Champs primed for Targa blast

Steve Millen's Ford GT40 is a modern, bigger take on the iconic model which won at Le Mans in the 1960s.

Three of the world's best touring car race drivers will go head-to-head in cars of similar performance in next month's Targa road race.

But they will be met head on by New Zealand-based competitors such as Targa Rotorua winner Joe McAndrew, in his Nissan Skyline GTR.

Australian Peter Brock and New Zealanders Jim Richards and California-based Steve Millen headline the entry list for the Dunlop-sponsored event.

The annual six-day blast through the North Island starts in Auckland and finishes in Hastings.

Between them, Brock (10 wins) and Richards (7 wins) have dominated the Bathurst mountain race. Richards has won the Australian Touring Car Championship four times, and Brock three.

Millen made his name racing in the United States after winning national titles in New Zealand.

Brock will drive a 5.7-litre Chevrolet V8 Daytona sports.

The 1150kg racer is the brainchild of Motec engine management system chief Richard Bendell, who had the cars built as a modern interpretation of the 1965 Shelby Daytona, which dominated the World Sports Car Championship that year.

Brock's co-driver will be Mick Hone, a Melbourne motorcycle dealer who was team manager for the works Suzuki team in 2000.

Richards, who won the past two Targa events and has won the Targa Tasmania seven times, will again use his GT3 Porsche. V8 Supercar commentator Barrie Oliver will navigate.

Hungry for his first outright Dunlop Targa win, Millen will pilot what will probably be the star car of the event, the Ford GT40, a re-incarnation of the iconic model which won at Le Mans in the 1960s.

Millen's car might look similar to the original racers, but it a completely new design, longer by 450mm and slightly bigger all round.

The vehicle is powered by a supercharged and intercooled Ford 5.4-litre V8 delivering 375Kw (500bhp) and around 670Nm of torque through a six-speed gearbox.

Co-driving for Millen is John Lamm, the editor the world's largest selling car magazine, Road & Track.