Make it two in a row for Roy Hopkins and Adrienne Hughes in their 1969 2002 BMW. The team from New York finished first overall in 7th annual Targa Newfoundland, a remarkable repeat performance from Targa 2007. They finished the competition with only 25 seconds in penalties over the 2200 kilometer six-day event held September 13 – 20th.
Hopkins, competing in his 5th Targa with his wife, says “A second overall win is nothing short of spectacular.”
In the Grand Touring division (equipped), John Vandemierden and Stu Lehmann took first place in their 2008 Lotus Exige. Newfoundlanders Alan Kearley and Greg Martin, driving a Mazda 3 Sport GT, finished first in non-equipped Grand Touring.
The day started in Marystown with a four second spread between first and fourth place. Service teams worked through the night to make sure their team’s equipment held up throughout the final day. Bill Arnold and Alan Ryall started the day in first driving their 1972 BMW Bavaria. Although they received their finisher’s medallions, they broke a strut tower in the fifth stage of the day and could not hold onto their lead.
Targa Newfoundland 2008 ran one of its most competitive fields ever. Results for all classes and categories could not be finalized until all protests have gone before event organizers to decide final positioning. Further, all class winners are required to have their vehicles “torn down” by the event scrutineer to insure they meet Targa class regulations.
Owned and operated by Newfoundland International Motorsports Limited, Targa Newfoundland is one of three internationally recognized Targa motorsports events in the world. The 7th annual Targa Newfoundland will started and ended in St. John’s, covering more than 2,000 kilometers of the challenging, twisty roads of the central and eastern portion of the island of Newfoundland over six days, including up to 400 kilometers of closed-road, flat-out Targa stages.
For more information, visit www.targanewfoundland.com.
[Source: Targa Newfoundland]
