The British crew of a 1961 Volvo 122S has taken victory in the Early Classic Handicap category of the Targa Tasmania tarmac rally, while finishing 8th overall. Andrew White and Ashley Yelds began their quest after preparing their Volvo six years ago, but until this year have always fallen at the final hurdle.
The Targa Tasmania is an annual event run on closed public roads with no speed limits.
Wet roads over the last two days played to the British crew's strengths, allowing them to achieve the third fastest outright time on the fearsome '100 bends' Queenstown stage (catching and passing a Porsche 911 Carrera RS on the way). They also claimed a further four Porsche scalps on the 56km-long Mt Arrowsmith stage.
The tricky conditions on the third day of the rally proved too much for many, with no fewer than 30 cars leaving the road in a 24-hour period. Importantly for White and Yelds, this also included their long-time rivals Peter and Sari Ullrich, who were sitting in the top spot with their 1963 Jensen CV8 before their crash. Little damage was done, but the time wasted getting back on the road relegated them to 15th position by the time they passed the finishing post.
Click here to see video of the Volvo in action.
Or click here for the full list of results.
