The Finish

Hobart Finish Line, Targa Tasmania: The all-woman American team of Teresa Davenport and Cheri Huntoon scored a moral victory this evening as they rolled across the finish line under "pit boy power." Under Targa rules, completion of the event requires that final short journey, no matter how many stages have been missed or completed in the previous six days. A cheer went up from the crowd as the little blue car was pushed across the line by the Team America Pit Boy Battalion; among the rarest of the Tasmanian entries---evidently the Saab Sonett was never exported to Australia---the tiny blue coupe and its cheerful crew---the grandmother and the schoolmarm---drew admiring crowds throughout their excursion, and the assembled throng seemed loudly supportive as the Yanks received their finishing medallions, though of course they had fallen short of securing their Targa trophies.

The two had retired after holing a piston in their 1968 Saab Sonett during the Longley stage late Friday. Until that point they had completed every stage below Targa Trophy time, and both were satisfied with their "rookie" performance. "At least it was mechanical trouble that took us out," said Davenport. "The car itself is undamaged---unlike the dozens of teams who were flinging themselves at the shrubbery."

Indeed, 2000 was a year of remarkable retirements, including former World Rally Champion Walter Rohrl, whose Porsche 356 won every stage in the Classic division---over 50---until minor mechanicals put the silver classic out of the rally. In Modern competition, "Gentleman Jim" Richards and Barry Oliver took their fourth overall Targa win by a full minute in their all-wheel-drive Porsche, after hard-charging Ray Lintott inexplicably tore out the rear suspension of his 1996 Porsche 911 on Saturday---after completing a perfect-zero run of the Hobart stage!

The Yanks, who were on a reconnoitering mission meant to illuminate details and logistics of Targa Tasmania in order to return with a broader American force in the future---this year the Saab crew was one of only two American teams, the other a Porsche entry from Hawaii that crashed out on the second day---have confirmed several elements of their Targa strategies:

1. Good rain tires remain a critical element of success. Though 2000 was run in a record Tasmanian drought, the East Coast stages of Day Three were run in a downpour, and the final two days of the rally were so wet that only two stages were run under dry conditions. "The Yokohama AVS Intermediates were great in the wet," said Davenport, "but they worked fine for us in the dry as well." Several competitors came to grief when their tires lost grip without warning, making an instantaneous transition from grip to slide. The American pair found the Yokos quite predictable. Another important factor was wear; Targa Classic competitors are limited to six tires, but this was no problem for the Saab crew; when their tires were checked after three days of dry stages, they had worn only one millimeter from brand new!

2. Spare parts for a Saab V4 are nonexistent on the Apple Isle. "We got a scare when we thought we might need a rocker arm," says Pit Boy Satch Carlson. "Then when they holed a piston, we started thinking about the Saab we had seen on the streets of Launceston---after all, Erik Carlsson borrowed parts from a spectator car to win the RAC Rally years ago---but we realized that we're probably going to have to bring a spare engine and transmission next time."

3. Targa Tasmania may be addictive. "We may not be able to come back next year," says Davenport, "but there is something amazing about this rally---or maybe about this whole Tasmanian experience. People keep asking whether we're coming back, and without even thinking about it, I find myself saying, 'Of course!'"