Lamborghini for reigning Targa champs
Targa Tasmania champions John and Jason White will race a $440,000 Lamborghini Gallardo in next year's event in a bid to take out back-to-back titles.

John White, of Devonport, and his nephew Jason, formerly of Burnie and now Hobart-based, won their first Targa title this year in a Nissan Skyline GTR.

The Lamborghini will arrive in Tasmania in several weeks after John White struck a deal with Team Lamborghini Australia to purchase the car driven in Targa this year by Australian Nations Cup champion and former Hobart driver Paul Stokell.

Stokell crashed the car on Day Three near Cygnet, allowing the Whites to take over the lead.

Repairs to the vehicle, costing around $30,000 were restricted to mainly body damage and steering parts, with no suspension, chassis or other structural damage resulting from the crash.

John White said he tried to secure a deal with TLA last year, but they weren't interested.

"I told them to fold the mirrors back on it (a polite way of saying to 'shove it') because I've got a dirty old Nissan that's going to beat you blokes anyway," he said.

"But now it seems they've seen the light."

Part of the deal, which saw White obtaining the Lamborghini at a discounted price, includes a commitment from him and Jason to compete in all Australia's major tarmac rallies and Targa New Zealand.

TLA will withdraw from tarmac rallying and concentrate on circuit racing, with the Whites effectively providing the Lamborghini presence in tarmac rallying.

"While Paul (Stokell) did a fantastic job in Targa this year, they realise their expertise is in circuit racing and ours is in tarmac rallies," White said.

"Paul certainly proved the car has the potential to win Targa, and that's our main reason for getting it, but we can make improve on it with suspension modifications, engine management and a few other tricks we have up our sleeve," he said.

"Jim (seven-times winner Jim Richards) is coming back with a four-wheel-drive Porsche, so we need to find something capable of beating him, and we believe this is it."

The Lamborghini deal also involves White Hot Motorsport changing its name to White Hot Lamborghini and John White becoming the Lamborghini agent for Tasmania.

"It's a magnificent beast to drive it's got four-wheel-drive and a 5.0 litre V-10 engine."




http://ta.harrisgroup.com.au/news.cgi?type=2&id=195183