Issue 385 (18 Feb) has a sensational piece on South Australia’s newest motorsport event, the Eden Valley Hillclimb, and mini features on Matt Selley – Ford Escort MkII, Tim Lynas - 1965 Ford Mustang, Oscar Matthews 1984 Toyota AE86, Tim Knappstien – Datsun 240Z. Images are available to be purchased from Any Given Reason.

Issue 384 (21 Jan) tells the story of Tasmania’s second annual Poatina Hillclimb tarmac rally event, and mini features on Peter Roberts and Beau Starritt – Nissan Skyline GTS-t, Warwick Hughes - Alfa Romeo Sud Ti, Kerry Luck and Adam Colgrave – Porsche 911 GT3 RS and Adrian and Sonia Hodgetts – Datsun 240Z. Images are available to be purchased from Angryman Photography.

Unique Cars magazine is available to be purchased both in-store and online.

Only two of the event’s six runs were completed today following an incident involving a competition car. Hobart’s Andrew Kuc, the car’s navigator, was transported to hospital by Ambulance Tasmania after their car left the road during competition at approximately 1.00pm today. The car’s driver, Cameron Kuc – also of Hobart – is okay. Read the full statement regarding the incident here

Garwood, driving a 2008 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, and his navigator Cameron Reeves of Brisbane, achieved the fastest accumulated time of the day over his two runs of the event’s 10.2km course snaking up the iconic Poatina Road from the small tourism hub of Poatina Village. 17-year-old Garwood also won the event’s Tarmac Rally class for cars with an engine capacity between 3001 and 4500cc (Class D).

Finishing 9.5 seconds behind 17-year-old Garwood was Somerset’s Eddie Maguire and Mike Potter of Hobart in a 2007 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX RS. Rounding out the top three was Launceston’s Peter Nunn and Keith Johnston in their 1985 Porsche 944 Turbo, a further 7.3 seconds behind Maguire.

“It was awesome,” says Adam. “The were some big names here like Eddie Maguire and Jamie Vandenberg so it’s an honour to win.

“It was also the first time dad and I have raced together,” says Adam of his father and Tasmanian racing stalwart Greg Garwood, who finished fourth in the Tarmac Rally category in his 2001 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec.

Cameron and Andrew Kuc were leading their class (A: 0-1600cc), before they crashed out of the event today. Eddie Maguire also won the event’s class for 4WD vehicles.

Nissan Skyline GT-R driver Jamie Lonergan stopped the clocks with the fastest time in the Driver Only category with an impressive time of 4mins 51 seconds – which also secured him a class win in the category for 4WD cars. Securing second place was Launceston’s Scott Deane in a 1996 Mitsubishi Evolution IV, 19.5 seconds behind and third quickest on the day was Hobart’s Stephen Noble in his 2005 Nissan 350Z.

“I am really proud to go back to back,” says Lonergan of his win. “It was a great day of competition and I really enjoyed the time with my fellow competitors.”

Other class winners in the Driver Only category was Kettering’s Warwick Hughes in his 1983 Alfa Romeo Sud TI (A: 0-1600cc), Phil House of Tasmania’s North West in a 1983 BMW Alpina C2 (C: 2001-3000cc), Launceston’s Mark Beckett in his 1992 Nissan Skyline GTS-t (D: 3001-4500cc), and Steve Noble from Tasmania’s south in a 2005 Nissan 350Z (E: 4501cc and over).

“There was some solid competition today from the tarmac rally entrants,” said the event’s Clerk of the Course and Auto Corsa Group, Stuart Benson. “Close competition between drivers like Jamie Vandenberg, Eddie Maguire – these are drivers with great credibility and well-prepared cars, upstaged by young gun Adam Garwood who has had great success on the track this year.”

“And impressively, last year’s Driver Only winner – Jamie Lonergan – continued his dominance in the event’s Driver-only competition.

“Auto Corsa Group is humbled by the support received from the Tasmanian motorsport fraternity for the Poatina Hillclimb and we look forward to it becoming a permanent fixture on the Tasmanian motorsport calendar.”

Media Contact:

Lydia Richards
0418 572 402
lydia@autocorsa.com.au

Crews will compete six times over the event’s extended 10.2km course over Poatina Road, which snakes up Mount Blackwood to the Central Plateau of Northern Tasmania. Each entrant will vie for a class win and to achieve the overall fastest time of the day.

Defending champion of the event’s Driver Only category is Hobart’s Jamie Lonergan. Jamie returns to the event in 2015 with his 1989 Nissan Skyline GT-R and is eyeing a back-to-back title. Likely to be one of Jamie’s biggest rivals this year is Launceston’s Greg Garwood in his newer model Skyline (2001 GT-R V-Spec). Devonport’s Phil House in a BMW Alpine C2 and Hobart’s John Ralph in his 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STi are bound to be quick, and an unknown quantity is Mark Beckett, also from Launceston. Beckett is of Tasmanian drifting origins and will campaign his 1993 Nissan Skyline Gts-t.

Likely to be a frontrunner in the event’s Tarmac Rally category is Launceston’s Adam Garwood and Brisbane’s Cameron Reeves in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. 17-year-old Adam has been very successful on the track in his Porsche this year, winning two rounds of the three-round national Hi-Tec Oils Sports GT Series.

Adam Garwood in his 2008 Porsche will be a top contender in the Tarmac Rally category

Somerset's Eddie Maguire and navigator Mike Potter are bound to set quick times

One of the fastest rotaries in the event will be the Benson Motorsports Mazda RX-7 SP, driven by Hobart’s Peter O’Keefe and navigated by Julie Winton-Monet. Another rotary worth watching is the RX-7 Group B Replica of Hobart Signworks owner Andrew Morris and his navigator Matt Bush.

Other cars of interest include the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII of all-female team Luana Garwood and Suzanne Atkins from Launceston, the 1971 Mazda RX-2 of Hobart’s Lew Bush, the 1974 Porsche 911 of Chris Wilson, David Thompson’s V8 supercar-based1967 Ford Mustang and Ralph Norton’s 2013 model Audi R8.

All-female crew Luana Garwood and Suzanne Atkins will be worth watching in their 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII

Poatina Village will be a hive of activity on the day with servicing and re-group located on the Village Green and plenty of family entertainment on offer including a jumping castle, face painting and a Thomas Train. There will also be plenty of tasty treats on offer around the village to keep spectators and competitors fueled throughout the day.

There are three spectator vantage points from which public can catch the action. Two are based along the course and, with Poatina Road re-opening briefly every hour, there will be ample opportunity to move to the different spots throughout the day.

Competition will kick off at 9.00am with award presentations starting at around 4.30pm.

Download the Entry List and Spectator Guide

Hailing from Somerset in Tasmania’s North West, 28-year old Eddie and his younger brother Steve, will campaign the event’s Tarmac Rally category in separate cars – and both plan on being competitive.

Eddie, who owns his own security company, is an accomplished rally driver. He won last year’s Targa High Country in Victoria and this year won the inaugural Targa Hellyer and finished fourth outright at Targa Tasmania.

Eddie will drive his proven 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX in the Poatina Hillclimb and his long-time navigator, Mike Potter, will sit beside him. Just this October, Eddie and Mike won the final round of the Tasmanian Rally Series – the gravel Mountain Stages rally.

For last year’s Poatina Hillclimb, Eddie loaned his Evo to his mate, Burnie’s Jason White, who he navigated for in the event. Unfortunately, their campaign ended prematurely with the car upside down in a ditch.

“What I am most looking forward to about Poatina is that it’s a low stress event which brings all the fun back into the sport,” says Eddie.

25-year old Steve, who is a plumber by trade, has already shown great promise in tarmac rallying, winning the Early Modern category at this year’s Targa Hellyer in a 1998 Mitsubishi Evo V borrowed from Eddie. Tasmanian-based rally gun, Steve Glenney, was his navigator. “Steve Glenney is great guy to have sitting in with you, keeping you focused, reading roads and assisting with suspension setup,” says Steve.

For his first Poatina Hillclimb, Steve will campaign his brother’s Evo and has called on the expertise of Tasmanian navigator, and friend, Hobart’s Damien Grimwood to call the corners. The pair competed in Targa Tasmania together this year after winning a free entry from his Targa Hellyer success. Impressively, the Targa rookie finished fifth in Early Modern.

“Mostly, I am looking forward to the hairpin-style of the Poatina event, but for me any day you get behind the wheel of a race car – is a good day,” says Steve.

The brothers have their dad Paul to thank for their success in motorsport. He encouraged them into the world of motorsport at an early age, with both boys contesting North West Car Club events from their mid-teens. “Dad is usually at most events and is still great encouragement for us,” says Steve.

“Going head to head with Eddie is great but, at the end of the day, we race our own race and always end an event with pat on each other's back.” When asked what advice he gets from his older brother, Steve says “Eddie just tells me to keep it smooth.”

For Eddie, competing against his little brother is a lot of fun. “Steve is quite a talented driver and with a few more events under his belt like Poatina, he will become quite competitive. Mind you, the day he starts beating me will be the day he needs to find his own car,” jokes Eddie.

ABOUT THE EVENT

The second annual Poatina Hillclimb on Sunday 6 December will be held over an extended 10.2km section of the iconic Poatina Road. A field of over 50 cars will assemble for the event and each entrant will get six runs over the course throughout the day.

Poatina Village will again play host to the event’s vehicle display and finish celebrations and there’s plenty of vantage points from which to catch the action. There will also be lots of entertainment for families to enjoy on the day including a jumping castle and face painting.

46-year-old Andrew, who owns and operates Signworks in Hobart, blew the engine on his 1982 Mazda RX-7 Group B Replica at the fourth round of the Tasmanian Rally Series just a few weeks ago.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Andrew. “We were travelling pretty well and it just stopped 22 kilometres into a 40 kilometre stage.”

Andrew usually has better luck at his gravel rally outings, last year winning the 2WD classic category in the state series.

Local mechanic Lew Bush, known in Tasmanian motorsport circles as ‘the rotary man’, is now madly re-building the RX-7’s 13B peripheral port rotary engine in his Acton workshop for next month’s second annual Poatina Hillclimb, in which Andrew will contest the Tarmac Rally 2WD category.

Semi-retired Lew is also competing in the event in a 1971 Mazda RX-2. Lew’s car has its own rich racing pedigree as a historic touring car.

Navigating for Andrew is Lew’s 24-year-old son, Matt Bush, who is a keen circuit racer himself. Together, Andrew and Matt have competed in five rounds of the Tasmanian Rally Series.

“After servicing for a mate at last year’s event and I could see that the Poatina Road is an incredible stretch of tarmac,” said Andrew. “I am really keen to give this event a go and lot of my mates are competing this year, so I really hope the car will be finished in time – although Lew assures me it will be.”

“Personally, I would really like to see more events like the Poatina Hillclimb here in Tasmania.”

Andrew has always been a keen rotary man. Prior to owning the RX-7 he too raced a Mazda RX-2, contesting Tasmanian circuit events and rounds of the ARC in the late 80s.

ABOUT THE CAR

Andrew purchased the RX-7 about 11 years ago as a standard road car and has built it up over time into a gravel and tarmac rally car – a replica of the factory Mazda RX-7 that contested rounds of the World Rally Championship up until the mid 80s.

It has a 13B peripheral port rotary engine that, after the rebuild, is likely to produce around 300-horsepower at the rear wheels. It weighs around 1100kg.

It has MCA springs and dampers and adjustable four-link rear suspension, front brakes from a Series 5 RX-7 and rears courtesy of a Nissan Skyline.

ABOUT THE EVENT

The second Poatina Hillclimb will be held on Sunday 6 December 2015.

This year it will run over an extended 10.2 kilometre section of the iconic Poatina Road, which has an elevation gain of 580 metres, snaking up Mount Blackwood from Norfolk Plains to the Central Plateau in Northern Tasmania.

Each entrant will compete six times over the technical long course hillclimb, covering 61 kilometres in a single day.

Poatina Village will once again play host to the event’s start and finish celebrations and vehicle display. Locals are encouraged to get amongst the action and rub shoulders with the entrants.

1. Poatina is home to Hydro Tasmania’s second largest hydroelectric power station, which still operates today and is located 150 metres underground in a massive artificial cavern. The 5.6 kilometre penstock tunnel – which conveys water from Great Lake to the power station – was fabricated in Italy and constructed on site.

2. Work commenced on the Poatina Power Station in 1958, and it opened in 1964 (watch the video here). Poatina Village was built specifically to house the workers during the construction phase and ongoing operation of the power station and other hydro-electricity projects in the area.

3. In 1995, the whole of Poatina Village was acquired by community organisation Fusion Australia and established as an intentional community assisting homeless and unemployed young people through vocational rehabilitation, as well as Fusion’s training centre – equipping people around Australia and from many other countries in youth and community work.

4. Poatina, in the language of the Palawa Aboriginal people, actually means “cavern” or “cave” … and so for more than 50 years, the Village has been a place of shelter firstly as a Hydro town and now in the great work of Fusion Australia.

Poatina Mountain Cottage looking East

5. Poatina Village is always open for business through the Poatina Chalet, View Café, Tiers Tea Lounge, Poatina Tree Art Gallery, Gift Shop, General Store, Op Shop, Ampol Service Station, one of Tasmania’s most picturesque golf courses, a labyrinth and many other facilities.

6. Some of the less visible aspects of Poatina are a communal gathering each morning; an Arts Colony with a new Arts Centre including one of Tasmania’s only hot glass blowing studios; innovative approaches to farming; and from 2016, Capstone College, a new Special Assistance School for those in years 9 and 10 needing an alternative approach to schooling in order to help them reach their potential.

7. Each December, Poatina plays host to an annual closed-road hillclimb and rally competition called the Poatina Hillclimb. A host of tarmac rally and race cars turn out each year to compete over the challenging Poatina Road course, which starts at Poatina Village and snakes 10.2km up Mount Blackwood.

Sources: Hydro Tasmania, Fusion Australia
Images: Hydro Tasmania, Fusion Australia, Northern Midlands Council

The 53-year-old, who manages the automotive Derwent Park Trade Clearance Centre in Hobart, is contesting the Tasmanian event’s Tarmac Rally category in a 1995 Mazda RX-7 SP, built and owned by Benson Motorsports.

O’Keefe’s long-time partner, and successful rally navigator, Julie Winton Monet will call the corners for him.

Best known for his many years of flamboyant exploits and numerous podium results in circuit racing and tarmac rallying events with a menacing black Holden Torana, O’Keefe still remains active in Tasmanian motorsport circles. He is currently leading the State Hillclimb Championship and he and Julie finished third outright in this year’s Targa Hellyer event.

For the Poatina Hillclimb, O’Keefe is hoping for a category win and to challenge for fast outright results and – with about 470 horsepower propelling it forward – the turbocharged rotary is likely to be one of the fastest cars on the road.

“The car has been set up really well for both circuit and rally events which makes it well-suited to this style of event,” says O’Keefe. “The Poatina Hillclimb is a fantastic event on a great road in our home state and we’re looking forward to getting into it.”

The RX-7 SP has been developed overtime by Benson Motorsports with technical assistance from Mazda Motorsport Australia’s long-time team manager and endurance racing mastermind, Allan Horsley.

This year the Poatina Hillclimb, formerly the Poatina Mt. Race) will run over an extended 10.2 kilometre section of the iconic Poatina Road, which has an elevation gain of 580 metres as it snakes up Mount Blackwood.

Competitors of the 2015 event can choose from one of three competitions: a driver-only hillclimb; and for drivers and navigators a traditional tarmac rally sprint and, new in 2015, a speed-restricted ‘challenge’ category.

Each entrant will compete six times over the technical long course hillclimb, covering 61 kilometres in a single day.

Poatina Village will once again play host to the event’s start and finish celebrations and vehicle display.

Promoted by Auto Corsa Group, the second annual running of the Poatina Hillclimb, formerly the Poatina Mountain Race, in 2015 will see an exciting extended course offered over a longer 10.2 kilometre stretch of Poatina Road in Northern Tasmania.

Each entrant will compete six times over the technical long course hillclimb, covering 61 kilometres in a single day.

Ben and Aleshia will once again contest the hillclimb’s popular rally category against a field of two and four-wheel drive production racing cars including Mazdas, Porsches, Fords and other Nissans.

Last year’s Poatina event was the couple’s first competitive outing together. Impressively, they finished fourth in the rally category and were the fastest two-wheel drive car on the road.

“The first running of the event was cost effective and fun, and gave Aleshia her first experience as a navigator,” said Ben, 29, a senior IT consultant by day.

“The extended 2015 course is a real added bonus for competitors, so we were really keen to have another go at it – which will also give Aleshia more navigating experience.”

Ben bought the Skyline in 2009 as a rolling shell and, after building it up himself, started racing it in 2011. Since then he has contested a raft of tarmac rally and hillclimb events, including four Targa Tasmania events (winning Early Modern in 2013), two V8 supercar support races and a number of local hillclimbs and super sprints.

The Skyline’s engine is a standard Nissan 2-litre, 6-cylinder turbo which produces about 480-horsepower. Ben has updated its suspension to Penske shocks, and brakes to larger rotors and Brembo calipers. Its ABS unit has also been updated to a unit from a VY
Commodore.

As for Ben’s aspirations for this year’s event: “It would be nice to be the fastest two-wheel drive car again, but I think Adam Garwood’s Porsche Cup car is going to make that quite the challenge!”

The Poatina Hillclimb is facilitated through support from the Northern Midlands Council and the Government of Tasmania through the Department of State Growth.