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The 2010 Targa Tasmania is in full flow at present with the usual surprises and spoils of motor sport.

The battle for the Early Modern title at this year’s Targa Tasmania is intense. Just 29 seconds separate the top four competitors after the first 19 Targa stages. Still leading the way is Andrew Richmond, with co-driver Chris Thomson, in his Nissan Skyline.

The Rookie Rallye for Classic cars has been won by Victorian driver Stephen Barrand and his Tasmanian co-driver, Tim Manion. The Rookie event, held over the first two days of Targa Tasmania, tested Barrand’s 1981 Volvo 242GT, but the car proved too good for its opposition, heading home the Ford Mustang of Michael Lamprell and Tania Wearing. Barrand’s winning margin of nearly two and a half minutes highlights his dominance over the two days. His prize for winning is a free entry in the 20th anniversary running of Targa Tasmania in 2011.

And proving it is not all about high powered, EVO’s, STi’s, GT3’s, Lamborghini’s and Nissan GT-R’s is the Hyundai i30. Lining up for the first time is Hyundai’s factory backed entrant in the event, and apart from a few mandatory features required for competition, this i30 CRDi is the same car as you’ll find at your local Hyundai dealership.

The Targa prepped car still has only 85kW of power and 255Nm of torque, and while consuming just 4.7-litres/100km, the i30 CRDi wins the prize for the most fuel-efficient car in this year’s Targa lineup of over 270 cars. But it’s not the first time that Hyundai’s little hatch has been kitted up for racing. Rally driver, Razvan Vlad and his co-driver Iona Vlad from Perth, drove the i30 CRDi to class victories in two consecutive Targa West rallies in 2008 and 2009.

Safe racing to all involved in this year’s event…