Buckby Racing

2017 hailed in the successful introduction of the Buckby Subaru Challenge one make series to the Tasmanian Rally Championship. Over the 4 rounds 12 Subaru Impreza RS were tested across 33 special stages of varying length and difficulty.

The inaugural winner of the Buckby Subaru Challenge was Nic Grave, in a closely fought battle all year with Ben Newman, who finished in 2^nd place. Proving consistency is the key, Buckby Subaru Dealer Principal Crichton Lewis rounded out 3^rd place.

Back for 2018, the Buckby Subaru Challenge has grown, with several new cars being built in the off season and generating plenty of interest in what could be the biggest year of gravel rally in Tasmania in more than a decade.

For 2018 the championship has grown to 5 rounds with the addition of a round of the Australian Rally Championship in July, based out of Launceston.

Round one of the Tasmanian Rally Championship kicks off on the 24^th March in Southport.

The Buckby Subaru Challenge is a one make series based on the 2001-2005 Subaru Impreza RS 2.5i. It is a perfect entry level vehicle for those considering the world of Gravel Rallying. The rules enable safe, cost-effective racing on an even platform. A ready to rally car can be purchased for under $20,000 with parts easily accessible and affordable.

For more information please contact Tim Kulhanek at t.kulhanek@buckbymotors.com.au

Australia’s newest one-make series hits the dirt this weekend at Nicholas Stages Rally in Mathinna, located in Northern Tasmania. The new series is an exciting new edition to the TRC bringing an affordable one-make class to the gravel scene.

The first round will feature 12 Subaru Impreza RS’ attracting new people to this form of motorsport including former winner of the inaugural RS Challenge Steve Glenney, who has also been involved in the development and planning of the formation of this series. 90% of the RS Challenge competitors have never competed in gravel rallying before. Backed by Northern Tasmanian’s Subaru dealer Buckby Subaru who have built 6 of these cars from scratch and have come on board as naming right sponsor for the series. Other sponsors that have come on board are Dunlop Motorsport Race Tyres and Motul Oils. The regulations hark back to the glory days of Australian Rallying when Subaru Australia backed the RS challenge. The rules enable safe, cost-effective racing and hope to attract both new and existing people to the class. A ready to race car can be purchased for under $20,000, with parts easily accessible and affordable.

For more information please contact Ben Newman on b.newman@buckbymotors.com.au.

Events

• Nicholas Stages Rally April 1st
• Hellyer Rally May 20th
• Mountain Stages Rally 7th & 8th July
• Southport 9th September

Entrants

• Chris Benjamin & Graham McGrath
• Benjamin Newman & Reubecca Sheldrick
• Bill Fulton & Jase Milner
• Beau Johnson & Aaron Saunders
• Troy Johnson & Stephen Norris
• Trevor Macleod & Steve Glenney
• Crichton Lewis & Anthony
• Carr Nathan Stokes & Nick Stokes
• Timothy Kulhanek & Travis Dean
• Nic Grave & Scott Spedding
• Mike Pritchard & Bianca Pritchard
• Sara Rogers & Elise Wilson

With the sale of our original car, the 2010 Subaru Spec to Trevor McLeod, it was looking like we would only be at Targa High Country, Mt Buller, in a supportive role for our new customers of Buckby Motorsport.  However, the rally fairies gave us an exciting opportunity to race in the inaugural “Sports Trophy” category in a 2014 Jaguar F-Type R.  This is a new competition for those with cars manufactured from 1^st January 1986 up to the first day of that event.  It runs with the same technical regulations as the rest of the competition based on the year of build.  The same rules apply as in the Modern category except that a top speed of 130kmh is in place.  Roll cages are not mandatory but are highly recommended.

The racing started with Leg 1 which took us to Eurora for lunch then through the Strathbogie Region.  After a strong run we caught the opposition napping and by the end of the day, had established a good lead.  Day 2 was a return to the normal stages of High Country and ran north out to Whitfield and back to one of our favourites, the Mansfield Street stage.  At the end of Day 2 we held a comfortable lead over the opposition.

Day 3 and we were off to Lake Eildon through Jamison and back for the final 18km run up Mt Buller.  What emerged for both Ben and Crichton was the enormous public interest in the Jaguar F-Type R with many questions answered and lots of admirers for the car.  Combined with its great power and handling we were able to cross the line in 1^st position.  This was an exciting result for Buckby Motors after recently acquiring the Jaguar franchise for Northern Tasmania.

Well it’s all over for another year.  Targa Tasmania 2014 had many highs and lows for the Buckby Motorsport Team, Ben Newman (Driver) and Crichton Lewis (Navigator) in their 2010 Subaru WRX STI.  After 6 days of racing, Ben and Crichton finished 2^nd in their category, Showroom 4WD, and an impressive 4^th outright. 

This year was a really gruelling race and Ben and Crichton’s Targa Tasmania experience was certainly not without drama. For the first few days they were very competitive.  After lunch on day 4, they lost turbo boost and could not improve the issue until lunch time the next day.  Unfortunately day 5 was a day of absolute carnage with torrential rain falling all day.  This resulted in as many as 30 cars having offs.  Luckily for the Buckby Team, they managed to stay on four wheels but they had their fair share of interesting moments!

Ben and Crichton would like to thank their sponsors Buckby Motors, St Leonards Tyrerite and Hog’s Breath Café, and very much appreciate the time and effort of their crew Brendan Brown and Daniel Youd.

Erebus Motorsport’s Mercedes-Benz V8 Supercars will sport new signage at the Coates Hire Ipswich 400 after receiving sponsorship from Buckby Motors.

The #4 Lee Holdsworth driven entry has received support from Tasmanian-based car dealer Buckby Motors, which retails several brands including Mercedes-Benz.

“Buckby Motors are passionate about the automotive industry and motorsport."

“We had an association with the team earlier in the year at the Tasmania 400 and it’s great that they are taking their commitment to the next level in this space with us."

Click here to read the full article

Targa Wrest Point 1-2 February 2014

Since making their debut at Wrest Point Targa back in 2012, Ben Newman (driver) and Crichton Lewis (navigator) have become a formidable and competitive team.  For the event this year, Crichton was unable to participate so another member of the Buckby Motors staff, Tim Kulhanek, Land Rover Executive, was recruited to the position of navigator.  Tim came with lots of experience, having previously been involved in 7 Targa Tasmania events and 3 Targa High Country events.
The 2010 Subaru WRX STI Spec C had an exterior makeover with a stunning colour change. Orange was added to their original blue, which represents a new major sponsor for the team, St Leonards Tyrerite.

The Buckby Motorsport Team was aiming to hold onto their first position on the Targa Australia leader board in the Showroom 4WD division.  Ben knew he was going to face a tough battle in his quest for a first time win on home soil.

In the Showroom 4WD competition, a gripping battle took place over both days. Initially it was a three-way fight, but when Angus Kennard retired his Subaru mid-way through the second day, it was left to Launceston’s Ben Newman, and West Australian, Stewart Liddle in his Mitsubishi Evo, to battle it out. 

Newman led going into the day’s first stage in his Subaru, but Liddle was immediately on the attack in his Mitsubishi, moving into the lead by the third stage. 

But drama struck Liddle on the final stage and the West Australian dropped 45 seconds when his power steering failed, and he fell to second place. 

“Hats off to Stewy (Liddle) for keeping the pressure on all weekend, and I thought he was going to get us today - he was having a red hot crack,” Newman said. 

“But our car went perfectly and it’s great to win Showroom 4WD and to come 8th outright. 

“Bring on Targa Tasmania now. We’re happy to have consolidated the lead in the championship, so we’re pretty excited about the next event.”

After completing Targa Tasmania 2013 in 3^rd position, the Buckby Motorsport team was hoping for another podium finish in the Showroom 4WD category in Adelaide.  Targa Adelaide was held in August 21^st –25^th 2013, over five fantastic days.  Their 2010 Subaru STI Impreza was entered which they have campaigned with since 2011.

After arriving in Adelaide a few days before the event began, Ben Newman (driver) and Crichton Lewis (navigator) gave themselves enough time to drive a reconnaissance of the course.  They quickly found the course very different from the Targa Tasmania course.   It had shorter stages, many crests, intersections and corners.  They also found that there were numerous brows that required immediate and very accurate calls straight after completing them.   The next few days were certainly going to take a lot of concentration.

Targa Adelaide began on Wednesday August 21st with a night stage at the Adelaide Wayville Showgrounds.   A crowd of 16,500 spectators were able to get close to the rally cars and talk to the drivers.  Teams competed in a 2km, 2 lap sprint circuit where a couple of cars unfortunately came to grief in the wet, slippery conditions.  The Buckby Motors team recorded a second fastest time in their category of Showroom 4WD.

Day 1.

The competitors woke to rain which lasted all day.  The first stage was held at Upper Hermitage in the Adelaide hills.  The Buckby Motors team soon realised that their selection of hard, compound tyres was going to limit their ability to be competitive in the wet.  They finished the day 12 seconds behind the Mitsubishi Evo team of Flood / Green.  Considering the wet conditions, they were happy with their day’s effort.

Day 2.

Once again the competitors were met with another wet day.  Heavy rain made for hazardous conditions, with many teams aquaplaning and sliding off the road.  The Buckby Motors team had a constant battle with Mitsubishi Evo team from Western Australian Liddle/Lloyd.  They finished the day 4 seconds behind this team in 2^nd position.

Day 3.

Unfortunately Crichton contracted a bout of food poisoning overnight which wasn’t a great way for him to start the day.  A positive, however, was that it was a mostly clear day with roads still very wet in some areas.  Conditions were perfect for their Subaru All-Wheel-Drive car.  They spent the day trading 1^st and 2^nd positions with the Liddle/Lloyd team until this team unfortunately crashed out on the 2^nd last stage of the day.  The Buckby Motors team finished in 1^st position, 1 minute and 32 seconds in front of 2^nd place Mitsubishi Evo team, Arentz/Burrey.

Day 4.

This was a short day, with just 4 stages to race.  It was just a matter of making sure they kept their car on the road to guarantee their first win in an Australian Targa Rally competition.  They did just that, and finished Targa Adelaide 2013 in first position, 1 minute 44 seconds in front of second place getters, Arentz/Burrey.  They were ecstatic with their win.  Congratulations Ben and Crichton.

The team would also like to thank Launceston’s Les Walkden Rallying Service Crew of Bodge, Damo and Burger for all their efforts in the servicing of their vehicle.        

Buckby Motors is pleased to announce its intention to enter Tasmania's Iconic Targa Tasmania Tarmac Rally, Buckby Motors has managed to secure a limited edition Subaru Impreza STI Spec C, and plans to compete in Targa and similar motorsport events in the state.

The car is the big brother of the already potent Subaru WRX, however the Spec C is specifically built by Subaru Technica Inernational (STI) for the purpose of motorsport, with many modifications to make the car faster and safer.

The car will be campaigned by Buckby Motors' Ben Newman and Crichton Lewis, both novices to motorsport, but combined with the performance of Subaru's legendary flat four turbo engine and Subaru's acclaimed All-Wheel-Drive, the Buckby Motors Team expects to be competitive from the start.

Stay tuned for updates on this exciting foray into motorsport by the Buckby Motors Team.

Targa Tasmania 2013 was held over 6 days from April 16 – April 21.  It proved to be a journey of mixed emotions for the Buckby Motorsport Team, Ben Newman (driver) and General Manager/Sales Manager, and Crichton Lewis (navigator) and Dealer Principal. They were supported by their racing crew, who are all Technicians from Buckby Motors, Brendan Brown, David McFarlane and Daniel Youd. Targa Tasmania has always been a race where anything can happen and this year it threw everything at the team.

Buckby Motorsport entered their 2010 Subaru Impreza STI in the Showroom 4WD Class of Targa Tasmania 2013 with high hopes of a podium finish. They were placed third in the CAMS Australian Targa Championships 2013 coming into the race, but they knew that there was going to be some fierce competition from several Subaru and Mitsubishi teams.

Day Zero - GEORGE TOWN PROLOGUE: The George Town Prologue is a day where drivers and navigators have time to get back into the swing of racing and iron out the cobwebs and nerves. Although results do not count, it is always a fun day where crowds flock to see the vast array of racing cars. The team recorded the fastest times for both stages in the Showroom 4WD Class.

Day One: The Buckby Motorsport Team finished in 3^rd position at the end of Day 1. A mix up on the Sheffield start cost them quite a bit of time. The whole day had both Ben and Crichton rattled with the tragic loss of driver John Mansell who had unfortunately crashed earlier that morning. Crichton and Ben had dined with John and his navigator Tristan, only a few nights before. 

Day Two: The Team gambled with the decision to use soft tyres, as it was looking like rain, and thinking that maybe they could make up some time by using them. Unfortunately only the first stage was wet and the rest of the stages were dry.  Time was lost to the front runner, Scott Millar, in a Mitsubishi Evo, but Ben and Crichton managed to get into second place in front of Angus Kennard, in a Subaru Impreza STI. Overall it was a good day, but a day where the softer tyres had to be conserved.

Day Three: The day started with a great run through the early stages.  They pushed hard, consistently doing top ten outright stage times.  At the Ulverstone lunch, the team was told that they had taken the lead as Scott Millar had crashed out on the Cethana stage. A great battle was had with Angus Kennard during the afternoon stages, swapping stage times and the lead. The Buckby Team had a strategy to go hard to try and increase the gap between their first place position and Kennard in second place.  Their strategy was the right one, beating Kennard by 25 seconds, and in the process also equalling Jim Richards’ time who was in seventh position outright (Pretty amazing that a showroom spec Subaru could equal a special race edition Porsche 911 GT2 RS worth in excess of $450,000!!). The Buckby Team finished the day in first position by 30 seconds.

Day Four: Last year in Targa Tasmania 2012, Ben and Crichton lost time on the Reece Dam stage, so this year the team was determined that this was not going to happen again.  During the stage this year, dash lights suddenly came on, but they still managed to beat their last year’s time by 1 minute.

By the end of the Reece Dam stage, the car had every warning light showing on the dash. After trying to reset the ECU by disconnecting the battery, the battery ran out of charge. The car managed to be roll- started to the beginning of the Pieman stage only to stop 200m into the stage.  After further inspection, it was discovered that an isolator fuse switch had vibrated, overheated and melted, which stopped the battery from charging. It was frustrating to know that a $2.00 aftermarket part cost the team the Pieman and Murchison stages. As a result, a 20 minute penalty was given to the team which sent them from first position back to seventh position.

After much deliberation, a decision was made to fight on knowing that there was a very small chance of getting back onto the podium. By the day’s end the team had fought back into 5^th position, winning all but one of the afternoon stages by big margins.

Day Five: The day started with Ben and Crichton being approximately three minutes away from a spot on the podium.  During the day they were consistently doing top ten outright stage times. These times ensured that a podium finish was guaranteed and by the end of the day, they had completed Targa Tasmania 2013 in a well deserved 3^rd position. In the process of trying to get back onto the podium, the Buckby Motorsport Team actually got back to 11.26 minutes behind the winners Kennard and Wheeler in their Subaru Impreza STI. Considering a 20 minute penalty had been given to the team, it showed that they really had the pace to win.

While disappointed with such a simple mechanical failure, Ben and Crichton were very happy with their performance and it showed that their pace could mix it with, and occasionally beat, times from cars such as Porsche 911 GT2 RS and Nissan GTR in the showroom specification Subaru.

The team finished the CAMS Australian Targa Championship 2013 4WD Showroom Class in 3^rd place for the 2^nd year in a row.

The Buckby Motorsport Team would like to thank their sponsors Subaru Genuine Parts and Subaru Finance for their assistance with the Tarmac Rally program. They would also like to thank the directors and owners of Buckby Motors for their ongoing support. 

The Buckby Motorsport Team of Ben Newman (Driver) and Crichton Lewis (Navigator) has posted their best result of their short motorsport career. Their Subaru STI came home in third position in the Showroom 4WD competition of Targa High Country at Mt Bulla, Victoria. After finishing fourth in four consecutive Targa events, Ben and Crichton along with the service crew, David McPharlin, Brendon Brown and Daniel Youd, who are all Buckby Motors Subaru specialized technicians, were very happy to get the car over the line after an intense two and a half day battle.

The event took place in the Victorian High Country from 9-11 November. A prologue around Mansfield on Friday night set the starting order for the next two days competition. Day One of the competition started on the outskirts of Mansfield and headed towards Wangaratta. The Day One stages were extremely challenging and the Buckby Team were a little slow to get accustomed to the very high speeds and commitment required. After the lunch break, the return stages back to and including the stage up Mt Buller, saw the Buckby Team up the ante and post very competitive stage times. They bettered their previous 2011 stage time up Mt Buller by eight seconds, despite a stage that was even more slippery than the previous year.

At the start of Day Two, the Buckby Team was in fourth place, 9 seconds off third place and chasing a very quick Volkswagen Golf R. Throughout the day both teams pushed the limits and swapped places multiple times. The race for third place came down to a final showdown with the final run up the 22 kilometre Mt Bulla stage. The Buckby Team held a narrow two second advantage and it was all down to having a clean fast run up the mountain. Luckily the Team pushed themselves and the car to the limits, with Crichton doing a fantastic job of navigating up the final run. The Team managed to pull out a further eight seconds to cross the line to take third position by 10 seconds after 220 kilometres of racing.

To actually get onto the podium for the first time was incredible. Champagne never tasted so good!!

The next Targa competition will be Targa Wrest Point, Hobart, in February 2013, followed by the big one, Targa Tasmania in May 2013.

The fourth running of Targa High Country started in Mansfield, Victoria on Friday 8^th November 2013.  It began with a street stage around the centre of the township.  From there competitors faced 16 closed road tarmac stages over two days, culminating in the podium finish on Mt Buller on Sunday afternoon.

After finishing in first place in Targa Adelaide, expectations were high for the Buckby Motorsport Team with Ben Newman, driver and Crichton Lewis, navigator, eager for a top three finish.  Competition was certainly going to be fast and very competitive, however they were up for the challenge in their 2010 Subaru Impreza STI.

Prologue:

The street stage around Mansfield was great fun.  As always it was supported by crowds of people from the area.  The Buckby Motorsport Team had a great run and finished 7^th outright.

Day 1.

The race teams woke to a showery day.  Conditions were not ideal for Targa racing, however, after the first, short warm-up stage, it didn’t take long for Ben and Crichton to settle into the day ahead.  Knowing that the pace was going to be fast from the onset, Ben and Crichton managed to shave 30 seconds off their time from the previous year but were still running in 4^th position.

Weather conditions started to deteriorate dramatically by the last two stages.  Snow and sleet made driving difficult and their tyres had very little traction.  With the extremely slippery surface, Ben and Crichton were relieved to finish the stage unscathed.  Unfortunately there were cars that were not so lucky and some crashed out of the race.

At the end of the day the Buckby Motorsport Team were still in 4^th place.

Day 2.

Teams were very happy to be greeted by a sunny day and clear skies.  The day would take competitors to areas around Lake Eildon and Jamieson.  There are more corners per Targa competitive kilometre than in any other event on the Targa calendar.

By lunch time, Ben and Crichton had fought back to 3^rd position with a plan to attack and push hard to catch their competitors.  Unfortunately, during the first stage after lunch, their car started to encounter some engine power loss and lost ground on the 1^st placed Subaru Team of Kennard/Wheeler and 2^nd placed competitors Arentz/Burrey in their Mitsubishi Evo.  The 4^th placed Team of Liddle/Lloyd in their Subaru WRX STI were also making in-roads to 3^rd position but were unable to catch the Buckby Motorsport Team at the end of the day.

Considering their engine issues, the Buckby Motorsport Team is still positioned in first place for the Australian Targa Championship, narrowly ahead of the Arentz/Burrey Team by 3 points.  The next Targa competition is Targa Wrest Point which will be held in Southern Tasmania on 30^th January 2014. 

The Buckby Motorsport Team of Ben Newman (Driver) and Crichton Lewis (Navigator) posted their best result of their short motorsport career at Targa Wrest Point in February. They were thrilled to finish second in the 4WD Showroom Class and thirteenth outright.

Targa Wrest Point covers the picturesque areas of the South of Tasmania including the Huon Valley, Peppermint Bay, Longley, Dover and the famous Tahune stages. The Team had previously entered this event in 2011 and 2012, and having that experience under their belt meant that they felt a little more comfortable rallying around the familiar course.

With an eye on the weather, the decision to use medium compound tyres proved to be the wrong choice for the Buckby Team on Day One. The wet conditions that they were hoping for did not eventuate and at the end of Day One, the Team was behind the leader by 45 seconds.

The weather conditions on Day Two were not as hot which meant it was not as punishing on the tyres. The stage distances were less and tyre degradation was reduced. The team fought their way back to close the gap to just 16 seconds by the end of the day. Comparing the times of Targa Wrest Point 2012, the Team has taken over 5 minutes off their time of the previous year.

The Buckby Motorsport Team which includes Senior Technicians from the Buckby Motors workshop, Brendan Brown, Darren McPharlin and Subaru Apprentice, Daniel Youd; are now planning their attack for Targa Tasmania 2013 which commences in Launceston on Tuesday 16th April and concludes Sunday 21st April in Hobart. They are looking forward to a safe and successful Targa Tasmania 2013.

The Buckby Motorsport Team combination of Ben Newman, Buckby Motors General Sales Manager (Driver) and Crichton Lewis, Buckby Motors Dealer Principal (Navigator) were very pleased with their first effort in Targa Tasmania 2012.

The Team finished in 4th position in the TMR Showroom 4WD Turbo Class and 22nd outright in Targa Tasmania. With their Subaru 2010 WRX STI Spec C they also achieved an overall 3rd place in the CAMS Australian Championship 2011-2012 in their class. The Championship takes into account Targa High Country Mt Bulla Victoria, Targa Wrest Point Hobart Tasmania and the iconic Targa Tasmania 2012.

This year, the course for Targa Tasmania was the longest in its 21-year history. It covered 620 competitive kilometres across 38 stages, which was 120 kilometres more than any previous races and over 6 days. Ben and Crichton acknowledged that the event was both challenging and exhilarating, especially when the conditions were mainly wet on many of the stages. The concentration needed for the extra long stages required a huge effort. For example, the Mt Arrowsmith stage was 27.5 minutes and 65 kilometres long!! Considering that they really are car dealers and not car racers, finishing the race unscathed was extremely pleasing.

Ben and Crichton agree that the Subaru All Wheel Drive WRX STI was the perfect car to endure the rigours of Targa Tasmania. The Subaru All Wheel Drive gave confidence to the Team and it was outstanding at high speed in the wet and winding conditions which is very common in Targa Tasmania. With the combination of Stability Control, Sport and ABS, the WRX STI was extremely reliable.

We would like to thank the Buckby Motorsport Crew, Brendan Brown, David McPharlin and Daniel Youd, for their commitment to this project. Their preparation, planning and eye for detail made the job of finishing more achievable. Because of their effort the Team did not experience any major issues.

We would like to congratulate Adam Kudra, Buckby Motors Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz Vans Sales Consultant, who along with his wife Hayley won the Rookie Class in Targa Tasmania 2012. To say that both Adam and Hayley are hooked on the sport of racing rally cars is an understatement!

Our congratulations also go to Travis Dean, Buckby Motors Service Advisor, who had enormous success in Targa Tasmania 2012. Travis was the navigator for one of our valued customers Brendan Manion who drove a Subaru 2010 STI Spec C. Brendan was a previous class winner a few years ago. Together Brendan and Travis steered their way into 6th place in Modern Class.

We should also mention the father and son team of Phil and David Frith, another valued customer of Buckby Motors, who won the Targa Regularity Competition in their 2010 Porsche Boxster S. Well done.

FOURTH AGAIN!!!

The last weekend in January saw the Buckby Subaru Motorsport Team of Ben Newman and Crichton Lewis, successfully compete in Targa Wrest Point 2012.

Held in the Huon area, south of Hobart, the Subaru team came home a solid fourth place again, making this their third fourth position in a row for the team.

Day One: The main challenges for this day were the Tahune Airwalk stages that were completed by going in and out of the area twice. It was made up of close to 100 kilometres of high speed racing on challenging tarmac roads. The day was successful with a great run through the town of Longley as the day's highlight.

Day Two: Day two was held in the Cygnet area where most of the stages had changed from the previous Targa Wrest Point in 2011. Again a strong and consistent performance got the team to the finish line unscathed.

TARGA TASMANIA 2012 The Buckby Motorsport Team is really looking forward to the 'Big One', Targa Tasmania 2012. This has been the aim of the team for the last few years to compete in this iconic event. Unfortunately, after last year's mishap, the team's aspirations of competing in Targa Tasmania 2011 ended. So bring it on!!!

Solid Result for Buckby Subaru

The Buckby Subaru Team of Ben Newman and Crichton Lewis had a strong result at last week’s Targa High Country, held in and around Mt Buller and Mansfield in rural Victoria.

The Launceston Subaru dealers finished fourth in the 4WD showroom competition, coming home in front of a large contingent of Mitsubishi Evolution rally cars and beating home many exotic European sports cars, in the outright competition.

Day One: The first day was a street stage around the township of Mansfield on Friday afternoon, similar to the George Town prologue that kicks off Targa Tasmania, with Newman and Lewis setting a safe consistent lap to get a good spot in the starting order for day two.

Day Two: We headed towards Wangaratta with the Team taking a little while to settle into the high speeds.  After the lunch stop, they started to lift the pace, putting in some solid times to keep to the heels of the leading cars.  The day finished with a stage up Mt Buller where Newman and Lewis pushed hard to set a great time up the mountain.

Day Three: This was the longest and most challenging day. The roads were more technical and were mixed with high speed sections but the Team were able to set solid consistent stage times. The day was made more challenging by the changing grip levels where the alpine Tarmac was breaking up in the heat, and made worse by 160 rally cars tearing up the surface. By the final three stages of the day, the Buckby Subaru Team had started to push the pace again.  Some small suspension tweaks had made the car more drivable and the Team pushed hard on the return run up Mt Buller to set solid stage times again.

The Team of Ben Newman, Crichton Lewis and service crew, David McPharlin, Brendan Brown and Peter Nunn were thrilled to get the car home considering the challenging roads and surface conditions. They now look towards the next events, Targa Wrest Point in January and the iconic Targa Tasmania in Late April.

The Buckby Motorsport Team headed into the Classic Tasmania Rally more relaxed after surviving a steep learning curve at Targa Wrest Point. The rally was held on the North West Coast of Tasmania and covers some famous landmarks including Hellyer Gorge and Savage River.

Day One: Right from the start, the Buckby Motors Team of Newman and Lewis were more than competitive, ending Day One leading the Showroom Class, and lying seventh overall.

Day Two: Day Two continued in the same successful way with the Buckby Motors Team winning most stages in the Showroom Class and by the days end leading this class by over a minute. The highlight of Day Two was a magnificent second run over Hellyer Gorge, beating the nearest showroom competitor by seventeen seconds. The Team was thoroughly enjoying the event and the learning experience along the way.

Day Three: Day Three did not go to plan. The first stage of the day, the Calder – Yolla Stage, the Buckby Motorsport Team left the road approximately 1 kilometre into the stage. The combination of an 8 left at high speed, into a down hill 6 right with a crest in between, caught driver Ben Newman out by not being able to slow the car over the crest between a fast and slow corner. The Subaru slid off the road and down a steep bank, through some fences and came to rest in some blackberry bushes on its side.

While the car was not comprehensively damaged, the damage was enough to bring the event to an abrupt end for the team. Both Newman and Lewis came out unscathed except for heavily jarred backs. This unfortunate setback for Targa 2011 has not dampened the Team’s enthusiasm as they now prepare for up and coming rallies which include Targa High Country Victoria in November 2011, Targa Wrest Point 2012, Classic Tasmania 2012 and Targa Tasmania 2012.

After 6 months of research, building and preparing, the Buckby Motorsport Team of Ben Newman (driver) and Crichton Lewis (Navigator) were extremely nervous ahead of their competition debut.

Targa Wrest Point is a lead-up event held prior to the world renowned Targa Tasmania. Targa Wrest Point is held on roads south of Hobart including areas such as Tahune, Cygnet, Dover etc.

Day One: Day One of the rally proved to be a huge learning curve for the inexperienced driver and navigator pairing, taking the morning to come to terms with the extreme speeds required to be competitive in a modern Tarmac Rally vehicle. The highlight of Day One was the final stage of the day, Longley. The team really started to hit its straps, (showing potential!!) feeling confident in the car and with their own ability. They turned up the intensity to return a third fastest on the stage which was only a few seconds off first place, and matching some very experienced competitors.

Day Two: Day Two started with the amazing Pelverata Stage. Newman and Lewis, after the strong showing in the previous afternoon stage, decided to push reasonably hard and again come up with a top three time. Throughout the day, the team was consistently competitive, swapping positions with much more experienced competition, with the Cygnet Stage a highlight of the afternoon.

A decision was made on the last few stages of the day to conserve a strong forth position, having dropped quite a lot of time on the morning of Day One. The gap between forth to third was too great to try and reach.

The Buckby Motorsport Team was rapt to come home fourth in their maiden event, beating many experienced drivers.