"A mostly wet 1996 Targa Tasmania in a quick BMW M3R"
"A mostly wet 1996 Targa Tasmania in a quick BMW M3R"
In my 51 years of rallying, this is the prettiest & fastest rally car I have been in.
It was a gentleman crew - yes, we were "dreamin" - of Pat Barber & Simon Brown
Which was brought to you by an array of BHP’s associate sponsors!
BMW Melbourne, who supplied the most important piece - the BMW M3R
M & J Novak Panels – South Melbourne
– for the “ab fab” stunning hand-painted BMW coloured logo flag tail decor
Beaurepaires - for the Dunlop R - "Dry" spec
BHP Transport - from the Team Captain
BHP Petroleum - cause we used a bit of it
BHP Temco - cause they are in Tassie
BP - cause the small BP logo looked cute on the rear 1/4s of the M3R!
Bells Hotel South Melbourne - for event planning meetings
Now-a-days old rally mates often chat about the "good old days" via social media rather than a halfway rub - a - dub.
Here is a HRA Facebook Group chat from a few months ago between these teammates.
Pat, thanks for
the extra Laser TX3 and M3R pics. And yes, you are so right, we had some great
times in rallying over the years.
We did pretty well in the ARC in '96 in that little Laser TX3 from Southern City Ford, 5th outright wasn't it?
There was also a
loaner Subaru Brumby ute and a SWB Ford Maverick along the way. Any I have forgotten?
As for the M3R and
Targa, that was a quick car 
! The rain and some silly mechanical issues got
in the way.
Some things from that Targa that immediately flash up - entering
a control - in the wet - backwards!
Breaking down with the driveshaft bolts failure at traffic lights in Kingston on a transport just out of Hobart. Then, when letting the service crew know where we were and then stating they were still in Hobart - my immediate reply- "oh you are only 12 kms away" with some local knowledge as I was standing next to a signpost that said, "Hobart 12".
Then a long lunch
in Hobart organising the replacement parts that were airfreighted in, weren’t
they?
Learning how to
groove tyres over the phone with Russell Stuckey
And still a
highlight, the night in the Queenstown hotel on the quick survey weekend. The
locals in the bar who had never got over the hill to Hobart too much inbreeding
in that town!
After another
spin in the wet we found that the ABS worked 140k in reverse.
And
flicking the Terratrip over to the "speed " setting on the early flat-out
run along the high plains on the Cethana stage and seeing 220+ kms before
quickly flicking it back to the "distance" setting for comfort! Following by the steep descent off the
high plain down to the hairpin left at the Spectator Point at the bottom. Pat,
how many cars did we pass going down the hill? 4 or 5 maybe, including a Torana
SLR plus another, on the inside into the hairpin left. That BMW M3R was as good
as stopping as it was to get going!
The brakes on M3R
were outstanding. Slamming my size 9 boot on the panache pedal at 200k, I could
feel my eyeballs losing from their socket. There were only 10 M3R units produced and they
had the same ABS system as the Williams f1 cars. I have never passed so
many cars in my life, seen some many cars also smashed to bits. I must say that
you never said much and note reading was outstanding. It's shame I chose the
wrong tyres, it was truly a hand full in the wet.
At
the end of this classic Cethana stage I said to the other BMW M3 crew we
chasing this - dry - day, "I now know what Targa Tassy is all about"!
Targa, I don't
remember where it was but the instruction was "10 crest 100 sharp downhill
5 right " over the and it very steep, wet and what road there was covered
in mud and cow shit. At the turn right there was what left of a hedge with
several cars in the paddock, (one was on its roof) the ABS system kept us
dead straight all the way around the corner, where there was another pile of
wrecks and people running around like chooks with their heads cut off. Funny how things stick in your mind even after
all those years.
Back in the good
old days, lot fun inside and out of the cars. That's one thing they can't take
away "the memories "
Yes, back in the good old days.
But I am always looking forward ...
Over the next few months, I have three new firsts for my rally career.
My10th Down the Drains in July with a new driver Amy Jane Roberts in her pretty little Echo called Delta
Graham Wallis's Mallee Tour in August with John- Rawson in my New Neo Navara ute - as part so the Noog Pub Ute Rally Team with Bruce - I've been there before - Wilson & Peter - Joe Cool - Fraser to relive our "Glory Days win" of the 2008 BP Ultimate Olde BP Rallye which spent a lot of time in the Mallee, inc our event recovery section of Bronzewing after a earlier stuff up at the "Iron Clad Tank milling" with @ six other crews.
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