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Congratulations to Keith Tanner, USA7s member and Class Winner in the Targa Newfoundland


scannon

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On their first attempt Keith and Janel Tanner were 1st in class and 16th overall in the Targa Newfoundland.

:hurray: :cheers: :hurray: :cheers: :hurray:

 

Keith works at that Mecca of Miatadom, Flyin' Miata in Grand Junction. He is also the author of "How to Build A Cheap Sportscar" based on his experiences building a Locost 7.

 

The build of their Targa Miata is here.

 

Race results are here: here.

 

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Keith and Janel Tanner,

 

All I can say after watching the clip that Boxologist posted is "WOW" and I kept thinking and woundering how many times did Janel reach over and smack you during the different stages for scaring her.

Janel had the hardest job of the team but you both did very well together so WELL DONE.

 

PS: So are you going to write about your experance for all of us that don't have your drive for adventure.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Awww, thanks guys!

 

I didn't scare Janel at all. She doesn't scare easy, and our first goal was to bring the car home. So I stayed well within the traction circle. That's why you don't see us much in the highlights video :) I'll admit to exploring maximum traction and maximum road once or twice, but that's why you leave some in reserve...

 

You can read the reports from during the race here: http://www.targamiata.com/race.php

 

I'll have articles in one or two magazines, but that link gives you the pure stuff, written late at night in hotel rooms as Janel worked over the pace notes for the next day. Video's coming as well.

 

To understand how an old BMW can beat a new Evo, you need to know how the Targa works. Here's something I wrote up:

 

A bit more explanation about how the Targa works. It's a lot more than a TSD.

 

Each class is given a base time for a stage, both in terms of elapsed time and in terms of average speed. For example, we might have to maintain a minimum speed of 121 km/h through a certain stage. Unlike a TSD, this doesn't change throughout the stage, nor is it necessarily an achievable number. That last bit is important. TSDs are about self-control as much as anything else, as you try to maintain 33 mph on a fairly open road with a 35 mph limit. I went by one 30 km/h sign doing 150 km/h, that's not The TSD Way :)

 

If you finish the stage within the base time, you don't get penalties. If you can't finish in time, you get one penalty point per second that you're late. And nobody finishes without penalties, there are certain stages that it's simply not possible. In other words, all stages are run at maximum attack. The navigator tells you what's over blind crests, what the next turn looks like, if there are special dangers, major bumps, etc. Instead of the typical TSD instruction of "turn left at Grossman Ave", you get "in 50 meters, over crest into medium left, caution gravel cut". Which is different than "medium left over crest" or "over crest then medium left".

 

In previous years, there was an FIA-mandated maximum average speed for any stage - 130 km/h, I think. You got penalties for cracking this, and only on certain stages was it even possible. However, since the Targa Newfoundland is no longer FIA-sanctioned, this is gone. There is a blanket speed limit of 200 km/h on the event, but you're not exactly rolling down the interstate and we never managed to hit more than 190 despite trying pretty hard :) And that was exciting, we were rocking down a road we'd never seen before covered in bumps and lined with trees. Shortly after, a multiple winner of the event did multiple somersaults down the same road.

 

Why are there penalty points and base times? So the vintage guys have a chance. They're driving slower cars, so they can't compete on sheer speed. So basically, you're handicapped based on your car's age, engine size and modification level. It works pretty well, the top 10 this year ranged from a 1969 BMW 2002 (1st) to a factory-backed Mitsubishi Evo with a pro driver behind the wheel (3rd) to a 1969 Camaro that was sucking the white lines off the road (4th) to a hybrid Lexus driven amazingly well (6th) to an honest-to-god Group B Quattro driven by a multiple champion gravel specialist (10th).

 

So the results show the total penalty points. If you want to see the actual stage times, you can spot them on the "Targa Stages in Details" pages such as http://rallyscoring.com/results/2008/Targa/Targa2008Stage0leg2.htm, linked from http://rallyscoring.com/results/2008/Targa/index.htm.

 

 

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  • 5 months later...

Speed is carrying a one hour coverage of the Targa Newfoundland with a few shots of our own Keith Tanner. Great shot of Keith and Janel passing a Corvette in their Martini & Rossi liveried Miata.

 

It was on today but here are some chances to see it in the near future.

 

03/18

12:00pm ET

2008 Highlights

 

03/24

4:00am ET

2008 Highlights

 

04/01

4:00am ET

2008 Highlights

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