After five days, 40 stages and 2000 gruelling kilometres, the works Mazda3 MPS of Brendan Reeves has finished second in the 2010 Targa Tasmania Showroom competition and an incredible ninth outright amid what is one of the most competitive fields in the rally's history.

Reeves and his co-driver (and sister) Rhianon Smyth started the final leg of Targa Tasmania in second, just three seconds ahead of the third-placed Mitsubishi Evo X.

The talented Mazda crew held onto second and extended their lead over the Evo X by 9-seconds. In a magnificent display, the Mazda3 MPS won two of today's stages and was also the fastest two-wheel drive car in the event.

Finishing ninth outright ahead of Nissan GT-Rs, Subaru WRXs and an Audi TTRS, the turbocharged Mazda3 MPS continued to punch above its weight over today's�@seven challenging stages.

On the other hand, the RX-8 SP of Steve Glenney forced out of the event after colliding with a competitor who had unexpectedly stopped on the fifth stage of the leg three , Mt Roland. The Nissan GT-R had stopped to offer assistance to fellow the Porsche had left the road due to an oil spill. The RX-8 SP of Glenney was travelling at a race-leading pace when faced with the stopped GT-R. Lightning reactions and expert driving from Glenney meant that despite the heavy impact all involved walked away unharmed. It's an unfortunate end to the RX-8 SP's 2010 Targa Tasmania campaign, particularly given that it was sitting in third position entering the Mt Roland stage and was widely expected to further challenge the Modern leaders over the remaining two competition days.

Mazda Motorsport is already looking towards next year's Targa campaign.