Major’s Targa hat-trick

NORTH Perth's Peter Major claimed his third Targa West win at the weekend, with his camouflage-painted Mitsubishi Evo VIII,co-driven by Greg Flood, finishing the four-day tarmac rally comfortably ahead of the 67-car pack.

But the event was marred by an incident that clouded the outcome of the Classic Challenge division.

The event has four major categories: Modern Competition, Classic Competition, Modern Challenge and Classic Challenge.

The Triumph TR-8 pairing of Martin Eyer and Russel Benn had a commanding lead over the Porsche of Paul Thompson and Vanessa Saunderson in Classic Challenge, but were penalised under bizarre circumstances and relegated to second place.

"We got robbed," a disappointed Eyer said.

�We were given two-minute penalty for obeying an official instruction that turned out to be wrong and did not affect our time in any way.

�We thought there would no problem to overturn it, especially since we have it on video, but we were told it would stand unless I lodged an appeal with the stewards.

"But who would want a trophy once the champagne had been spilled?"

The charismatic Gwelup motor sportsman, a Targa veteran of 10 years, did not attend the prizegiving dinner.

Peter Major and Greg Flood had some luck in winning Modern Competition, with mechanical bothers stopping the charges of rivals Brett Wilkinson (Evo IX) and Peter Rullo (Nissan GTR 35).

Major and Flood ended up at the spectator-packed packed Perth foreshore taking the chequered flag 1.23 minutes ahead of Matt O�Neill, of Jane Brook, and Mandy Lister in a Subaru WRX STI with Wanneroo father-and-daughter Stewart and Carly Liddle third in their Evo X.

Floreat's Paul Moltoni and co-driver Lisa White brought their Porsche 911 RS smoothly home to claim first place in Classic Competition after 2014 winners Simon Gunson, of Bibra Lake and Jurgen Lunsmann had mechanical maladies in their fiery Capri Perana to finish second, 2.35 minutes behind.

David Moir brought his Datsun 240Z home in third spot.

Canning Vale driver Sharon Gunson and Helen Lunsmann had another cracker run in Modern Classic in their pink Evo VII and were very lucky to win'their car expired immediately after the last stage with a blown differential.

George and Kerry Watts, of Ocean Reef, ran second in their Evo X, with the Mercedes A45 AMG of Michael Broughton, of Swanbourne, and Fremantle's David Watkin in third place.

The demanding event, now in its 11th year,took in special stages at Barbagallo Raceway, a night stage on the streets of Malaga, a section of Whiteman Park, Kalamunda's infamous Zig-Zag and Mundaring Road, Toodyay, Chittering and Bullsbrook before finishing at Langley Park.