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Our Communities: Irish Loop

Puffins are colourful summer residents of the Irish Loop. (Photo: Larry Strung)

The prologue and first leg of Targa take place on the Irish Loop just south of St. John’s. The Irish Loop is the heart of Irish culture and heritage in Newfoundland and Labrador harkening back to the first settlers from Ireland in the 1600s. The Irish Loop begins in Bay Bulls and takes you on a journey along the coastline of the weathered Southern Shore through countless small fishing settlements such as Tors CoveBurnt CoveBauline East and more.

Some of the best spots for whale watching and bird spotting are at Bay Bulls and Witless Bay. The southern shore is teeming with more birds and whales than you could ever hope to count. Each spring and summer their migration takes them to nesting and feeding grounds just offshore. At the right time of year, you may also encounter icebergs as these natural wonders drift by on their journey south.

Photo: Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism

Bay Bulls and Witless Bay are home to tour operators ready to lead you out on the ocean to watch for whales gathering and feeding along the coast. This area boasts the 300 km East Coast Trail popular with hikers.

There are also a number of restaurants and accommodations to choose from in this area. Among the restaurants, both the Stone Ducky and The Jigger in Bay Bulls have hosted teams and volunteers from Targa with delicious food and beverages. The Stone Ducky also provides an excellent vantage point to watch the rally from its patio. Other notable eateries include the Irish Loop Coffee Shop in Witless Bay and the Captain’s Table in nearby Mobile.

The Witless Bay Ecological Reserve is an amazing spot to visit. From May to August the four islands that make up the reserve teem with hundreds of thousands of birds, of many species. The largest Atlantic puffin colony in North America is here, with more than 250,000 nesting pairs.

Visit the Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism website for great travel tips and check out the Our Communities page to learn about all the places that host the rally.

Team Jellybean motoring through Witless Bay (Photo: Larry Strung)
Team Aylmer Express ripping into Bay Bulls. (Photo: Larry Strung)

Targa welcomes enthusiasts from around the globe

Targa unites enthusiasts from many countries. (Photo: Ralph Saulnier)

Targa Newfoundland has always had an international flavour. Since the first rally in 2002, it has welcomed entrants from across Canada and the United States as well as the United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, and the Caribbean, among others.

“Targa Newfoundland is a rare and special motorsport event that attracts very rare and special people who have, through their participation, become a family without borders,” says Robert Giannou, owner and co-founder.

Newfoundland is famous for its hospitality and one of the friendliest places you’ll ever find. It’s not unusual for competitors to get invited into the homes of people along the route and become fast friends with total strangers. That’s the Newfoundland way.

Rick Marshall from Florida has competed twice in Targa 1 with his brother Sam and they’re coming back again. The friendliness of the people is part of the draw. “The nicest people in the world you will ever meet are here in Newfoundland.”

Matthias Boemke from Germany navigated for his Canadian cousin Ralph Wiesbrock in Fast Tour. “It was brilliant. I’m totally amazed about the people here and the team which organized Targa. They are unbelievably friendly, helpful and active all day and the evenings.”

Giannou is not surprised by those comments. “This rally is more than competition, it’s about camaraderie, shared experiences and lasting friendships,” says Giannou. “No matter where you are from, you are always welcome here and will become an honourary Newfoundlander.”

You will have to kiss a cod and drink Screech to become an honourary Newfoundlander but that’s a story for another day.

Competitors from Canada and the U.S. celebrate in Brigus. (Photo: Ralph Saulnier)

Choose the right tire for Targa

Targa 1 winning Porsche 911 tackles the streets of Gander. (Photo: Ralph Saulnier)

Believe it or not but it does rain sometimes in Newfoundland. Fall here often brings hot, sunny days too. Choosing a tire that handles well in both dry and wet conditions will keep your car on the road and get you to the finish line.

Tires are your connection to the road and must not be overlooked. Choose tires with good drainage capabilities to shed water effectively. Avoid excessively wide tires as they tend to aquaplane. Select tires with a good wear rate and an aspect ratio of at least 40 for that necessary sidewall cushioning against road bumps and potholes (yes, we have some of those too).

Teams are allowed a maximum of six (6) competition tires: four (4) tires fitted to the vehicle and up to two (2) spare competition tires all with a minimum tread depth of 3/32 inch.  

The winning Porsche 911 in Targa 1 last year ran a set of Yokohama A052 summer performance tires that kept the classic sportscar ahead of the pack. In Targa Tour, the VW GTI getting a bath in the photo below drove on Michelin Pilot Sport AS3 all season tires that also performed well. Whatever tires you choose, make sure you are ready for all weather and road conditions.

VW GTI takes a bath in Brigus. (Photo: Ralph Saulnier)

Check out our Tech Tips and read the rules and regulations to help you prepare your car for Targa.

Team: Roger Roger Racing

Driver/ Co-driver: Wayne Lorenzen
Driver/ Co-driver: Aaron Ayotte
Vehicle: 2002 MINI Cooper S
Division: Targa 2
Country: Canada and United States

Wayne Lorenzen and Aaron Ayotte will share driving duties in this MINI with Targa pedigree. (Photo: Ralph Saulnier)

Double R Racing is a double threat in Targa 2

Two friends from different parts of North America met on a vacation and bonded over a common love of motorsport. Now, Canadian Wayne Lorenzen and American Aaron Ayotte will run Targa Newfoundland as teammates in Roger Roger Racing (or Double R Racing for short) sharing the driving and co-driving duties in a MINI that is a past rally winner.

Aaron Ayotte and Wayne Lorenzen of Double R Racing.

Wayne Lorenzen, who lives in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, started racing in 2010 with Targa and has since participated in 15 events including the full Targa Newfoundland and Targa Bambina. Roger Roger Racing is his first team where he will be driving and co-driving in a full rally in class Targa 2.

“I started racing Targa Newfoundland in 2010 with Targa veteran Brad Melendy in his Camaro IROC. Brad helped jumpstart my Targa adventure that continues today.”

Wayne with local racing royalty Brad Melendy.

He’s a retired aviation safety specialist and martial artist. In his spare time he volunteers in his community and hikes with his three dogs. He’s an avid motorcyclist, amateur musician and mediocre pool player.

He is also the registrar for Targa Newfoundland and enjoys recruiting teams for the most amazing and only tarmac rally in North America.

Driver, co-driver, and registrar, Wayne Lorenzen.

Aaron Ayotte is an American gearhead who met Wayne on a vacation back in 1996. Aaron shares Wayne’s love for Newfoundland and brought his family here once and will again for this year’s Targa Newfoundland.

Aaron’s time in the safety car sparked the desire to enter the rally as a competitor.

He got bitten by the Targa bug in 2016 as a crew member for MaxZen Racing. Following a mishap mid-race after which driver Gordon Maxwell couldn’t continue, Aaron stepped up as co-driver while Wayne drove his wife’s Jetta Wolfsburg.

Aaron and Wayne and the Jetta that was pressed into rally duty.

Fast forward to 2024 and Aaron was back as a Course Safety Vehicle driver ensuring each stage was ready before releasing the Targa cars. He had a ball. After the race he and Wayne decided it was time to empty the bucket and buy a car together and do this properly. Aaron and Wayne will be switching roles in the car with both doing driving time.

Aaron is hoping his two sons and wife Katie (also gearheads) come to volunteer themselves for Targa.

Aaron behind the wheel of the course safety car in Gander. (Photo: Ralph Saulnier)

Where did the team name come from? Wayne explains…

“Roger Roger Racing was a name that actually originated from Aaron’s son Dylan while on vacation here. We had two cars for traveling and had VHF radios to communicate. Because I spent my whole life in aviation saying ‘Roger Roger’ as the official acknowledgment that a message was received, I used it continually on the radios. Dylan was two and started saying ‘Roger Roger’ from the car seat in back. It stuck in the 20 years after. That’s the story behind the name.”

You can follow the adventures of Roger Roger Racing on Facebook.

The MINI in action in 2018. (Photo: Ralph Saulnier)

Rally course set for September

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The Cape Shore is a thrilling rollercoaster ride. (Photo: Sam Heron)

The course is set* for the thrilling 2025 edition of Targa Newfoundland with 25 teams registered so far (see map below). Targa 2025 is scheduled from September 11-18.

Targa Newfoundland starts and ends in St. John’s, the oldest and easternmost city in North America, and covers about 2000 kilometres of winding, challenging roads across the breathtaking island of Newfoundland (see map below). You’ll hug the rugged coastline and speed through the streets of charming towns and outports that will welcome you with open arms.

Along the way, you’ll carve through the streets of Bay Bulls as spectators cheer you on; experience a rollercoaster ride on the road along the scenic Cape Shore; race through the streets of Gander, which took in thousands of international passengers diverted to the airport there after 9/11; speed past the rusted hulk of a shipwreck in Conception Harbour; and navigate intricate twists and turns through the narrow streets of historic Brigus … just to name a few of the many highlights.

From eastern to central Newfoundland and back again

The first rally stages will be held along the beautiful Irish Loop in Witless Bay, Bay Bulls, Burnt Cove and Bauline East – an area known as the heart of Irish culture in the province.

The scenery is amazing to see when it isn’t a blur. (Photo: Ralph Saulnier)

The next stages are in the former French capital of Placentia – Southern Avalon Peninsula area along the Cape Shore from Point Verde to St. Bride’s, Sanctuary and Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve. Teams then head to Gander where they’ll race through the streets of the famous airport town.

From there, the rally winds through the Central Newfoundland towns and outports along Notre Dame Bay from Glenwood to Leading Tickles including Pleasantview, Point Leamington and Glover’s Harbour before heading to Appleton.

The next leg follows the Road to the Beaches along Eastport Peninsula on Bonavista Bay through the communities of Eastport, Happy Adventure, Salvage, Burnside, and Port Blandford.

Random Island in Trinity Bay will host multiple stages through the outports of Weybridge, Hickman’s Harbour, Lower Lance Cove and Petley.

You may be concentrating too hard to notice the shipwreck in Conception Harbour. (Photo: Ralph Saulnier)

On the final day of competition in the Conception Bay area, teams will race through Conception Harbour, Colliers, Marysvale, Turk’s Gut, and Georgetown before the finale through the narrow streets of historic Brigus.

Before teams hit the road, they take part in a two-day Course Familiarization Program (commonly called Targa School) in St. John’s including a driving skills review, stage review, and practice session. Targa wraps up in the city on the 19th with the awards gala.

Read more detailed information on all of the rally stages and all of our host communities on the Targa website.

Apply now to experience the excitement firsthand!

*Stages are correct as of publication date. Subject to any unforeseen scheduling changes later in the year.

Fierce competition for Targa 1 title

The Subaru BRZ of Brett and John Hueston, Team Aylmer Express, at speed near St. Bride’s. (Photo: Larry Strung)

Competition is always close and fierce in the Targa 1 division. The 2024 title was only decided after the final stage in Brigus with several teams in contention. This year’s rally also promises to be a nail biter with a number of competitive teams registered already and eager to claim the Targa plate.

Targa 1 attracts both experienced racers, such as last year’s winners Randy Pobst and Paul Abbott, and enthusiastic amateurs with its blend of speed, challenging stages and camaraderie. It also draws a wide range of cars (and even the occasional truck).

The mix so far includes Japanese performance cars in the form of a Mitsubishi Evo V, Subaru STI, Subaru BRZ, Nissan 240SX and Sentra Spec-V, German muscle in a BMW M3, and American V8 grunt in a Ford Mustang GT and a Dodge Magnum RT – and yes, it does have a Hemi. What are you going to bring to challenge them?

Cameron Combdon and Andrew Keeping ripping through Gander in a Mitsubishi Evo. (Photo: Ralph Saulnier)

What is Targa 1?

Targa 1 is a scored and competitive division for road legal cars where teams race the clock to achieve the target time. Targa 1 cars must now be equipped with a roll bar for added safety as the top speed for this competitive division was set higher. That bar can be removable so owners can return their cars to stock appearance. Check the Rules and Regs page for more details.

The rules are simple. There are four groups within Targa 1 based on the age of the car and the number of driven wheels.

  • Classic Division – pre-2000 two-wheel drive (2WD) vehicles.
  • Classic Division – pre-2000 all-wheel drive (AWD) vehicles.
  • Modern Division – 2000 to present two-wheel drive (2WD) vehicles.
  • Modern Division – 2000 to present all-wheel drive (AWD) vehicles.

Cars are released one at a time at set intervals and race the clock to achieve the target time and minimize penalties. It’s not a race but if you’re too slow, your rivals may catch you on the course and pass you.

Sam and Rick Marshall will return in their tuned Subaru STI. (Photo: Sam Heron)

One Targa, two events

This year, Targa is divided into two events, Duemila and Rotoura, both of which include two days of classroom training (“Targa School”) with a driving skills review, stage review, and practice session before the rally begins. They run the same stages. The difference is that Duemila, which translates into two thousand as in 2000 km, is longer and includes extra stages such as the epic Brigus finale.

  • Targa Duemila – an eight-day competition
  • Targa Rotoura – a six-day competition

Which one is right for you?

How does Targa 1 compare to the other divisions?

This chart shows the average and top speeds for each division along with the safety requirements.

 Group Safety Average Speed 
(kph)
Top Speed 
(kph) 
Targa Tour All Roll bar required (open, removable roof, removable hard top cars) 120 130 
Targa 1 2WD (Classic and Modern) Roll bar required  (all)130155
 AWD (Classic and Modern) Roll bar required (all)130155
Targa 2 2WD (Classic and Modern) Roll cage (all)  140180 
 AWD (Classic and Modern) Roll cage (all)  140 180 

Who is going to win Targa 1 In 2025? It could be you. Apply now for the ultimate tarmac rally experience!

Register now for Targa 2025!

Classic battle shaping up in Targa 2

Keir Pollard of Spud Performance says he’s ready to “tear it up” to defend the Targa 2 title.

A battle of modern versus classic cars is shaping up in Targa 2 for September 2025.

Reigning Targa 2 title holders Spud Performance from PEI will face stiff competition when they return in September with their rally-prepped 2006 MINI Cooper S JCW. Driver Keir Pollard says he’s ready to “tear it up”. Already several teams are gunning for the top prize.

For one, Wayne Lorenzen from Newfoundland and Aaron Ayotte from Texas, racing under the moniker Double R Racing, are bringing a hot 2002 MINI Cooper S with Targa history to give them a run for the podium. That car won the Modern division in 2015 and 2016. Wayne has driven and co-driven Targa several times as well as volunteering with the organization. Aaron volunteered with Targa this year.

Wayne Lorenzen and Aaron Ayotte will compete in this MINI with Targa pedigree.

The experienced rally team of driver Enrico Bouchard and co-driver Patrick Lévesque from Quebec make their debut in Targa with their spectacular 1968 BMW 1600ti. They’ve had success in rallies in their home province and eastern Canada as competitors in the Canadian Rally Championship.

Enrico Bouchard and Pat Levesque will make their Targa debut this fall.

Meanwhile, the American team of Chris and Jeff MasonThe Rally Brothers, will be racing a 1965 Volvo Amazon 122S. They are no strangers to famous rallies around the globe. They’ve raced in Mexico’s La Carrera Panamericana and the Mille Miglia in Italy plus have made films of their adventures.

The Rally Brothers at La Carrera Panamericana.

James and Josh Murphy will bring a beast of a car to the rally – a 1966 Ford Mustang restomod. Also, Charles Brooks from Ontario will pilot a 1993 Nissan 240SX in his first attempt at Targa glory.

There are more teams to come too. We’ll provide details on all the teams in the months ahead. It’s going to be the best Targa in years.

What is Targa 2?

Targa 2 is the highest speed competition in the Targa Newfoundland rally. Only fully-caged cars are allowed to compete. The division is broken down into these groups:

  • Two-wheel drive (2WD) vehicles built before or after the year 2000 (Classic or Modern)
  • All-wheel drive (AWD) vehicles built before or after the year 2000 (Classic or Modern)

How does Targa 2 compare to the other divisions?

This chart shows the average and top speeds for each division along with the safety requirements.

 Group Safety Average Speed 
(kph)
Top Speed 
(kph) 
Targa Tour All Roll bar required (open, removable roof, removable hard top cars) 120 130 
Targa 1 2WD (Classic and Modern) Roll bar required  (all)130155
 AWD (Classic and Modern) Roll bar required (all)130155
Targa 2 2WD (Classic and Modern) Roll cage (all)  140180 
 AWD (Classic and Modern) Roll cage (all)  140 180 

Who is going to win Targa 2 In 2025? It could be you. Apply now for the ultimate tarmac rally experience!

Register now for Targa 2025!

Get close to the rally action: Volunteer for Targa

Volunteers are essential to Targa Newfoundland. (Photo: Ralph Saulnier)

Targa Newfoundland is accepting applications for Special Stage Set-Up Volunteers who can work in a fast-paced environment, preparing and supervising stages during the competition from Sept. 11-18, 2025. 

Applicants must be mature and professional, with a sense of adventure and can thrive on excitement, camaraderie, and teamwork. This is an ideal opportunity for retirees eager to contribute their time and expertise while supporting a dynamic motorsports event. 

Volunteers will spend six days on the road, travelling to scenic towns and outports of Newfoundland. Accommodations are provided, along with gas and food allowances.

Interested in becoming a Special Volunteer for Targa 2025? Fill out the form linked below.

Photos: Ralph Saulnier