BORDER entertainer Steve Bowen has shown he’s just as quick behind a wheel as he is delivering one-liners at the Targa High Country Rally near Mansfield.
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Bowen posted the second fastest time in one stage of the three-day rally behind former Bathurst winner Jim Richards.
Alongside navigator Cheryl Dominguez, they finished sixth in the early modern section, second in category and 24th overall in a field of 200 cars.
Click play on the video below to watch the race.
In only his fifth Targa event and Dominguez’s third, the pair had their best performance so far.
“I’m absolutely stoked with sixth,” Bowen said.
“We got ninth last year and were hoping for a top five this year and we were pretty bloody close to it, and we beat nearly all of our times from last year.
“In one stage the only one faster than us out of the 200 cars was Jim Richards — we punched well above our weight.
“Cheryl’s amazing — you have to have a lot of trust and it’s a real team effort.
“And when you’re both in the zone it can be an amazing feeling — it’s a real adrenaline rush.”
Bowen came second in his class with a 1994 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo II.
“We were up against 2003 Evo VIIs in our category and there were lots of good drivers who take it seriously,” Bowen said.
Crew members Amin Chahda and Ben Quick made up the race team.
For the first time the event was run over three days instead of two.
“We were actually coming fourth after day one and day two,” Bowen said.
“But the others started to step up, and we didn’t take six brand new tyres.
“We took four and two secondhand spares — that extra day of wear and tear made a huge difference.”
Bowen was the Albury Wodonga District Car Club champion last year.
“I’ve always liked classic cars and older cars and touring around,” he said.
“I had the chance to drive around Winton about 10 years ago and I caught the bug.”
Bowen now has Targa High Country 2015 in his sights and is aiming for the marquee Targa Tasmania in 2016.
“It would be great to get a sponsor — just entering Targa Tasmania is $8000,” he said.