Podium finish at Targa Tasmania for Brendo

Brendo and Rhianon have finished Targa Tasmania in fantastic style, taking second place in the Showroom class and a superb ninth outright after five gruelling days of driving.  After snatching second place yesterday, Brendo faced another tough day of competition today, knowing he couldn't put a foot wrong.  With five stages today taking the competitors from Strahan, on Tasmania's West Coast, to the finish at Hobart, Brendo knew the day's two long stages would suit the nimble Mazda3 MPS better than the 4WD cars either side of him.

"It was great to finish those two longer stages knowing we had taken even more time out of third place," Brendo said.  "It meant we were able to back off a little on the final two shorter stages of the day, although you can never totally relax, you've always got to remain 100% focused."

The Mazda pair's second place is one position higher than last year's Targa Tasmania when they finished third in the Showroom class.  To also finish inside the top ten in a 2 wheel drive car, is an amazing feat.

"We prepared really well for the event, putting in a lot of time perfecting our pacenotes from last year's Targa," Brendo said.  "Rhianon did a great job as usual, and after five days of competition it was fantastic to stand on the podium."

"I'd really like to thank Allan Horsley and all the team at Mazda Motorsport for the faith they put in us again this year.  The Mazda3 MPS is an awesome car to drive and to finish as well as we did is a great reward for the whole team."

Visit Brendo's Photo Gallery for photos from Targa Tasmania