Mazda prepares Targa attack

There may have been a spate of motor racing pull-outs by manufacturers recently but Mazda Australia has committed three cars to this year's Targa Tasmania road rally, commencing April 28. The Japanese brand will enter a locally developed RX-8 SP alongside the two Mazda3 MPS models that competed in last year's event.

Reigning Targa Tasmania champion Steve Glenney (pictured) has been tabbed to drive the RX-8 SP that has been worked over by Mazda Motorsport's Sydney team led by veteran motorsport engineer Allan Horsley.

Based on the RX-8 GT the SP model has been turbocharged to boost peak power to 205kW and maximum torque has been raised to 305Nm. The car has also been fitted with a rollcage and other safety features for the five-day event that laps the Apple Isle.

Glenney's regular job is training horses but he has been a regular front-runner in tarmac rallies and Australian Rally Championship events in recent years.

"I'm excited to be chosen by Mazda Motorsport to play a role in the development of the Mazda RX-8, and to be driving it in its Australian rally debut," says Glenney. "The RX-8's a great-looking car, the rotary engine is synonymous with Mazda's Motorsport history in Australia, and I'm confident of getting a top result for Mazda."

Horsley masterminded Mazda's four victories with the RX-7 SP in the Bathurst 12 Hour during the early 1990s, and believes the new RX-8 SP can be competitive against the traditionally dominant Porsches and Mitsubishi Lancer EVOs, as well as a number of privately run Nissan GT-Rs.

"Targa Tasmania is not a race to be taken lightly," Horsley says. "It's a flat-out sprint over 2000km in five tough days, and that's a real test of man and machine. The RX-8 SP has plenty of potential, but it is an unknown package in a rally environment. So it's difficult to know how it will perform at its first competitive outing."

Rally veteran Rick Bates and young gun Brendan Reeves have been re-signed to drive the two Mazda3 MPS entries after good performances last year (more here). It will be Bates' fourth start in Targa Tasmania for Mazda and he believes he can win the Showroom class after a strong run last year.

"We got a great result in 2007 and were agonisingly close in 2008," Bates says. "This year's a new beginning, and with the rally pedigree of the Mazda3 MPS under me, we've got a real opportunity to win the Showroom Competition and better our 2007 result."