Mazda Steady Does it at Targa Prologue

NOTTING HILL, AUSTRALIA – April 28, 2010: Mazda Australia got its 2010 Targa Tasmania campaign off to a promising start today, with both race cars completing a clean and tactical Prologue in George Town.

With results from the 5km town stage deciding the field’s running order for day one of competition proper, it was to be a well thought out run by Mazda Motorsport to ensure its RX-8 SP and Mazda3 MPS race cars obtained an optimum starting position at the rear of the field.

Despite cruising through the tight and tricky town stage, the Mazda3 MPS driven by 21-year-old Brendan Reeves was the third quickest Showroom vehicle on the road with a time of 3:31:48, and was the fastest two-wheel drive in the category.

“Today’s Prologue was a fantastic opportunity to get to know the car,” said Reeves. “We took it pretty easy today as we had new brake pads and Yokohama tyres that need to last the majority of the event. Now the Prologue’s over, I am really looking forward to getting started.”

Meanwhile Steve Glenney’s RX-8 SP was the 14th fastest in the hotly-contested Modern competition with a time of 3:21:53. Today Glenney and his co-driver Bernie Webb improved on last year’s Prologue position by an impressive 36 spots.

“We set the time that is going to give us a good road position for tomorrow,” explained Glenney. “Last year’s Prologue was a little uncertain for us, not having done much testing on the RX-8, but I have to say it really felt like a jet today.

“Plus tomorrow is supposed to be fine and dry roads really suit the RX-8 SP, so Bernie and I are really looking forward to getting into the event.”

Mazda Motorsport boss Allan Horsley revelled in the fact his team’s Prologue strategy went exactly to plan.

“Things went very smoothly today,” said Horsley. “We set the time that we needed to set. There are no points lost or gained today and the cars are in exactly in the right spot in the field.

But while today went to plan Horsley is realistic of the challenge that remains.

“The competition is going to be fierce, we’re up against Lamborghinis with more powerful engines, but we’re quietly confident. We’ll certainly out handle them but in the power stakes we are way down.”

Tomorrow sees the start of competition proper. The field starts from Launceston and does a loop around the State’s central north totalling 340kms and stopping for lunch in Tasmania’s town of ‘murals’, Sheffield.