Team TransNet Extreme driver Glenn Inkster has come away from his first attempt at the week-long Targa rally with a strong second place to his name.
Inkster and co-driver Spencer Winn entered the event looking to finish in the top five in a field that included four state-of-the-art Nissan R35 GT-R’s.
In the TransNet Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6.5, the pair set their own pace on the opening day and finished up fourth, one second behind New Zealand Motor-racing legend Steve Millen, a battle that would not be settled until the final day.
On the second day, Inkster turned the deficit into a 14 second advantage to hold third place, which became second place early on day three when Clark Proctor experienced rally ending engine problems. By days end Inkster still held second place from Millen, but the gap was back to a solitary second.
Day four was when Inkster started to make his move. After two stage wins in the morning, the gap grew by ten seconds, but the afternoon’s damp conditions saw Inkster show his skill, and he pulled 37 seconds out of Millen in one stage to hold a 39 second lead into the final day, by no means a safe margin.
Needing to press on to secure his second spot, Inkster won four of the days eight stages and extended the gap to a minute and two seconds to take the runner up spot.
“We started the week hoping for a top five,” said Inkster. “After day one we were pleasantly surprised to be where we were. Those GT-R’s are incredible cars and I’m stoked to have fought it out with them. Hopefully next year we can come back with a few tweaks and take it to the leaders.”
– Credit: BB Media.