Driver: Blair Riddle
Co-driver: Mark Riddle
Vehicle: 2015 VW GTI
Division: Targa Tour
Country: Canada
Fahrvergnügget leads Targa Tour
This fall will mark the third year in Targa for Team Fahrvergnügget (formerly GTI Fahrvergnügen and before that Team VeeDub). Once again they’ll lead Targa Tour in a lightly modified 2015 VW GTI.
Targa volunteers Blair Riddle and Wayne Lorenzen shared driving and co-driving duties in 2024 and last fall, Blair paired up with his son, Mark.
Originally from Nova Scotia, Blair practised his driving skills along the twisty coastal highway around Peggy’s Cove and along the South Shore as well as trying his hand at autocross. He also spent countless hours blasting along the secondary highways and mountain roads of Alberta and British Columbia. A former broadcast journalist turned public relations practitioner, he spent 30 years in Alberta before moving to Newfoundland and Labrador. He provides media and public relations duties for Targa when he’s not behind the wheel.
“Driving in Targa was my first taste of a rally and I was instantly hooked,” Blair says. “It was simply an amazing experience like something out of a movie driving hard for 40 kilometres along the rolling, twisty coastal highway to St. Bride’s, tearing through Gander with crowds waving, and finally blasting through the narrow streets of Brigus.”
Mark is an award winning videographer and editor in Calgary where he works on a wide variety of projects including television ads, commercial videos, web series, music videos, and independent films. Though he doesn’t have previous experience in motorsports, he does share his dad’s heavy foot and need for speed. And they both love Volkswagens.
“I enjoyed visiting and exploring Newfoundland for the first time and sharing this rally experience with my dad,” says Mark.
Their steed is a 2015 Volkswagen GTI Autobahn with Performance Pack (larger brakes, adjustable suspension, and limited slip differential) and a Unitronics tune to give it more oomph.
Fahrvergnügen, which translates to “driving pleasure”, was the slogan for VW GTI ads in years past. “Targa Newfoundland is all about driving pleasure and then some,” says Blair.
