HOPPERS BATTLE WIND AND RAIN TO TOP TARGA ROTORUA TIMESHEETS

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1 DAY 1 REPORT HOPPERS BATTLE WIND AND RAIN TO TOP TARGA ROTORUA TIMESHEETS Father and son pairing Leigh and Gray Hopper (Subaru Impreza WRX) lead this year's Targa Rotorua tarmac motor rally after the first of two day's worth of stages round the central Bay of Plenty today. Making light of the treacherous road conditions brought on by the wet, cold weather, the Orewa pair won three of the six stages outright to finish the day almost two minutes ahead of the first of the Nissan GT-R35s in the hands of Harry Dodson and Glen Cupit, and the Subaru Impreza WRX of brothers Rick and Joel Giddy. "We're stoked," Hopper Snr said in parc ferme at the end of the day. "I think we lost at least three of our nine lives in the first stage but we got through it somehow, and after that we kept things reasonably controlled so overall it's been an awesome day." Heading into the sixth and final stage today, rally ace Glenn Inkster and co-driver Spencer Winn (Mitsubishi Evo 6) were vying with the Hoppers for the overall lead, but a blown turbo put paid to their chances, though Inkster was confident the car could be repaired and back on the road to start the second day's stages tomorrow morning. And what of pre-event favourite Tony Quinn and co-driver Adam Tillett?

2 The much-fancied Australian combination made it no further than five kilometres into the first stage before their potent Nissan GT-R35 broke a front driveshaft. Top local GT-R35 driver Clark Proctor and his co-driver Tony Callaghan were also in the wars, clocking the fourth quickest time - behind Hopper, Dodson and Rick Giddy - in the first stage only to be slowed in subsequent stages by electronic problems. Top Classic class combination, meanwhile, was Cameron Young and Steven Fisher from Opotiki on the North Island's east coast in their four-wheel-drive 1989 Mitsubishi Lancer GSR. Like the Hoppers, Young and Fisher spent the day swapping fastest stage times with another quick combination - Richard Pierce and Willie Roach in a Ford Falcon V8 - but like Glenn Inkster and Spencer Winn, Pierce and Roach were slowed by engine problems in the final stage and though they made it back to parc ferme in second place behind Young and Fisher the pair were not sure whether they could fix the issue in time to have the car back in the event tomorrow. Which would be a pity because they were the quickest of the Classic category's two-wheel-drive entrants in the slippery conditions, ending the day just 30 seconds behind Young and Fisher's four-wheel-drive Lancer and a good minute-and-a-half in front of the BMW M3 of Mark and Chris Kirk-Burnnand and the Holden Commodore of former New Zealand Super Saloon (Speedway) champion Brent Emerson and his co-driver, Sheryl Hanright. Local interest in the two-day Targa Rotorua event focused on two combinations.

3 That of 73-year-old Keith Yeats and 83-year-old co-driver Shirley Faull enjoyed a trouble-free day on the way to 15th place in the Classic class in their 1977 BMW 535i, while Mike Lowe and Phillip Sutton coaxed the oldest and smallest car in the event, a 1964 Fiat Abarth, to an impressive 22nd place amongst the Classics. This year's Targa Rotorua event continues tomorrow (Sunday) with a further 160 km of Special Stages in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato before returning to Rotorua for the finish at the Novotel Hotel. Ends Targa Rotorua 2011 Rotorua Fri-Sun June Day 1 Results Modern 1. LeighHopper/Gray Hopper (Subaru Impreza WRX) Harry Dodson/Glen Cupit (Nissan GT-R35) Rick Giddy/Joel Giddy (Subaru Impreza WRX) Ross Johnson/Mike Patching (Porsche 996 GT2) Stuart Scoular/Bret Scoular (Subaru Impreza WRX) Rick Martin/Elliot Martin (BMW 125i) Simon Clark/Donald Howard (BMW 330i)

4 8. Glenn Inkster/Spencer Winn (Mitsubishi Evo 6) Derek Cecil/Rebecca Hayes (BMW M3 Evo) David Rogers/Aidan Kelly (Mitsubishi Evo X) Classic 1. Cameron Young/Steven Fisher (Mitsubishi Lancer GSR) Richard Pierce/Willie Roach (Ford Falcon EB V8) Mark Kirk-Burnnand/Chris Kirk-Burnnand (BMW M3) Brent Emerson/Sheryl Hanright (Holden Commodore VK V8) Peter Cullen/Paul Tulloch (De Tomaso Pantera V8) Stuart Rose/Gary Renall (Toyota Hilux V8) Dale Buckley/Paul Strydom (Toyota Corona) Warren Glassford/Nigel Patterson (BMW 320i) Ross Clarke/Alistair Wickens (Toyota TA22) Allan Lewis/Colin Cole (Datsun 240Z)

5 Targa Rotorua Day 1 winners Leigh and Gray Hopper (Modern Competition) and Cameron Young and Steven Fisher (Classic) in action on the Bay of Plenty's wet and slippery roads