Mazda Motorsport will again be putting it all on track as they announced a three-pronged assault on next week’s Targa Tasmania rally which is also the final round of the Australian Targa Championship. The team will field two RX-8 SPs and a Mazda3 MPS at the 586 competitive kilometer tarmac event that lasts over six action-packed days. Australia’s best young rally duo, Brendan Reeves and Rhianon Smyth, will again be in control of Mazda’s turbo rotary RX-8 SP. Fresh off a WRC Academy event in Europe, the pair will be hoping to follow on from their successful first outing in the car where they secured third place at January’s Targa Wrest Point rally. Despite limited competitive time in the RX-8 SP, recent testing has strengthened the bond between car and crew and a podium place will be the goal for Reeves and Smyth. Matt Rickards makes his competitive debut for Mazda Motorsport at Targa Tasmania after he impressed with a strong showing at Targa Wrest Point which saw him secure fourth spot outright ahead of eight-time Targa winner Jim Richards. Returning for the fourth consecutive year with Mazda Motorsport, Bernie Webb brings his significant co-driving experience to the team and will be the perfect partner for Rickards as he attempts to pilot the RX-8 SP to victory. Experienced husband and wife team and four-time Australian rally champions, Simon and Sue Evans, are also back for Targa Tasmania and with the showroom-spec Mazda3 MPS as their weapon they are hoping to add to outright showroom-class wins at Targa High Country and Targa Wrest Point that would see them secure the Australian Targa Championship in their first year with the team. Mazda Motorsport boss Allan Horsley is confident in the team’s ability to mount a strong challenge. “We’ve got a good mix of youth and experience with each of our drivers extremely capable behind the wheel. And with the long term forecast predicting that we’ll see some rain during Targa, this presents a great opportunity for the two-wheel Mazdas, which handle exceptionally well in the wet, to gain some time on our four-wheel-drive rivals.”

The year’s first major tarmac rally, Targa Wrest Point, saw great success for Mazda with a podium and a win in the Showroom Category and an outright third position. The husband and wife team of Simon and Sue Evans were comfortable winners in the Showroom category while Victorian-based siblings, Brendan Reeves and Rhianon Smyth showed their championship colours with a third outright in their first ever outing in the Mazda Motorsport RX-8 SP. The two-day rally consisted of seven stages on both Saturday and Sunday, covering over 200 kilometres of competitive driving. Extreme heat was a factor over the weekend with both Evans and Reeves driving conservatively on the Sunday in order to maintain their tyres. Reeves had already set a fastest stage time on the first day of competition and in addition to a couple of second place stage finishes also consistently achieved top four stage times across the weekend. Reeves was not deterred by stiff competition and managed to cross the finish line with a top three finish behind Tasmanian Jason White in his Lamborghini Gallardo and Matt Close his an Audi TT RS both of which feature engines with a significantly larger capacity than the 1.3 litre RX-8 SP. Brendan Reeves was thrilled with the result. “The RX-8 SP was a dream to drive. It ran perfectly all weekend and is extremely reliable. The Mazda team has done a fantastic job which makes both Rhianon and myself very optimistic that the car will be ready for a high endurance event like Targa Tasmania in April”. Simon Evans was the dominant driver in the Showroom class, taking a six minute win in the Mazda3 MPS. After also winning last year’s Targa High Country rally, the Evans’ now have two class wins from two outings in the hot-hatch. “We are very proud to be able to stand on the podium for Mazda again” said Evans. The Mazda3 MPS was again nothing short of a dream to drive and it is really rewarding to be a part of the Mazda Motorsport team.” A proud Mazda Motorsport manager, Allan Horsely commented on the team’s performance over the weekend. “To have secured a class win and a third outright position really proves that we have chosen the right drivers to fly the Mazda flag. I am very pleased with the performance of both cars and the whole team deserves credit for this. Our achievements augur positively for Targa Tasmania in April.”