Race finish as Close as it gets

A CLIFFHANGER finish will be played out in the state’s south today as Matt Close launches a massive attack to try to stop Jason White from claiming his seventh Targa Tasmania crown.

White and his navigator, uncle John White, are closing in on the record of eight wins held by Victorian Porsche master Jim Richards and his Tasmanian navigator Barry Oliver.

Close chopped 10 seconds off White’s lead on the long haul from Strahan to Hobart yesterday, and it might have been more had he not muffed the start of the final stage of the day at Grasstree Hill.

“I went to hit the launch button, and brushed another button instead, so we sat on the line for about four seconds before he took off,” Close said.

The Melbourne-based Tasmanian did everything he could in his Porsche GT3 to take time back but White still leads by 27 seconds heading into the final six stages.

“We are going to have a crack, that’s for sure,” Close said. Close’s Porsche GT3 RS was one of the highlights of TargaFest at Princes Wharf No. 1 last night, which attracted about 7000 car fans.

Event director Mark Perry said the quality of the field, worth about $30 million, was as high as ever.

“We’ve got some amazing cars here again this year and it’s a bumper turnout to see them,” he said.

Five cars crashed out but the only injuries were bruised egos. Queenslander Mark Balcombe sideswiped a tree at Strahan and another Queenslander, Anthony Genocchio, crashed his 1983 Holden HDT Commodore into think bush 33km into the 52km Mt Arrowsmith stage.

The field tackles its final six stages this morning, with cars scheduled to start crossing the finish at PW1 from 11.30am and the winners from 11 classes to have their mass champagne spray at about 1.30pm.