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"  With the Targa New Zealand racing its way to a finish, Steve Millen continued to be the crowd favorite, his big orange Ford GT blasting through the hills as Steve made adjustments to the handling along the way, working with ride height, springs, etc. Dialing in the mid-engine machine as he goes, building speed.   I wish you could see the crowd stir as he rushes into a spectator section of a special stage, the great Ford spitting flame on an upshift as it hurtles out of a corner.   As the rally progressed along the lower portion of New Zealand&amp;#039;s north island from touring mileage to special stages I kept waiting for the countryside to give way at some point to less-than-beautiful vistas but it never happened. Into valleys, along rocky hilltops, paralleling rivers, through small villages, New Zealand&amp;#039;s enticing geography rolled on and on. It&amp;#039;s springtime down under so the fields are carpeted in lush green, sheep with lambs grazing on the hillsides...it&amp;#039;s well worth a visit.   We&amp;#039;ve been eating on the run a lot and guess what&amp;#039;s the big name here: McDonald&amp;#039;s. Except that many have what&amp;#039;s called a McCafe, sort of a Starbucks inside a McD&amp;#039;s. Great idea. Subway is also easy to find and a nice change of pace. I did fine a Starbucks to begin one morning with a grande latte.   It seems possible you&amp;#039;d have to look far and wide for a New Zealander who isn&amp;#039;t friendly and personable. In shops, in gas stations and among the viewers and competitors with the Targa, everyone has such a great attitude...and I&amp;#039;m surprised how many know about Road &amp;amp;amp; Track.   As the five days of the Targa New Zealand progressed, the natural leaders for the overall win came to the front. A pair of Subaru WRX Stis (one driven by Emma Gilmour, a very quick young lady), the ugly-but-quick Aussie Skelta G-Force, a turbo-Nissan powered Ford Escort, a GT3 Porsche, a Mitsubishi EVO 6, a BMW M3 and the car that would take the overall, a nasty black Nissan Skyline GT-R. Steve would finish 14th overall on what he considered a development year...and hindered by a bonehead mistake on my part that cost us valuable time.   Sorry guys...a dumb rookie mistake. Sammy, Mark, Wayne, Conrad and Kyle, I really do know how to count to four. Honest.   And we were able to laugh about it the night after the Targa finished, thanks to a few Tui and Export beers.   It&amp;#039;s been a fascinating week, watching Steve and the Ford GT take on roads that wind and climb through the seemingly never-ending beauty of New Zealand. Can&amp;#039;t wait to see how he and the Ford do next year. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a12658/targa-new-zealand-fourth-report/>