HOBART, TASMANIA, Australia -- Friday, May 12:
The American Girls are back snug at the hotel, their hopes for Targa
Trophies up in smoke---literally. It came pouring from the exhaust of their
Saab Sonett after they suffered a holed piston in the next-to-last stage of
the day. “Still,” said Teresa, “we did as we’d been told: Drive it till it
won’t go any more.”
The pair had managed the day’s stages in good order, finishing below the
Targa Trophy times in every instance, and were looking forward to the final
two days of competition, when the V4 engine went BANG. Nevertheless, though the
team’s efforts came to a sudden end, the pair have good feelings about their
performance during the four days they ran Targa Tasmania. “At least we didn’
t prang it,” said Teresa, noting the alarming number of cars that had
finished their runs upside down, off the road, or bent.
As for future Targa Tasmania plans, all agreed that they will return. “But
next time,” said Teresa, “I think we’ll bring a spare engine as well.”
Reprinted with permission of the author.
