Duo complete Targa double
Haydn Mackenzie and co-driver Matthew Sayers are celebrating their second Targa title in a year after driving their Mitsubishi Evo 10 to victory in a five-day rally.
The pair, pictured above, won 10 of the Targa New Zealand tarmac motor rally's 31 stages before finishing nearly 12 minutes ahead of their closest rivals on Saturday.
Victory for Mackenzie, a 35-year-old dealer principal at his family’s Toyota dealership in Albany, Auckland, and his friend Sayers, who works in sales in Hamilton, added to their triumph in the three-day Targa Hawke’s Bay event in May.
Second place in the annual event, which covers 1,932km from Taupo to Palmerston North, went to 2013 event winners Martin Dippie and co-driver Jona Grant in a Porsche 991 GT3 RS.
Mackenzie and Sayers’ success broke the five-event winning streak of Aucklanders Glenn Inkster and Spencer Winn, who raced in a Mitsubishi Evo 8 and set the early pace before falling victim to an engine bay fire on Friday’s first stage.
This year’s 25th annual Targa NZ event also featured a separately scored two-day “Regional Targa” over the final sections. Former New Zealand rally champion Bruce Herbert and co-driver Bevan Parker steered their Mitsubishi Lancer to victory ahead of the Subaru Impreza WRX of Richard Gillies and Stephen Burr.
A concurrent time trial run by the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand was won by Russell Yates and Alise Inger in an MGB Roadster.
RESULTS
Final overall top 10
1. Haydn Mackenzie/Matthew Sayers (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X RS) 5:44:04.0
2. Martin Dippie/Jona Grant (Porsche 991 GT3 RS) 5:55:51.9, +11:47.9
3. Jason Gill/Mark Robinson (VW Polo R) 6:00:34.9, +16:30.9
4. Marcus van Klink/Matt Richards (Mazda RX8) 6:02:18.8, +18:14.8
5. David Rogers/Aidan Kelly (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 10 RS) 6:07:14.1, +23:10.1
6. Robert Darrington/David Abetz (BMW M3) 6:07:51.9, +23:47.9
7. Jeremy Friar/Katrina Renshaw (BMW 330ti) 6:07:58.7, +23:54.7
8. Graeme Wong/Kim Blatchley (Subaru Impreza WRX) 6:14:23.2, +30:19.2
9. Bevan Claridge/Campbell Tannock (Holden SS) 6:17:26.3, +33:22.3
10. Barry Kirk-Burnnand/Dave O'Carroll (BMW E30 M3) 6:22:37.2, +38:33.2
