Crash, Bang, Smoke and Boom!!

The above picture is only the beginning of the story. Day one included this crash captured on in-car race cam. video. Day two included smoke without the fire. Day three went excellently and day four went boom in the first special stage as our transmission exploded. Day five? Read on!

Dunlop Targa 96 was to prove a challenging one for the Targa Florio team. We had two new members this year. Wally Simpson, navigator and Dave Timms's, service. Yours truly and Ed Tubman were the old hands.

There were new and different challenges for the team in 1996. Once again were fortunate to have a basic level of sponsorship. This ensured that the team was able to enter a more competitive car than last year. The car P76, now sporting a new Rally badge had several improvements made as a result of the experience gained in Targa 95.

The suspension was further modified to give more travel but less sway and roll. The wheels and tyres were changed to give more high speed performance and better braking. The transmission was replaced with a four speed unit with lockup torque converter. Because of the limited time available for testing(None) the car had to be tested on the rally.

While I was away overseas(I am based in Los Angeles) Ed Tubman, in Hamilton, did a wonderful job on the final preparation of the car Apart from checking the car over from top to bottom he had replaced my old broken radiator grill with a lovely new one. He also had the power steering system completely rebuilt to fix an oil leak..

I arrived back in Auckland Sat 26 October, a couple of days before the event was due to start The next day my wife Glen drove me down to Hamilton to pick up the car from Ed's garage. It looked great, with its new sponsors decals on. It sounded awesome with the tail pipes removed. I drove it back to Auckland reasonably sedately not wanting to attract the attention of the Mr Plod. Along the way I calibrated the mini-cockpit trip meter using the motor way kilometer marker posts. I lost Glen somewhere along the way but she knows the way home.

Monday being Labour day I could not really do a lot with the car other than replace one of the intercom units and discuss the Targa with my new navigator Wally. I have known Wally Simpson now for a number of years(Glen's cousin's husband). I have known him better since I organised a days racing for the boys down at Bay Park and Wally showed up in his Porsche Neun 11(He has a newer Carrera 4 now). Wally is an old milk bar cowboy like me This was his first rally as a competitor and he was raring to go.

Tuesday morning I had a short visit to Ross Golding's dyno. on the way to scrutineering. This was to calibrate the rev. counter and speedo. The team assembled at Pukekohe on time and the big mini sailed through scrutineering with only one hiccup. There was a missing emergency blanket in the first aid kit(They have to find something don't they). We quickly obtained a new one(Didn't need one the year before I noticed) and were ready for the prologue.

This year it was the same format as last year. Twice around Pukekohe race track in the opposite direction to normal racing(Anti Clockwise). It was interesting to note that my speed at the radar trap was exactly the same as the previous year(173 kph). There was no speed gain from the new transmission as the gearing was way too tall(200 kph at 4,200 rpm in top gear).

In a car with an engine whose cam is set to run 4,200-6,800 rpm it means that the engine is just coming on to cam. in top gear at 200 kph!. I'll leave it to you to work out what terminal velocity on a long straight would be. Still too late to change the diff. ratio(3.5:1) now. Any way I only had an even taller diff.( 2.92:1) ready from last years set up. Next year I will have a 4.1:1 ratio ready and will use the 3.5:1 as a spare.

After the Prologue(Used to set the start position-slowest in the front) the event proceeded to Pukekohe Memorial Hall for an official welcome to Franklin county by the Mayor of Pukekohe. After a sandwich(If you were quick) and some fruit punch, we listened to the Mayor's speech and the customary words of wisdom from the Patron. The function over with we all dispersed until the Targa proper start in the morning.

Dunlop Targa 96 began on a cool overcast morning on Wednesday 30 October at the Auckland Domain. This was really a publicity stage and as such I wanted it to look good but not be our last stage. It was good to see a couple of P76 stalwarts turn up to watch the start as well as friends and family. The stage was only 1.79 km long and I was only out of first gear once. The main aim of this stage, which suited smaller cars, was not to hit any kerbing and blow a tyre or worse, bend a rim(Limit 6 wheels and tyres).

With special stage 1 under our belt and the car in good shape we set off on the touring stage to special stage 2. This was Wally's first real navigating on Targa 97 and he coped excellently. We actually got to where we were supposed to be and on time. The service team had little to do at this stage and positioned themselves for a photo opportunity.

I was having a great deal of difficulty switching the video camera on prior to each special stage. I had to turn the camera on before I strapped in otherwise I couldn't reach the switch(Oh for a remote). This meant that if the start was delayed a few minutes, as is often the case, the camera was left running. Wally and I had to censor our conversations(Thank heavens for editing).

Special stage 2 proceeded normally. We were supposed to meet our service crew just after this stage but neither of us remembered and Ed and Dave didn't make it any easier by standing with the rest of the spectators taking photos. Wally seemed to be getting the hang of the navigation although we were both still not fully comfortable with our roles as driver and navigator. Wally needed to be more positive and I needed to focus entirely on the driving. More about that shortly.

As we started on stage 3 I was beginning to drive a little harder(Not a good idea on day one). We were getting along fine through this stage. My confidence with car's new set up was growing by the kilometer. We passed a number of other competitor's cars sticking out of unusual places, such as fences, banks, paddocks and occasionally over cliffs. Seeing their misfortunes lulled us into a sense of immorality.

About two thirds of the way into this stage we came upon a Y junction where the course veered left. I was not entirely sure which way we were supposed to be going and queried Wally twice as we approached the corner. I finally realised that we were to go left but by now we were in the apex of the curve. A combination of loose gravel and late braking meant that the laws of physics took over and the local spectators were treated to the spectacle they had been secretly praying for.

Crash bang over the ditch and into the clay bank in the middle of the Y.

Wally jumped out and ran back up the road in the correct direction to place the .warning triangle while I got out to assess the damage. At first sight it didn't look good. The impact had crumpled the lower front crush zone, ripped off the bumper and spoiler, and pushed the right wheel back into the rear guard. The A pillar was broken at the join with the guard and the windscreen had a large crack through its middle. The roof was creased over the B pillar.

However the good news was that the engine and drive train were undamaged.

With the help of the locals we pulled the car clear of the corner and stood and watched the remainder of the field go by. Three cars had nearly similar fates to ours but managed to either use the escape road to stop or just avoided the ditch in time. I noted with perverse satisfaction that one of the cars that overshot was Jim Richards in his Porsche RS on max. ABS.

While we waited we tried to contact our service crew but we were outside the coverage area(Surprise?). When the last car had been through Ed and Dave arrived and arranged for a tow to Waiuku. I can still remember Ed's face as he stared in disbelief at his bent P76. With a deep scowl on his face he muttered loudly. "You've bent me new grill too."

Counties Panel Shop owner and the Targa Florio team worked feverishly all afternoon on the car. The chassis was pulled fairly straight and the right suspension strut was repaired. By about 1630 hrs after a quick string wheel alignment and test drive the Leyland was pronounced fit. We set off for the first over night stop at Te Rapa, Hamilton.

At the overnight stop the team refined the wheel alignment on the smooth floor of the hangar and serviced the car ready for day two. Beers at Ed Tubman's place that night took on a distinctly sombre tone as Ed's depression deepened. The forecast was for more cloudy weather with fine patches. I slept deeply that night and dreamed of sheep and pastures and fine days(Probably jet lagged or in denial). I don't know how the rest of the team slept.

Thursday the weather had fined up considerably and stages 12 and 13 proceeded uneventfully. Wally and I were now operating as a well oiled team. Wally would navigate us on the touring stages and then on the special stages would shout positively over the intercom any needed instructions. His most frequent call was " Go for it!"

Our service stops with Ed and Dave were working out better and we were putting in consistently fast times even with the bent car. We were now into stage 15 just prior to lunch. This was the stage we had an off in Targa 95 abeam the Honokiwi Garage. This year I was able to wave and toot the horn as we roared past the guys watching over that bend.

Half way through this stage I sensed that there was something wrong with the car and eased up on the pace through the remainder of the stage. We were passed by a faster moving Torana not long before the finish. I hadn't been looking in the rear view mirror and got a surprise when he appeared beside me. Especially as he is supposed to pass on the right side not the left.

As we pulled to a stop at the finish the front of the car was obscured by smoke. I thought initially that the brakes had caught fire. The car was still driving so we kept going until we reached civilisation at the Tirihoa Mobil Service Station.. I checked under the car and saw that transmission oil was leaking out the front oil seal and spraying over the exhaust pipes. I notified one of the Targa officials that we would be out for the afternoon and we waited for Ed and Dave.

When they arrived we limped the car around the corner to a garage where Ed new the owner. Over lunch we arranged to have the car transported to Hamilton to check out the problem. We arrived at Marshall Transmissions(Thank you Nelson-Sponsor) in Hamilton mid afternoon and set to work on the car. When the transmission was removed it was discovered that the adaptor plate between the flex plate and the torque converter had cracked. The vibration had walked the front bearing out of the transmission housing causing the oil leak.

While a new bearing was fitted I took the broken adaptor plate to be welded and then the transmission was put back in the car. After a test run the car was pronounced fit again and once again we set off after the field to rejoin the Targa at Rotorua. We arrived at Rotorua around 1800 hrs. In the corner of the compound was a severely damaged E type that had gone over a big bank on stage 15. The car was pretty well totaled. It made our damage look minor in comparison

A very tired but still enthusiastic team sat down for dinner late that night at the new Novotel Hotel in Rotorua. I was nursing a bruised elbow from Wednesday morning's off and wondering if the repaired adaptor plate would last. Ed was coming to terms with the fact that the Team's car had been severely dealt to. Wally and Dave seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Next morning, Friday 01 Nov., we were up and away early hoping for a full days trouble free racing. There was a lot of touring on this day and our major worry was not to run out of fuel. During Targa 95 we had lost our fuel gauge about this stage and were never sure how much fuel we had left. This year the float stayed on the transmitter and with the help of our service crew we were never in danger of fuel shortages.

I lost it briefly on stage 22 in a patch of loose gravel but after a quick 180 we were on our way again with no damage. In fact we were inside the minimum time for that stage even with the spin. Wally was thoroughly enjoying himself as was I. No need to look in the rear view mirror today. There were 9 highly enjoyable special stages including my favourite, stage 26, the high speed blast after the Atiamuri Dam. At 200 kph the car behaved pretty well if a little light on the steering. All seemed to be fine as we arrived on schedule at the Rotorua Sportsdrome.

The car was running perfectly if a little bent. The wheels had been rotated and Ed and Dave changed the front pads and adjusted the rear shoes. After a gas up and clean we parked in the hall at the Rotorua Sportsdrome and headed for our Motel. We showered and changed and made our way back to the Novotel for another night of beer and good food. Friendly repartee with other competitors and tales both true and false were the order of business that night.

Saturday morning 02 Nov. was clear and cool. We lined up at the start of stage 28 ready for a full days racing. Stage 28 was a publicity blast around the Novotel area of town. The course was tight and twisty with short straights and plenty of curbs. I laid some serious rubber for the start and headed into the stage proper.

On the exit from the third turn after the start, as the revs climbed to 6500 rpm prior to shifting up to second gear there was a loud bang followed by several mechanical sounds coming from beneath the car. Wally was still in the go mode and was shouting "Keep going! Keep going!" I guess he thought we had broken off a piece of the exhaust. I suspected something more serious.

I pulled over to the side of the course and jumped out of the car. Looking underneath it was obvious there was serious mechanical damage to the transmission and flex plate. There were several bite sized pieces of the bell housing on the side of the road. When Ed and Dave arrived it was confirmed. We were out.

We all felt very disappointed at the thought of having to pull out of the Targa after so much hard work and with only two more days to go. The problem was that on our low budget we just didn't have a spare transmission we could use to replace the broken one. Worse because it was modified we only had one adaptor plate. The adaptor plate had completely shattered and torn itself to bits eventually passing through the bell housing. Some of the flex plate bolts were still attached to the adaptor plate having being pulled through the flex plate.

With great sadness we arranged for the car to be transported to Hamilton. The team then disbanded and returned to Hamilton and Auckland. Ed Tubman, Wally and I accompanied by our wives, went to Pukekohe to watch the epilogue and to cheer the finishers. I remembered to wheel one of our spare wheels across the finish line in the tradition of rally's long past. For that act we gained a finishers medal which was a fitting way to end Dunlop Targa 96 for the Targa Florio Team.

After the prize giving function Wally and I agreed we had had a lot of fun and that we would definitely be back for Targa 97 The panels are being straightened and repaired. The adaptor plate has been redesigned and rebuilt. The bell housing has been repaired. The endless process of raising sponsorship is going on as planned. I doubt that we will have enough for a spare adaptor and transmission but provided the new adaptor works okay the transmission will not be a problem.

I will still be living overseas but I am committed to making it back in time to race Targa 97. We have a video of the Teams effort during Targa 96 for sale as well as T shirts and other memorabilia. If you want to help support Team Targa Florio's 1997 effort please contact either Edward Tubman Ph (07)847 9116 or Wally Simpson(09)308 9621.

The Targa Florio Rally Car is not dead yet. Long live the Dunlop Targa. Long live the Leyland P76.