As we wait for everyone to recover from their celebratory hang over following Targa Newfoundland, the all important stories behind the results are finally beginning to trickle in. Perhaps the most significant this year is that from veteran Canadian auto writer Jim Kenzie, who exited this year’s event in a frightening way. In Jim’s words:
Coming back from Leading Tickles, I took a 159 km/h bend at about 160 km/h, which launched the car down an embankment and into the trees.
From the damage, it looks like the right front wheel caught in the gravel, dug in, flipped the car end-over-end, and it landed on the upper left rear corner, turning it into a replica of a Mini El Camino.
It then landed wheels-down in a grove of saplings, maybe three cm thick, all too close to a swift-flowing river.
Kenzie is a Targa fixture, having competed now the last five years, in the same car, unscathed. Rumor has it that a new car is already in the works for next year, but it’s a shame that this one won’t live on as it has had a great run. More important than nostalgia though is obviously the safety of the Kenzie and co-driver Brian Bourbonniere. The roll cage built and installed by 4 Star Motorsports (yes, the Sprongl’s of the monster Audi) did a superb job protecting the crew. It’s important to note that they were also wearing the Hans device which may have also helped reduce the personal damage in what was obviously a violent tumble.
You can read more of Jim’s tale on his blog. We’ll keep readers up to date as more stories begin to come in.
