Female team's Targa charge powered by Century Yuasa
The leading female team in this year's Targa Tasmania tarmac rally has received a last-minute lifeline from forklift battery manufacturer Century Yuasa, allowing the girls to fight for the Early Modern win in this year's inaugural Australian Tarmac Championship.
Samantha Stevens, a motoring journalist from Sydney NSW, and her navigator Claire Ryan, an ICU nurse from South Australia, currently sit 13th outright and second in Early Modern in the championship going into the fourth and final round in the infamous Targa Tasmania road rally this week.
Sponsor support throughout the championship from Kumho Tyres, V-Sport Performance Equipment, Nevco Engineering, JustJap and Racecam has been backed up by a new Platinum Targa sponsors, Century Yuasa Forklift Power Solutions, and will run a unique livery for the event.
"Century Yuasa wanted to increase its exposure in motorsport, and is delighted to support Samantha and Claire at Targa Tasmania," said Manuel Leon, General Manager Motive Power at Century Yuasa Batteries.
"Apart from the interest created by an all-female team in a male-dominated sport, the girls' focus on the competitive elements of the sport, their professionalism and quality car and race preparation reflects our philosophy in our business."
The girls in their first season together have built on a solid early result in a 1991 Nissan Pulsar GTI-R with the development of their new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI, earning a class podium and strong outright results in each of the preceding tarmac championship rounds.
This is a stellar achievement for Samantha, who is running her first season on the other side of the car as a driver, and for Claire, who has made the leap from gravel rally to tarmac.
While the pink stripes have gone from the car, every sponsor supports the girls' fundraising push for The McGrath Foundation.
The team aim to raise $5000 for the McGrath Foundation as part of their Targa Tasmania campaign, with more than $1500 already achieved. They recently auctioned a Targa HotLap ride in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI, with the winning bidder receiving three 'hot laps' around the Symmons Plains race circuit during today's shakedown for the 19th running of the event.
"Samantha and Claire are making great inroads in both the sport and for their charity, The McGrath Foundation, and we will eagerly monitor their success in both of these areas, and see where it takes us in the future," said Mr Leon.
