Martin Dippie credits the runner-up placing he achieved at last week’s Targa New Zealand to sound strategy.
He and co-driver Jona Grant have learned a thing or two in their many years contesting the annual five-day tarmac rally, with the Dunedin pair contesting the event every year from 2008 in a Porsche.
This year they were in a 2WD 991 GT3 RS — making Dippie’s second placing among the 4WD tarmac-spec specialists an impressive achievement.
Dippie’s plan was to have a conservative start to the event, which covered 1932km from Taupo to Palmerston North, to match the fast but damp conditions.
‘‘I knew there was going to be carnage,’’ he said.
Carnage there was, with many of his rivals ending up either off the road or with mechanical failures.
Describing himself as an ‘‘enthusiastic amateur’’, Dippie (53) has driven in more than 20 Targa events, dating back to 1997, when he first entered with his brother Allan. He won the title outright in 2013 and has had numerous overall podium finishes and makes it his mission to claim the 2WD honours each year.
‘‘You’ve got to get in a mindset of pushing beyond your comfort zone and knowing when to back off,’’ he said.
The ‘‘incredible community’’ that surrounds Targa — from the drivers to the volunteers and service crews — were another reason he kept returning and Dippie has made ‘‘good mates up and down the country’’ through his participation.
Auckland’s Haydn Mackenzie and his co-driver Matthew Sayers won 10 of the rally’s 31 stages in a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X RS to finish nearly 12 minutes ahead of Dippie/Grant.
- Catherine Pattison
PHOTO: BEN HUGHES/PROSHOTZ PHOTOGRAPHY
