SCI Targa Tasmania 2007 - Us quad’s can be suckers for punishment every now and again. Well Alan Stevenson and Nazim Erdem proved this by entering the Targa Tasmania again this year building on their success last year. Regular readers of News Link would recall that last year they were the first all disabled team to enter and complete the Targa Tasmania rally.

It all started late in 2005 when AQA member Alan Stevenson gave us a call and told us about his idea of entering a team in the Targa Tasmania. Alan wanted to put his mechanical and racing skill knowledge and experience to good use after suffering a spinal injury a few years ago.

For those of you who haven’t been initiated or aren’t up-to-date, the Targa Tasmania is an exciting International Classic Car Race / Rally Drive held annually in and around the picturesque roads and landscape of Tasmania. It is a tarmac rally with competitive stages on closed roads for the best touring, sports and GT cars in the world.

Targa Tasmania is conducted over six days (including a Prologue) on over 2,000 kilometers of tarmac roads during April of each year. Each and every year, the appeal of Targa Tasmania seems to grow larger and larger. Last year was a record field with over 250 cars entering the event. However 2007 topped last year by having 300 cars entered. Cars entered for the event ranged from Lamborghini’s to Porsche’s to Holden’s and believe it not, some Ford’s (just kidding you Ford supporters).

Alan and Naz’s aim together with AQA was to show the greater community that people with disabilities, in particular the Spinal Cord Injured, could achieve just about anything they set out to achieve. They also wanted to create awareness and motivate people with disabilities to follow their dreams. Alan and Nazim were again fortunate to have Helen and Jason as their support crew. It must be said that without them, things would have been very difficult, if not impossible. Thanks guys!!!

Alan did a great job again by chasing and securing sponsors. Planning started months before the actual event.

The car not only had a new look this year, it also had a new soul. Alan thought that he’d add a supercharger to the engine to give it some mid-range torque which was lacking last year. The supercharger added a new dimension to the car and created interest from other drivers as well as the public.

Naz arrived in Launceston a few days before the event to familiarise himself with the car again. Alan and Naz have different driving capabilities which means they use their own specific spinner knobs (a device attached to the steering wheel) whilst they are driving. Naz’s comment as he took the “improved” car for a drive was “wwwwoooww”. The power of the supercharger was that noticeable.

After meeting Alan and Naz during Targa 2006, Adam Spence from the Vodafone RedBack Racing team was so impressed that he set off on a mission to raise some funds for AQA Victoria. Adam invited the guys to Baskerville raceway where he organised a ‘Track Day’ for his sponsors and supporters. Invited guests got to do some hot-laps in his unique Renault Spider Sport which is the only one of its kind in Australia. More than 50 guests took the opportunity to do hot-laps in 10 cars, including Alan’s and Adam’s cars.

Part of the day included Alan and Naz giving a speech about what they were trying to achieve and what they went through to get to this stage. After their speech, Adam presented a cheque to AQA Victoria for the amount of $5000.

The guy’s first official event before the Targa was the ‘Disabled Kids Drive’ that Alan initiated last year. Helen was literally run off her feet days before from the preparing and organising of the day. People thought it was a big success last year with 5 rally cars taking about 20 kids with disabilities (as “navigators”) around a 4 kilometre course from the Launceston Country Club. However this year 25 cars volunteered their time (interest was so overwhelming that some cars had to be knocked back) to be navigated by 50 kids with disabilities. The event was supported by the local media, Launceston Country Club, the local police, the Australian Maritime College and other Targa entrants.

As mentioned before, the day was a huge success with over 50 kids registered to take part in the drive. They were navigators of the race cars and on completion of the lap they received some gifts including showbags, drinks, personalised certificates, etc. Words could not say enough about the appreciation shown on the kid’s faces, they had smiles from ear to ear and you could just see that their day was made. The event was covered in newspapers, radio and the 6 o’clock news.

Before the official start of the Targa program, entrants have to attend a compulsory “Tour Briefing” to go over rules, occupational health and safety issues, etc. There was a funny moment during the briefing at the Country Club when one of the officials stated during his speech, “…there have only been 3 incidents (accidents) in the history of the tour, and those entrants concerned are here again…”. Alan and Naz had a chuckle with the comment as they were one of those entrants concerned (Alan and Naz crashed the car on the last turn).

One of the highlights during each stage was seeing the support of locals in the streets and the spectator areas cheering and waving. Some locals made a day of it, inviting friends and having BBQ’s, sipping coffee etc. Some of the locals could be seen sitting on their roofs with deck chairs drinking beers, waving as the cars went by (pretty funny sight).

During one of the stages Rob Shaw, a reporter from the Examiner, navigated for Alan with the intention of writing an article from a navigator’s point of view in a car driven by someone with a disability. The article was published the next day on a whole page in the Examiner. It was very informative and good reading.

The guys also met and had a chat with Eric Bana and his co-driver Tony Ramunno. During their chat Eric and Tony mentioned that they were making a documentary about their Targa entry and if it worked out they were to include Alan’s and Naz’s entry in there as well. Racing being what it is, Eric and Tony crashed their car the next day, putting paid to the idea about the documentary.

For the rest of the event, the guys made the comment “It went like clockwork this time around. We didn’t get into any dramas this time around and the car was fantastic”.
They found the event not as difficult as last year purely because they knew what was ahead, with the early mornings and the long days. It’s not fun getting up at 4am in the mornings when you don’t get to bed until 11pm the night before. They were relieved after completing all of the stages without any incidents.

They also reported that they were approached by many people from the general public knowing who they were and what they were trying to achieve. This happened at each of the “Expo” days where all the cars were on display to the public. Alan commented “It is so rewarding being approached by total strangers who know your name, and what you’re trying to achieve”. Naz added “We have certainly achieved what we set out to do by showing others that having a disability is not the end. We can and do get on with our lives”.

It was a great feeling with a sense of achievement once they drove through the finish line at the Hobart Casino and received their medal’s. THEY WERE SPENT… BUT HAD DONE IT AGAIN!!!

Written by Info/Peer Support Department