MOTORSPORT NEWS ARCHIVE
Reigning champion battles for title hold in Lamborghini
Jason White
Retiring the 'old faithful' Nissan Skyline GT-R he
manoeuvred to outright victory at this year's Targa Tasmania, next year
local driver Jason White will be battling for back-to-back wins at the
15 the anniversary event from April 25 - 30 driving a Lamborghini Gallardo.
The 33-year-old fabricator from Hobart will be at the wheel of the factory-entered
Gallardo driven by Nations Cup champion Paul Stokell at the 2005 event.
The Gallardo is the most recent addition to a collection of cars owned
by White's uncle and long-time navigator John White. Being such a huge
transition from the Skyline to the Lamborghini, White says a successful
campaign at next year's event will be dependent upon careful technical
preparation coupled with his ability to adapt to a whole new style of
driving.
"The shift to the Gallardo has meant for a complete change in driving
technique, while the Skyline was heavier in the front the Lamborghini
is heavier in the rear," said White. "Based on the time I've
already had in the car there is still a lot of work to do on refining
the brakes, suspension, tyres and clutch."
The Whites have entered the Gallardo in next year's event as a replica
2006 model taking advantage of factory upgrades seen across the 2006 Gallardo
model range, including improvements to the clutch and closer gear ratios.
"We are hoping that the revised 2006 'specs' will get us off the
line quicker, but we now know what work is involved in ensuring the Gallardo
is an all-round quick car."
The car's suitability to an endurance event like Targa Tasmania was well
proven this year with Stokell managing a steady lead in the event before
an incident on the third day forced him to withdraw from the event. After
only a few months of preparation the 'White Hot' duo have already got
their Targa Tasmania title reclaim off to a positive start, obtaining
third outright at the recently folded East Coast Targa event.
"We used East Coast Targa as a practice run, and we came away learning
a lot about the car."
Devonport businessman John White is also confident that the latest additional
to his arsenal will stand up to the pace of repeatedly competitive drivers
in the event's drivetravel.com Modern Competition, though admits the road
to discovering the car's full potential will be a long one.
"It will be good for Jason to be behind the wheel of a car that he
only has to drive nine tenths in, it will be good to take the pressure
off him," said 56-year-old White. "The Gallardo is a whole new
world from the Nissan so it will take a while to discover the intricacies
of the vehicle."
Presenting as the greatest threat to the 'White Hot' Lamborghini will
be seven-time Bathurst champion Jim Richards who is likely to opt for
a four-wheel-drive Porsche Turbo for the 2006 event, a switch back to
his own 'old faithful' that has already secured him seven Targa Tasmania
victories.
"Jim is certainly the man to beat in a turbo Porsche, as he is going
to be quick in all types of weather," said Jason White. "Our
strategy in the Lamborghini is the reverse of that used in the GT-R, which
is to be quicker than everyone in the dry. We certainly didn't purchase
this car to go slower."
NOTE: Targa Tasmania is supported by the Tasmanian Government through
Events Tasmania.
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Article
reproduced courtesy of Targa Tasmania
