(From the Drive Channel)
Many are familiar with New Zealand’s famous road, the Crown Range Pass. This public road climbs to 1,100 meters above sea level by the way of fast twisty corners and steep uphill hairpins on the way from Queenstown to Wanaka. For the first time in history, 2014’s Targa New Zealand has ventured to the South Island, allowing competitors to try their luck at some of the most beautiful roads in the world. Gavin Riches, the driver of this 997 GT3 Cup car, has shipped his car all the way from Florida in order to compete in this week long event. His run through the Crown Range is now the fastest recorded run of any car during competition.
In this particular Targa, the rules operate more like a stage rally. The drivers are competing for stage time. The only difference from straight up performance rally is the fact that there is no recce for the co-driver beforehand and the cars cannot exceed 200kph without incurring a stiff penalty.
So in this case, Gavin’s GT3 Cup is getting to 200kph quite quickly and driving into the corners blind. Thus the co-driver’s job (Gavin’s wife Amy) is to navigate the car to the stage, and then during the stage, make sure the car doesn’t exceed 200kph. This is the reason behind the conversation in the car at speed being:
Gavin: “Speed?, Speed?”
Amy: “Hold. Hold. Up. Up. Hold.”
The closest one can get to 200kph without going over depicts who’s coming in first. It’s a bit different than what we are all used to while watching in-car footage…. But it’s a fun challenge to watch none-the-less.
What would you choose to race down this road in?
