Rally veteran Mike Lowe and co-driver Phillip Sutton in their Fiat Abarth during Targa Rotorua. Photo/Proshotz Photography
Rally veteran Mike Lowe and co-driver Phillip Sutton in their Fiat Abarth during Targa Rotorua. Photo/Proshotz Photography
FORMER Rotorua man Mike Lowe and co-driver Phillip Sutton had mixed success in the 22nd Targa NZ tarmac rally.
The pairing achieved their goal with a 10th place in the Modern 2WD field with an overall time of 2h 25m 44s, while finishing second in class 5 (vehicles under 3m).
However, Lowe described the racing as "an event of two halves" in his distinctive Enzed Fiat Abarth Assetto Corse, having to come back from 14th place after the first day.
The Targa veteran admitted finding it difficult adjusting to his team car, named "Barty 2: The Sequel", which was being driven for only the second time in the annual competition, after previously racing in his iconic 1964 Fiat Abarth 1000.
"People were telling me how to drive the car with the new, bigger turbo and it just wasn't working for me on Saturday," Lowe said.
"I had trouble getting used to all the changes and it felt very different. There was a lot of trouble with the braking which really impacted on the performance of the vehicle.
"But on Sunday I drove it like I drove the old car, wringing its neck, and I think we both felt much better.
"I drove it a lot harder and more aggressively and we were very happy with the end result. There were some issues with tyre wear, but I am pleased after setting some completive times on Sunday."
The three classes - All comers 4WD, Modern 2WD and Classic 2WD - fielded 59 starters, with 30 completing the race. Lowe was 20th overall.
One of Lowe's most impressive split times was during the Paradise Valley section of the race on the second day, the Enzed team finishing 20s faster than they did last year.
"It was my favourite part of the race and it's very tricky because it is very short and sharp," he said.
Image 1 of 12: Tony Quinn and Naomi Tillet in their Nissan GTR. Photo/ProShotz Photography
"The section brings back a lot of memories because every day I used to drive that way home from work - obviously not at those speeds, though."
Leigh Hopper and Michael Goudie, from Orewa, in the 4WD category gained a surprise overall title with a time of 2h 08m 09s in their 1996 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo lll.
The top finishers in Lowe's field were Martin Dippie and Jona Grant in their 2016 Porsche 991 GT3 RS in a time of 2h 09m 50s.
However, Lowe, who has been based in Adelaide since 2014 after 22 years in Rotorua, picked out father-and-son team Eddie and Ben Grooten for the performance of the day.
They finished the competition in their classic Porsche model despite losing their windscreen on the opening day.
"Eddie was unbelievable, he rolled the car and was looking in real trouble but he carried on," Lowe said.
"I was so impressed and that is the true spirit of a Targa event. One of the most important things is to keep going.
