Nissan GT-R again wins Targa West
August 24, 2009 by Karl Peskett
Nissan GT-R driver Steve Jones and co-driver Ruari Sauter-Dawson have taken out the 2009 Quit Targa West making it a back-to-back win for the hard working team.
Driving their Fabcar sponsored Nissan GT-R, they edged out Tony Quinn, also driving a Nissan GT-R, who was eventually excluded from the Targa West results due to illegal modifications to his exhaust.
After Quinn was disqualified, the teams of Dean Herridge/Chris Murphy and Alistair McRae/Bill Hayes joined Jones and Sauter-Dawson on the podium, in second and third place respectively.
“There’s no way to explain this victory, it’s just hard work,” Jones said at the finish. “Those Queenslander’s (Quinn) they’re just like a dog with a bone, they don’t give up. We just had to keep out foot down all weekend and he kept us honest big time, but that’s what it’s all about you’ve got to have competition like that.”
At the end of day one, Jones lost his inital lead to Quinn, but clawed his way back to the top spot through day two. Day three saw him 22 seconds in front, and from there he extended his lead to 58 seconds by the end. When Quinn was disqualified, the gap to Herridge was a staggering 2 minutes 29 seconds.
Targa West 2009 also showcased the advantage of four wheel grip, with wet conditions meaning the top 13 placed cars all had all-wheel-drive.
Photos: Paul Brockbank
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Well Done Jonesy.
Was out in the rain with you. Tough conditions.
Saw his original black GTR’s interior being prepped after he found out it still needed a hoodlining with a cage. Had a chat with him. Good, friendly guy.
Correct me if im wrong, but Jones says it was all hard work, but he only won because the guy who really came first got disqualified. I know he had illegal mods but even so, Jones didnt really win, did he?
I thought the story was he quit the West Targa! Blonde moment!
Shak: Quinn got disqualified after the race for illegal mods to his exhaust. Even if Quinn didnt get disqualified, Steve still beat Quinn by almost a minute. So to answer your question, yes he did beat Quinn outright.
Shak, where did you get that idea???
The story says he was 58 seconds ahead of Quinn by the end. Then Quinn got disqualified, and Herridge moved into second, and McRae into third!
Some people can’t read to save themselves…
Hang on a minute… When someone is running a 2.3 litre ’stroker’ motor instead of the 2.0 mill it should have been using, then there is some cause for concern!
Motorsport categories have rules and regulations and they are there for safety, but more importantly in this particular case they are their to perform what little ‘control’ they can have over the sport of Tarmac Rally, Those rules and regulations make it a more level playing field for the competitors that do understand what motorsport is all about, and abide by them. If someone is breaking those rules, then they are cheating! plain and simple! Getting disqualified on a minor technicality is one thing, getting disqualified for something as large at this is bloody stupid and un-Australian!
Cheating is cheating, and Quinn fits into that category regardless of what you think as it’s a very black and white case. Personally, I hope they get banned from a few events in the future to hopefully cement in their minds the enormity of what they have done.
Track Hound, are you referring to another vehicle that got disqualified for a stroked motor? Quinn was due to exhaust mods (it did sound quite a bit louder and sharper than the other GT-R’s in the rally) and the GT-R is not 2.0 litre. Which car had the stroker?
as far as i know the evo of Klark Quinn may have the stroker issue and may result to further action,tonys gtr had exhaust irrgularitys.as for jones,all i can say pull your ego in,you are now up there with some very well oiled and public racers,so drop the up yourself attitude,party boy spoilt rich kid status and be an example to other young peddlers with talent.jim richards you aint,or alister mcrae,so show them the respect they have earnt
Tonester, where did that come from? How does Steve Jones disrespect Jim Richards and Alister Mcrae? Do you know this for a fact? Or are you just publicly insulting a young driver on a whim? Or is this envy?
Tonester, you’re a complete muppet and obviously don’t know Steve.
If you had met him, you’d realize he exhibits none of the character traits you mentioned.
It’s easy to judge from behind the confines of a keyboard…