Proctor Bringing Back 'Old Favourite' for Targa Event   13 Jul 2014

Targa NZ

11-07-14

Proctor Bringing Back 'Old Favourite' for 20th Anniversary Targa Event

True to his word, high-profile New Zealand motorsport personality Clark Proctor has confirmed he will contest this year's 20th anniversary Targa New Zealand tarmac motor rally in his iconic Ford Escort.

Proctor, the man behind nationwide metal recycling business, Metalman, parked up the wild, wheel-waving turbocharged V6 Nissan-engined Escort in 2010 in favour of an altogether more sophisticated Nissan GT-R35.

But in a decision he is happy to admit had as much to do with sentiment as it did strategy he has sold the GT-R to fellow businessman and racer Peter Baker and commissioned a complete nut-and-bolt rebuild of the venerable Escort ahead of this year's special six-day Targa event from Christchurch to Queenstown.

"We did the 10th anniversary Targa in the Escort and I said at the time I would drive it in the 20th so that's what I'm going to do. Obviously, after seeing what Tony (Quinn) was doing with his GT-R we went and bought one of our own, but I've still been using the Escort in things like street sprints and hill climbs so when Peter (Baker) expressed interest in buying the GT-R I didn't have to worry about what I was going to replace it with."

Proctor hasn't exactly turned his back on Nissan's hi-tech, high performance GT-R35 either. His Metalman team will run his old car for Baker, as well as provide servicing support for fellow Aucklander Andrew Nichol in his GT-R35 in the main event and for Queenstown GT-R35 owner Mal Price in the associated (but non-competitive) Targa Tour.

Proctor and co-driver Sue O'Neill are one of over 80 earlybird pairings to have confirmed their intention to compete in the 20th anniversary Targa New Zealand event, being run - for the first time in that 20 years - in the South Island.

Others include last year's outright winner, Dunedin man Martin Dippie and his co-driver Jona Grant, five-time (four-consecutive) winner Tony Quinn and co-driver Naomi Tillett, and recent Targa North Island event winner Leigh Hopper and his co-driver Simon Kirkpatrick.

The prospect of the event in their own backyard for the first time has also encouraged a number of top South Island-based drivers to enter including circuit, rally and hillclimb veteran Trevor Crowe from Christchurch, and Ashburton rally ace Wayne Muckle.

Targa New Zealand event director Peter Martin has just returned to his Wiri, Auckland, base from a quick trip to the South Island and he says there is a real buzz about the event already.

"Everywhere I went this time, and that included Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill and Queenstown, people wanted to know about 'the Targa rally that's down here this year.' We've also got our sign-written community and volunteer liaison vehicle down there at the moment and, again, the feedback has been very good.

"If people don't already know that the event is coming they want to know all about it; where it starts, where it finishes, how many cars are going to be in it, what roads we're using? The level of interest this early in the piece is fantastic."
The 20th anniversary Targa New Zealand event starts in Christchurch on Labour Day Monday (October 27) with scrutineering, documentation, drivers' briefing then prologue at Mike Pero Motorsport Park (nee Ruapuna).

On Tuesday the field heads south for stages in mid-Canterbury, before the first of two overnight stays in Dunedin.

After a day full of stages in the Otago hinterland on Wednesday the field returns to Dunedin before heading south on Thursday to Invercargill - and a day's end stage at Teretonga Park.

Friday October 31 is then spent completing stages between Invercargill and Queenstown finishing at Cromwell's Highlands Motorsport Park (owned by five-time Targa NZ winner Tony Quinn).

Competitors then spend the final day (Saturday November 01) in the Lakes County with stages across the Crown Range and up Coronet Peak before the official finish in downtown Queenstown and the prize giving function the next day.

TARGA HISTORY

Dubbed 'The Ultimate Road Race,' Targa New Zealand can trace its links back to the classic open road races - the Targa Floria and the Mille Miglia - popular in Italy from the early years of the 20th Century until the 1970s.

'Targa' is Italian for 'plate,' a reference either to a car's licence plate or to the rectangular bronze plate awarded to the winner of the Targa Floria.

The first Targa New Zealand event was held in 1995, its organiser, Mike John, having been inspired by the success of Australia's first Targa event, Targa Tasmania, in 1992.

Since then the annual multi-day New Zealand event has been joined by several other shorter, regional events with current owner and event director Peter Martin taking the helm in 2008.

Key to the on-going success of the main and subsidiary events is the unique New Zealand landscape with its unsurpassed network of sinuous sealed roads perfect for closed Targa stages.

Targa New Zealand events are organised with the support of sponsors Ecolight, Federal motorsport tyres, Instra Corporation, Kids In Cars, Metalman, NZ Classic Car magazine, TeamTalk, TrackIt, VTNZ. and Woolrest Biomag.

ENDS

Add a comment

News

Hilary Timmins' Award-Winning UK Documentary Series To Inspire NZ Students

29 Jun 2020 Education
Dream Catchers, produced and directed by Hilary Timmins, celebrates the success stories of more than thirty inspirational New... more

New Zealand reaffirms support for Flight MH17 judicial process

7 Mar 2020 News By Rt HON WINSTON PETERS
Ahead of the start of the criminal trial in the Netherlands on 9 March, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has reaffirmed the need to... more

Business

NZ Government's Economic package to fight COVID-19

17 Mar 2020 Business News By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
The Coalition Government has launched the most significant peace-time economic plan in modern New Zealand history to cushion the... more

NZ Government announces aviation relief package

19 Mar 2020 Business News By Hon Phil Twyford
Transport Minister Phil Twyford today outlined the first tranche of the $600 million aviation sector relief package announced earlier... more

Living

Diversity was Key at New Zealand Trade Tasting in London

6 Jun 2022 Food & Wine
New Zealand Winegrowers Annual Trade Tasting was recently held in London, on Wednesday 4 May, in Lindley Hall. It was the first... more

Kiwi author stuns Behind the Butterfly Gate

12 Jan 2022 Arts By Charlotte Everett
Hidden behind the Butterfly Gate is where the secret has been kept for 76 years...  New Zealand writer Merryn Corcoran’s... more

Property

Fairer rules for tenants and landlords

17 Nov 2019 Property By Minister Kris Faafoi
17 NOVEMBER 2019 The Government has delivered on its promise to the over one million New Zealanders who now rent to make it fairer... more

New Zealand Government will not implement a Capital Gains Tax

17 Apr 2019 Property By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
The Coalition Government will not proceed with the Tax Working Group’s recommendation for a capital gains tax, Jacinda Ardern... more

Migration

Boosting border security with electronic travel authority – now over 500,000 issued

19 Nov 2019 Migration By Hon Iain Lees-Galloway
19 NOVEMBER 2019 We’ve improved border security with the NZeTA, New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority, which helps us to... more

Christchurch reinstated as refugee settlement location

18 Aug 2018 Migration
18 AUGUST 2018 HON IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY The announcement that Christchurch can once again be a settlement location for refugees... more

Travel

Gallipoli Anzac Day services cancelled

19 Mar 2020 Travel & Tourism By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
The New Zealand and Australian Governments have announced this year’s joint Anzac Day services at Gallipoli will be cancelled... more

New Zealanders advised not to travel overseas

19 Mar 2020 Travel & Tourism
New Zealanders advised not to travel overseas more

Sport

The Skipper's Diary: Sir Richard Hadlee honouring his father and NZ's Forty-Niners

27 Oct 2019 Cricket By Charlotte Everett
NZNewsUK London Editor Charlotte Everett spoke to Sir Richard Hadlee about why he’s chosen to publish his father’s... more

PREVIEW: All Blacks v England semi-final

26 Oct 2019 Rugby
The two most convincing quarterfinals winners are set to square off in a semifinal showdown for the ages when the All Blacks meet old... more

Columns

Gordon Campbell on the Gareth Morgan crusade

11 Nov 2016 Opinion
Gordon Campbell on the Gareth Morgan crusade First published on Werewolf The ghastly likes of Marine Le Pen in France and Geert ... more

Gordon Campbell on the US election outcome

10 Nov 2016 Opinion
Column - Gordon Campbell   Gordon Campbell on the US election outcome Well um.. on the bright side, there (probably)... more

Kiwi Success

Congratulations to Loder Cup winner

26 Sep 2018 People By Hon Eugenie Sage
25 SEPTEMBER 2018 The Loder Cup, one of New Zealand’s oldest conservation awards, has been awarded to Robert McGowan for 2018... more

Appointments to New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO

16 Aug 2018 Appointments
16 AUGUST 2018Appointments to New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO HON JENNY SALESA Associate Education Minister Jenny Salesa is... more

Recruitment

Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers

14 Aug 2018 Recruitment By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
14 AUGUST 2018Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers RT HON JACINDA ARDERN HON CHRIS HIPKINS Prime Minister The... more

Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers

22 Aug 2018 Recruitment By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
14 AUGUST 2018Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers RT HON JACINDA ARDERN HON CHRIS HIPKINS Prime Minister The... more