. It also provided a great warm up event for Adam to get some time behind the wheel so the team could start the 30th running of Targa prep’d and ready in the best position to take on the most challenging of tarmac rallies!

However, it was very unfortunate that while the team were ready, on the very first stage the car has a computer related issues, which put the engine and gearbox into “Limp Mode” meaning the car would only run labouring and not attacking the first stage as the team would have hoped and lead to the team losing some 45 seconds on the first stage and putting them way down the position order.

The issue was initially resolved, which led to the crew having two solid stages to close the gap that had been caused from the first stage, but unfortunately the issue returned. They had however learnt to fully reset the car and computer, which they had to do mid stage on the side of the road, again costing more time.

Root cause for the issue was still not understood but a tactical work around, resetting the car before each stage to give it a chance to complete the whole stage, hoping that it did not reoccur during the stage… which worked as the team went on to take stage win the next 3 stages and closed the prior lost time to put team Redback Racing into to top position for the Early modern category.

Its with great sadness that unfortunately a competitor lost their life in a fatal accident, which after the loss of lives in 2021 the Targa leadership team made the call at the end of day 2 to downgrade the rest of the event from competition to drive through. This led to Team Redback Racing to an Early Modern Category & Class win by the most slender of lead, 1 second!

It was never a way the team wanted Adam & Lee to share their first collective Targa Tasmania win and everyone at Redback Racing would like to share their thoughts and prayers with the family of their former competitor.

The car was put on display with a local Mitre 10 dealership before being returned to NSW and the team will reset, resolve the issue that had occurred throughout the event and the team look forward to coming back even stronger at our next event!

Click here to view the gallery from Targa Tasmania 2022

Targa Tasmania 2021

Posted on 19/10/202116/02/2022 by admin

Targa Tasmania 2021

The team from Redbackracing again took on the challenge of Targa Tasmania in April of 2021, competing in the Dutton’s Garage Early Modern 2 wheel drive category. This year competing in the BMW M3 CSL that was built and prepared through the COVID 19 Pandemic, which caused its challenges, but the car was setup for the tough challenge that was to be faced while racing throughout Tasmania in the worlds longest Tarmac Rally.

The car ran really well through the first two days, as the crew go to grips with the new power and control changes since stepping into the BMW. Day 3 the service team were called into action with overnight work to repair suspension lines that had worn against the rear wheels. While a challenge to get fixed with no garages open, the car was back racing the next morning.

Conditions throughout the event were very mixed with rain showing an apperance every day throughout. The latter stage of the rally of the final two days, unfortunately led to the passing of three fellow competitors. Shane Navin passed away on the fifth day while tackling the Mt Arrowsmith stage. While Leigh Mundy and former Redbackracing team member Dennis Neagle passed away on the Cygnet stage of Day 6. Our thoughts and prayers remain with Shane, Leigh and Dennis’s family, while time passes memories will not fade of our fellow competitors, Rest in Peace.

The BMW finised the race in fine form, having spent the majority of the race tusseling with Henry and Henry in their Porsche Cayman for third spot. In the final stages throughout Southern Tasmaina the BMW helped the crew get into 2nd spot, but unfortunately the stages were downgraded based on the accident that had occured, so the team finished in a very worth 3rd position, with the passing of the colleaugues there was not celebration or podium but instead all competitors spent time with each other and their familes.

An inquest was performed on Targa Tasmania and some further safety recommendations were put forward and the Targa leadership team have put these into place for all future Targa Events. With further COVID lockdowns all other events were delayed or could not be reached due to border crossings, so we await 2022 when Redbackracing will be back at Tackling Targa Tasmania 2022 – 30th Anniversary.

Click here to view the gallery from Targa Tasmania 2021

In Memory of Shane, Leigh and Dennis.

Redbackracing supporting Can4Cancer, Tour De Cure

Posted on 13/04/202119/10/2021 by admin

Redbackracing supporting Can4Cancer, Tour De Cure

As the 29^th running of Targa Tasmania draws closer, the team at Redbackracing are proud to partner with Can4Cancer, a challenging 3-day cycling event in New South Wales.

Can4Cancer is a community initiative run by the Australian charity, Tour de Cure, which raises vital funds to support researchers working towards curing and preventing cancer.

Can4Cancer has been running for 7 years and this year aims to raise over $2 million dollars in much needed funds.

The team’s principal, Adam Spence, and his long-term navigator, Lee Challoner-Miles are both participating in this exciting and challenging event.

Since joining the board of Can4Cancer this year, Lee has been instrumental in the planning of the event and has helped bring more than 140 riders on board to ensure the $2 million target is met.

Every single dollar counts, and with your help we can be one step closer to reaching the $2 million goal.

Adam and Lee can both be sponsored for this challenging event by clicking below:

Adam – Click Here

Lee – Click Here

Adam and Lee, along with 140 other riders will take on the 375kms over 3 days, with more than 4600 meters of climbing.

The ride commences on the 16th of May 2021in Belmont in the NSW Hunter Valley, making its way to Sydney via Polkobin and Wisemans ferry, before finishing at the Can4Cancer festival at Commonwealth Banks newly opened South Eveleigh campus on the 18^{th of} May 2021, where the riders will finish alongside 5000 walkers and runners who are participating in sister events.

Unfortunately, most of us have been impacted by cancer, whether it be us being directly impacted or through family or friends contracting the dreadful disease.

The team at Redbackraing were especially touched to hear of the untimely passing of motoring legend, Sabine Schmitz, who lost her three-year battle with cancer last month at the age of 51.

You can find out more about Can4Cancer and the event here:

https://can4cancer.tourdecure.com.au/

Redbacking racing would like to take this opportunity to thank their sponsors, supporters and family for their ongoing support.

Targa Tasmania 2019, 1st & 2nd in Class, 5th & 6th in Category!

Posted on 07/05/201907/05/2019 by admin

Targa Tasmania 2019, 1st & 2nd in Class, 5th & 6th in Category!

The cars of Adam Spence & Lee Challoner-Miles, Andrew Bollom & Ryan Preston competed in this years Targa Tasmania 2019. The event known as the ultimate tarmac rally, lived up to its namesake this year, with weather conditions that would test the most experienced of drivers and navigators.

The first day of the six day competition, saw the crews test there cars on three stages North of Launceston as a shakedown and to set the starting order for the subsequent day with very little between the two RBR cars and the early front runners of the Early Modern category that the team were competing within.

As with previous years day two stages were based in the central northern area of Tasmania with the largest and last stage of the day Mountain Rolland providing a real chance to race the cars over a greater distance (27kms). Andrew & Ryan were edging out a lead over Adam & Lee by increasing their lead through each stage with just a few seconds separating the two RX8’s.

Day three was when the weather turned on the competitors, torrential rain set in and made the racing conditions challenging due to the amount of rain fall but a number of the stages reduced visibility through dense fog added to the level of difficulty of completing the stages while trying to compete with tough competition from other cars in the category. It was the Cethana stage where Adam & Lee took full advantage of their combined experience and Adam’s ability to still be very competitive in such challenging weather conditions, so much so they took a 1 min 38 second lead on their sister car of Andrew & Ryan and also were in the top rankings of all cars competing.

The forth and fifth days had similar conditions and the two redback racing cars would continue to drive hard and the time difference on each stage was between 1 and 5 seconds, showing how the freshly built RX8’s were a competitively built car and how when the cars were being driven to their best, could compete with cars ten times their value.

The final day of Targa Tasmania 2019 had the teams race around the Southern Hobart region, while Adam and Lee retained a 1 minute lead, the weather again caused havoc with changing conditions within stages, which continued to make such challenging conditions that competitors would make mistakes and unfortunately not complete the rally, this was not the case for the two redback racing RX8’s as Adam & Lee finished by winning their Class and coming 5th in the Early Modern category, Andrew and Ryan were not far behind finishing 2nd in class and 6th in category, with a gap of just 48 seconds separating the two, when considering the amount of distance they had both raced over the prior 6 days is testament to the sheer determination of both crews and the quality of the build of the two Mazda RX8’s.

The team would like to thank all of their sponsors who helped make this happen and fulfil an achievement of a two car team competing day in and day out throughout the beautiful Tasmania countryside and both being able to finish in the world’s longest tarmac rally.

Click here to view the photo gallery from the event.

Targa Mechanical Failure Frustrations

Posted on 25/04/201627/04/2016 by admin

Targa Mechanical Failure Frustrations

Targa Tasmania 2016 was an important milestone for the team. It was Adam’s 10th Targa in a row and the 25th for the event as a whole. It was also Ross Hynd’s first with the team. The team spent many hours prior to the event testing and preparing the car for the event.

The first day of the event started extremely well with Adam and Ross tied in the lead of the GT4 category after missing a win in the street stage by 2 tenths of a second!

Days 2 and 3 saw the pairing finding their feet but always running in the top 5 or 6 cars consistently which landed them in 5th place. Then on day 4 with some tuning changed done to the car the team start challenging for stage wins with a couple of 2nd’s and clawing towards 4th place with still around 50% of racing distance still in front of them.

Unfortunately, a podium finish was not going to happen at this event with the team halfway through a stage the gearbox failed and went into limp mode which meant the car was still mobile but not competitive in stages. With a lack of spares available in Tasmania for this specialized vehicle, it also meant a premature end to the event for the team.

A devastating result for the team that had so much bad luck previously and who were so well positioned at this event.

That being said there are many positive outcomes from this event that the team will bring into their next rally.

Finally, a big thank you to Ross Hynd who traveled from Scotland and swapped his normal seat in a WRC Hyundai in the Scottish Rally Championship to the teams GTR in Tasmania and proved more than capable of the switch.

Irvine rally ace Ross Hynd set to join Redbackracing for Targa Tasmania 2016

Posted on 02/04/201602/04/2016 by admin

Irvine rally ace Ross Hynd set to join Redbackracing for Targa Tasmania 2016

As the team complete final preparations for Targa Tasmania 2016 starting in just over one week, news has broken in the UK that Irvine rally ace Ross Hynd is set to Join Adam Spence in the Redbackracing Nissan GTR R35.

Ross spoke to Scottish tabloid newspaper Daily record of his excitement in competing in the world’s longest tarmac rally.

Click here to read the full article.

We will be sharing updates in the lead up to Targa and throughout the event so stay tuned at redbackracing.com.au

Team Redback Racing 2014/15 – NEW EVERYTHING!

Posted on 07/10/201407/10/2014 by admin

Team Redback Racing 2014/15 – NEW EVERYTHING!

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.

THANKYOU!

Team Redback Racing Season 2013/14 Wrap Up

Posted on 27/05/201427/05/2014 by admin

Team Redback Racing 2013/14 Season Wrap Up

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!

Targa Tasmania 2014 – Day Five The Finish Line

Posted on 12/05/201412/05/2014 by admin

Targa Tasmania 2014 – Day Five The Finish Line

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.

Targa Tasmania 2014 – Day Four

Posted on 10/05/201410/05/2014 by admin

Targa Tasmania 2014 – Day Four

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.