Yeah it was very interesting, especially as Mum had told me over the phone that Dad had been in an accident, but i was standing next to him in the silverdome at the time!

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Targa Tasmania competitor dies in crash - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Image of the car

And the opening page of this piece of reporting brilliance makes me want to find the journalist responsible and throw him to the floor hard.....apparently gravity was a factor.... FFS. Stationary cars don't tend to crash off into the scenery. Lets not turn it into a hoon article and call for the sport to be banned. Odds on one press release regurgitating scumbag will throw out that line.

Targa fatality near Deloraine Tasmania News - The Mercury - The Voice of Tasmania

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James Bresnehan is a fuckwit, he is probably the only motorsport reporter in Hobart but having grown up there and been involved with every form of motorsport since i was 2 i have never seen him at an event!

Edit: Incase you ever google yourself James Bresnehan, i hope you find this post in years to come......... you fuckwit!



James bresnahan

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He appears to have been identified as John Mansell by Metropolis Fabcar (and i have seen a few others post the same).

Will re-visit this in about 37 days before TSW to put the event into perspective, and help with the red mist.

Will also look at those 2 number plate stickers on my rear window, 555 BAT and ROJ

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Well. What a shit situation. Now the guys name has been released I feel a bit better talking about it but it certainly put a downer on everything.

For those that don't know when a big accident happens as soon as the start line finds out they stop letting people start. Then once the doctors etc get there and assess the situation they make a call. Either start it up or downgrade the stage to transport. If it is downgraded to transport then everyone just drives through at normal speed on single file with no helmets etc. Then you just drive through the stage and continue on your way to the next stage. This stage was downgraded.

The accident happened on a straight bit of road just after a crest. It was about 8.5km's into the first stage. The first two stages have very achievable base times so there is absolutely no point going flat out. We did not have air or light in the notes so I don't know how it got so out of shape. There were rubber marks on the road where it had crossed up and disappeared into the scenery. When we drove past at no more than walking pace I could tell the car was red but not a lot else. It turns out it was a Porsche Cayman in super sports. What I saw will stay with me forever and here is not the time or place.

Now I am very anal about making an inherently unsafe sport as safe as possible. We have a full weld in cage, hans devices, carbon helmet, head support seats, seats that are anchored to the floor and also to the cage behind my shoulder blades etc. If someone gave me $1m and said make your car safer I don't think there is 1 thing I could do. I think I know what this guy did and did not have but I am not 100% certain so I do not want to speculate.

One thing that has not been reported is that Kim Illman was the first or second car on the scene. Kim's co-driver is the partner of the co-driver in the Porsche. I feel incredibly sorry for her.

Tony Quinn has pulled out of the event out of respect. I had a long chat with him yesterday and he said the next time that someone dies he is going to give up the sport. Whether he does or just this event I have no idea.

In other news we had a really good day today. We lost a lot of time on the last stage of the day. We were always going to lose time given how fast it was but we didn't think we would lose that much. We managed to see 239 out of the little emo. I would suggest the GTR's would have seen very late 200's and maybe even early 3's. I saw some incar of White's and he says he has put a shorter ratio box in that tops out at 260. His incar is insane. I chickened out and grabbed a handful of brake before a right hand corner before another long straight and you can clearly see the shift lights not moving in his around the corner. i.e. going around the corner at 260 and onto the next 500m straight.

Last year we did not get airborne once. Already taken off 4 times so far.

After the first day last year we were dropping just over 4 second's a k to the leader. This year we are dropping just over 2. Still massive but a huge improvement. We managed 5th on one stage today which is a new pb.

Excuse my essay.

Brendon

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This isn't an essay, but really a concise version on what couldn't have been an easy day after seeing a red crash site, and based on the down grade of the stage, an extremely serious accident, in your mind.

As for Mr Quinn. He can have those thoughts, but this is a dangerous sport, and there are a number of sports which also see the odd number of deaths including AFL, NRL, ARU.

I spoke to Sam tonight about this, and disputed the dangers were still doing TSW, in the challenge, category. Ie no cage, but limited to 130 kph, and she is in the seat of no control, over the potentially loose nut behind the wheel.

All we can do is celebrate of life of those who are involved in the incident, close our eyes at the time between staging and the start of the stage, think of those who have travelled before us, and that those who follow travel safe, have fun, and do the best that we can minute by minute.

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Straight roads are for fast cars, twisty roads are for fast drivers. I have or am neither.

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Thanks brendon! Just seen that car had a bolt in cage. I think they should scrap that. I was watching franz's incar from last years tw. He nearly lost it around a corner at near 200. With a bolt in cage I would imagine you're stuffed!

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Brendon,

thanks for taking the time for such a detailed update from the ground over there. I can imagine the cloud the incident put on the event.

That aside, you guys are doing a great job. Some great stages for you today. Really hope the car continues to perform well and guys continue to slip into the groove and find your rhythm.

Look forward to your next update.

Re the bolt in cages, personally I wouldn't run one, but a well engineered and installed one can still offer a high level of protection. The main issue in any off is whether there is or isnt a sudden stop involved. After our little whoopsie at TSW, I went straight out and got HANS devices and helmets each and side support seats. It feels a bit claustrophobic and restrictive at first but once the flag drops you dont even notice. We were lucky the stump we found in the long grass was old and rotten and we knocked it clean out of the ground. Would have been a very different story if it was solid.

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