August 15th, 2003

Bathurst champ Longhurst to debut in WRX

TWO-times Bathurst 1000 champion Tony Longhurst will make his Targa Tasmania debut in the 2004 tarmac rally, driving a Subaru WRX STi.

The 45-year-old from the Gold Coast will compete in the 13th annual Targa rally from April 27 to May 2 nest year with fellow-Queenslander Michael DeVere as navigator. The entry was announced at today’s official launch for the 2004 Targa rally at the Country Club Resort in Launceston.

Longhurst won Bathurst in 1988 in a Ford Sierra with Tomas Mezera, and again in 2001 in a Holden Racing Team Commodore with Mark Skaife.

While Longhurst does not have a fulltime drive in this year’s V8 Supercar Championship, he has been announced as part of the Holden Racing Team’s driver line-up for the 2003 endurance races at Sandown and Bathurst.

Despite his lack of rallying experience, Longhurst hopes to be competitive in the all-wheel-drive Subaru against the fleet of more powerful Porsche 911s, led by seven-times Targa champion Jim Richards.

“I’d be disappointed if I couldn’t quickly adapt to the style of driving you need in rallying,” said Longhurst.

“Our biggest challenge will be coming to grips with using pace notes and communication inside the car because that’s all new to both of us.

“We will be down on power compared to the Porsches, but our Subaru is lighter and more nimble and we could surprise Jim (Richards) and a few others if the weather turns wet.”

Longhurst said that in assessing his prospects, he was encouraged by the performance of the Subaru raced by NSW’s Tony Sullens in the 2003 event. Sullens was as high as second and consistently in the top five until being forced out by mechanical problems on the fourth and penultimate leg.

“We will be running the car as light as we can, and ‘tweak’ the exhaust, engine management system, springs and ‘shocks’ as much as we are allowed to do under the regulations in to get as much speed out of the car as we can,” said Longhurst.

DeVere, a 39-year-old solicitor based at Sanctuary Cove, will also make his Targa debut in 2004. He said it was possible he and Longhurst might enter the Rally Tasmania tarmac event from February 20-22 to prepare for Targa.

The Longhurst-DeVere team was among a record 212 ‘Early Bird’ entries announced at today’s 2004 event launch by Rob McGuire, general manager in Tasmania for Octagon, the owner/producer of the Targa rally.

Other high-profile entries confirmed are Richards, who will again team up with Tasmanian navigator Barry Oliver, Victorian Red Broadbent, third in 2003, and 2001 runner-up Tony Quinn of Queensland, both driving Porsche 911s.

The Tasmanian challenge will be led by Launceston’s Greg Garwood, who was fourth in 2003, in a Porsche 911 GT3, and Jason White and John White, third in 2002, in a Nissan Skyline GTR.

“It’s shaping up as a top-class field, and having another Bathurst champion like Tony Longhurst is going to add plenty of excitement because he’s got a reputation as a real hard-charger,” said McGuire.