It was a case of a rallying legend battling a lone star on the first day of the fifteenth annual Targa Tasmania tarmac rally, when seven-times Bathurst champion Jim Richards and 2005 Australian Rally Privateers' Champion Steve Glenney set equal outright times in the opening leg.
The 2003 runner-up Glenney was pleasantly surprised with his opening day result – an honour to be tied for first with a legend of the game in Jimmy Richards.
"We're very pleased. We had a good day - being in front is where we all want to be," said Glenney who was runner-up in the drivetravel.com Modern Competition in 2003. "The car's going really well, still sorting out a few handling things along the way, but we're very happy with it. It's great to be back at Targa. I just love it."
Glenney made his move on the Sheffield stage, comfortably beating rally leaders Richards and 2005 winner Jason White by a comfortable five and thirteen second margin respectively. As Glenney and Richards tied after the final leg, White completed the top three just fourteen seconds adrift.
Despite Glenney's good showing, Richards was adamant that he didn't push to maximum capacity on Sheffield – referring to debris on the racing line.
"There was a lot of blue metal on the road at Sheffield, so we couldn't go as fast as we wanted to, and that's where we lost the time to [Glenney]. I expected him to be right up there," Richards said.
Local driver and defending Targa Champion Jason White was disappointed with his late slip from the frontrunners – struggling to maintain pace with a slipping clutch which set him fourteen seconds back from the front by the close of racing.
"We lost time in Sheffield and Nook with a slipping clutch drama," said White
"We had a couple of bits fall out from under the dashboard and get caught in my feet under the break pedal.
“But it has kept us on our toes and I think we've come through alright."
Team Mitsubishi Ralliart went one up on their Subaru Rally Team Australia rivals, with TMR tarmac specialist Warwick Rooklyn finishing only a second behind Jason White after the first leg. Subaru's Dean Herridge finished eleven seconds behind Rooklyn – however rounded out the top five in which has been an impressive start for SRTA in only their second pure tarmac rally.
![Jim Richards/Barry Oliver tied for the lead on Targa day one. [pic credit: Targa media]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/212315.jpg)
