Troy Wilson has overcome a multitude of challenges to claim an impressive victory in the 2021 GT Fabrication Targa Bunbury Sprint. 
 
More than 120 competitors participated in the event as they each got eight runs at the four-kilometre course, however it was Wilson who proved the fastest for the day.
 
It was no easy feat with a dry 30 degree day providing a big challenge for the whole field, including Wilson and co-driver Toni Cameron, who seemed to have other issues on top of the heat.
 
From almost missing scrutineering to leaving pace notes back in their home in Perth, there were plenty of bad omens leading into the event. 
 
Mechanical and electrical gremlins to their 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X during the first half of the day caused more havoc for the duo, however they continued to persevere and that decision soon paid off, as Wilson’s luck changed for the better.
 
The turning point was when event leaders Peter Rullo and co-driver Jimmy Marquet were forced to retire on the fifth stage with a suspected drive shaft issue.
 
That opened up the door for Wilson, who had finally overcome his car’s electronic issues, to charge home to a 22-second victory over Matt Cherry and co-driver Phillip Wilson in their 1982 Toyota Starlet, while fellow 2010 Lancer pilots David Heaton and Caleb Ash rounded out the podium.
 
Although he had many problems throughout the day, Wilson was thrilled to win his fourth Bunbury Sprint. 


“On my way to Bunbury, I realised I’d left the keys where I was staying, then on Saturday night, the car was running on three cylinders, then we realised we left our pace notes in Perth,” Wilson explained.
 
“Honestly, I thought that it was a sign that I shouldn’t do the event, but I didn't give up, and kept doing all we could to make it happen.
 
“On Sunday, I had a bad first half of the day and we had a lot of gremlins in the car’s electronics, it went into limp mode three times, and I estimate that I lost between 15 and 20 seconds.
 
“I lost launch control completely in the morning sessions and had to manually launch the car in the afternoon and we also made a small suspension change during the lunch service which improved the handling.
 
“We almost didn’t make it to the start line, we literally finished the car two days before the rally and didn’t have time to test it.
 
“I’m really happy I was able to overcome all those problems and finish the event.
 
“Despite it all, it was an awesome rally, well organised by Targa West Event and the Bunbury Sprint is everyone’s favourite event, the spectators make it so much better. Thanks to sponsors and volunteers, we couldn’t do this without them.”


With 11 classes part of the event, there were plenty of winners and grinners outside of the outright champions.
 
Some of the notable class victories included Simon Gunson and Murray Armenti in class one for 2WD up to 2000cc and crowd favourite Cindy Gielingh-Jones and Nigel Jones won the Classic 1960s class in their 1967 Mini Morris Cooper, while local husband-and-wife team of Bill and Glenys Stagoll secured eighth place and won the 4WD up to 3500cc class.
 
Another noteworthy winner was Jurgen and Helen Lunsmann, who steered their 2019 Tesla 3 Performance+ to 11th outright and to the electronic vehicle class win, beating another two electronic cars. 
 
Click here to see full results from the weekend.
 
The GT Fabrication Targa Bunbury Sprint was the final event in the nine-event Targa Cup series.