Driver: Devon Knight
Co-driver: Logan King-Gaudon
Vehicle: 2015 Ford Mustang GT
Division: Targa 1
Country: Canada

Local team comes back for more after first Targa

Devon Knight and Logan King-Gaudon were just buzzing after the Gander town stage in 2024. Right then they knew they had to come back for more.

“It was unreal,” says Devon. “I can’t name one time I’ve ever felt like that in my life. It was the most excited I ever remember being. You’re talking about memories like that, you’re talking about building friendships with all these people from all over the world, all walks of life.”

For Devon, who hails from Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Targa bug bit him early. From a young age he watched Targa on the Speed Channel and dreamed of competing. After moving to the Toronto area, he took driver training, spent many weekends doing track days in southern Ontario and got into autocross, something he helped launch in western Newfoundland when he returned there. Devon says track days and autocross don’t compare to experiencing the Targa rally on city streets and closed country roads.

“Being on a road course or being in an autocross you don’t really comprehend what it feels like to be on the street because everything’s right there next to you on these narrow lanes. You’re hitting 100 kilometres an hour and it feels like you’re hitting 200 kilometres on the track. It’s the way everything’s flying by.”

Co-driver Logan King-Gaudon is a mechanic from Black Duck Siding near Stephenville and works with Devon at Long Range Outdoors in Corner Brook. Both are members of the Western Speed Park group. Logan has been competing in autocross since it started on the west coast and also has a passion for snowmobiles and dirt bikes. He says Targa is a unique experience in all respects.

“You welcomed us with open arms like you knew us our whole life,” he says. “It was just awesome feeling that way. It made us feel more comfortable and when you got racing I can’t even explain how it felt. It was like seeing everything fly past you in just a blur. It was just unbelievable.” 

The sense of community from socializing with other competitors, such as legendary racer Randy Pobst, was another highlight for both of them.

“After every stage you’re having a chat with everyone,” says Devon. “Everyone’s completely down to earth. You’ve got professional race car drivers like Randy Pobst and local community people like us and you can get out and all of a sudden you’re talking to a professional race car driver and it’s like he’s been your best buddy all your life. That and the driving combined, you can’t ask for anything better.”

Driver: Keir Pollard
Co-driver: TBD
Vehicle: 2006 MINI Cooper S JCW
Division: Targa 2
Country: Canada

Spud Performance ready to ‘tear it up’ in Targa 2

Keir Pollard and Lance Campbell had never done a rally before they entered Targa Newfoundland in 2024 but they went home with a trophy. Despite their lack of experience, they were impressive, claiming the Targa 2 title with a quick, consistent, and clean performance.

When Spud Performance returns this fall to defend that title, it will face some stiff competition from several teams including some rally veterans. Keir will also have a new co-driver as Lance is not available this time.

Keir says last year the goal was simply to learn about the rally and survive but this fall he’ll be ready for battle.

“We were really just going for learning and making it through clean, not breaking the car, not breaking ourselves or breaking anybody,” says Keir. “We wanted to learn a lot and come back to try to do competitive stuff. Mission accomplished on all fronts. We learned a ton every single day and continue to learn, but I think we were just starting to figure out what the job is about on the final days and can’t wait for (this) year. We’re gonna tear it up.”

Keir and Lance are both from Prince Edward Island, famous for its potatoes, hence the cheeky team name. Keir is an experienced competitor in autocross and iRacing, while Lance is an accomplished professional mechanic. They’d been daydreaming about Targa for years and finally made it happen last year.

The 2006 MINI Cooper S John Cooper Works is a veteran of several Targas. It used to belong to Targa co-founder Doug Mepham, who had it built to his specifications. The rally-prepped MINI is tough and seemingly bulletproof.

Keir says they had the time of their lives at Targa and he can’t wait to come back in 2025.

“It exceeded my expectations,” says Keir. “Everything was terrific. The driving was great. Absolutely terrific scenery when you look up from the road. The communities have been wonderful to drive through and to meet people there. Wonderful people welcomed us in every place we stopped – waving and happy on the sides of the road. It was absolutely terrific.”

Driver: Cameron Combdon
Co-driver: Andrew Keeping
Vehicle: 1998 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V
Division: Targa 1
Country: Canada

Newfoundland racers are revved up for more rally action

It took all of one stage for Cameron Combdon and Andrew Keeping to become hooked on Targa. The pair from the west coast of Newfoundland took part in their first Targa Newfoundland in 2024 in the shorter Bambina event. Before they finished, they’d already decided to return for the full Duemila event in 2025.

“I had no idea what to expect coming into Targa,” says Cameron. “I’d heard the name Targa but couldn’t comprehend what it was. I’d never actually seen a stage. I’d never done anything with it at all. Coming out to this was super exciting for us. We spent all summer putting the car together. It still exceeded my expectations. I can’t even describe the feeling of the courses. You spend so much time psyching yourself up in your head what to expect and it just it was way better than ever anticipated. It just made us have to do the full event.”

Cameron and Andrew are driving forces in the autocross community on the west coast of the island. Both are members of Western Speed Park so they named their team after their club. Neither of them had experienced anything like Targa before.

Co-driver Andrew says it began to click after the first stage. “It all started to come together, the people, the places, the culture, all of it. It was a completely new experience, and something I never thought I’d do. I was initially nervous about co-driving. I did grow up watching rally racing and the responsibility that the co-driver has is immense – understanding the timing, transits, the callouts, etc. It seemed like a monster of a task just thinking about it. But actually doing callouts in stage, and at speed for the first time, it made everything just click. After each new stage I understood more and by the end I was like ‘Yeah, I got this now.’”

Cameron has about five years of experience competing in autocross in the Corner Brook area and Gander. He won the “Fly Your Car in Gander” autocross event last summer in his Toyota GR Corolla. Andrew is also a die-hard motorsports enthusiast and while he hasn’t been involved in autocross quite as long as his partner, he has impressed people with his skills.

Both say their first Targa experience was amazing not just for the time on the road but the camaraderie with like-minded people. That includes some more experienced racers who gave them welcome advice.

“It was just amazing,” says Cameron. “The driving is one thing, but the experience of the meals and talking with people is also great. You’re at a table with somebody different every time and everybody’s having these big conversations all about cars. That’s all I’m talking about all day long anyway. It’s all about cars.”

Cameron and Andrew are excited about experiencing the full rally event this fall. “I’m really looking forward to just being able to do the full event with everyone else, from start to finish,” says Andrew. “That’s the most exciting thing for me.”

They’re also grateful for all the support they’ve received from family, friends, and businesses in western Newfoundland.

Watch for their wild Mitsubishi Evo stickered up with logos from a number of supportive west coast businesses and you can be sure there will be plenty of fans rooting for this homegrown team.  

Learn more about WSP Motorsports and their Evo:

This west coast racer says everyone loves the ‘Fast and Furious sounds’ of his car | CBC.ca

Driver: Enrico “Rico” Bouchard 
Co-driver: Patrick “Pat” Levesque
Vehicle: 1968 BMW 1600ti
Division: Targa 2
Country: Canada

Proven rally winners ready to take on Targa

Taking on the challenge of Targa Newfoundland has been a longtime dream of the Quebec-based rally team of Enrico “Rico” Bouchard and Patrick “Pat” Levesque.

“Not long after we started rallying together with the vintage BMW it became our goal to make it to Targa,” says Enrico. “It’s the ultimate race for a vintage car in North America.”

In both business and rallying, Enrico does everything without compromise “with a tasteful and distinctive touch of class.” As a car enthusiast, he shares the love of German cars with co-driver Pat Levesque and their crew, Nico and Éric. Enrico is an experienced driver but a licenced racer only since 2023. As a rookie driver he managed to win the Vintage class in the Canadian Rally Championship (CRC) with Pat as co-driver in the same BMW 1600ti they will race at Targa. There is never a dull moment when Rico is around.

Pat has been a co-driver in the Canadian Rally Championship since 2008 and has competed in the World Rally Championship (WRC). He was the first Canadian co-driver to ever finish Tour de Corse WRC (2016) and Rallye Monte Carlo WRC (2017). He was also a navigator in a Trophy truck race in the United States. Working with different teams at different levels, Pat developed a broad network of contacts bringing interesting opportunities such as testing (as a co-driver) the car Antoine L’Estage is racing in CRC for the CAS Competition team or private test days with Vermont Sportscar. Pat just added his name on the Marcel-Paul Raymond Trophy in 2024. This award is for Rallye Sport Quebec’s top co-driver. 

The pair met in Charlevoix while fellow competitors were testing a Porsche 911 rally car. When Enrico revealed he planned to enter a vintage BMW in rally, Pat replied: “If you’re crazy enough to race such car I will co-drive for you!”

Enrico imported the 1600ti from France in 2023 to compete in the Canadian Rally Championship. Despite winning their class, Enrico and crew chief Nico were not satisfied with the BMW and after the season ended, they started a total restoration through the following year. “We can’t wait to show this car to Newfoundland race fans,” he says.

You can follow Pat Levesque on Facebook. If Targa goes their way, the other teams will be following Stream Racing across Newfoundland.

Driver: Chris Mason
Co-driver: Jeff Mason
Vehicle: 1965 Volvo Amazon 122S “Mzcalero”
Division: Targa 2
Country: United States and Italy

Rally Brothers bring international flavour to Targa

Chris and Jeff Mason, the Rally Brothers, grew up in New Jersey, as close as two brothers could be but after college, life took them in opposite directions and thousands of miles apart. Jeff headed west to Colorado, USA and Chris went east to Venice, Italy. Rally racing together, Chris as the driver and Jeff as the navigator, has become a way to bridge the distance and stay close with each other. 

The brothers’ rallying began in 2018 when they first raced the Carrera Panamericana, the seven-day rally across México. They have since raced it in 2019 and 2022, achieving an overall class podium and numerous stage wins.

Their car of choice is a vintage 1965 Volvo Amazon 122S named Mzcalero, which was built for the Carrera Panamericana.

“It’s a street legal race car that is happy on a track but comes into its own on rally,” says Chris. 

The Amazon’s nickname is derived from the word Mezcalero, someone who makes mezcal, a Mexican alcoholic drink, and it became a running joke for the team at the event. “Our team has a particular soft spot for mezcal. It is hard not to in Mexico. In fact, we created a Driving La Carrera cocktail including the spirit.” See the recipe below.

In 2023, the brothers ran the Mille Miglia USA Warm Up with the Mzcalero, finishing first in class. The win secured them a berth in the 2024 Mille Miglia in Italy.

They participated in the 2024 Mille Miglia in a 1939 Fiat Balilla 508C 1100. Unfortunately, a problem with the rear differential ruined their podium chances but they still got the car to the finish, in decent form no less. 

This year, the pair have set their sights on winning Targa Newfoundland.

“Targa Newfoundland has been on the radar for years,” says Chris. “Numerous past competitors have insisted we go. The stars aligned for the 2025 event. The team looks forward to competing and, as always, a podium finish.”

Driving La Carrera supports The Piston Foundation (www.pistonfoundation.org). The Piston Foundation’s mission is to bring more young people into the collector car industry. By finding skilled trades programs in collector cars, they are working to help today’s craftspeople  transfer their skills to a new generation and  help young technicians  build  rewarding careers in the trades and services of the collector car industry.

Driving La Carrera is also a small media production company, producing photography and film of motorsports events. Their work can be seen on their website www.drivinglacarrera.com where you  can read many more details about who they are and what they do.

The Driving La Carrera Cocktail

1 shot American Whiskey
1 shot Mezcal
1/2 shot Ancho Reyes Original
1/4 shot Simple Sirup
1 dash of bitters

Stir in a shaker with ice
Serve neat or over ice

Driver: Blair Riddle
Co-driver: Mark Riddle
Vehicle: 2015 VW GTI
Division: Targa Tour
Country: Canada

Team GTI Fahrvergnügen feels the need for speed … and driving fun

Team GTI Fahrvergnügen (formerly Team VeeDub) returns to Targa Newfoundland in 2025 for the second year in a quick and agile 2015 VW GTI.

Last year, Targa volunteers Blair Riddle and Wayne Lorenzen shared driving and co-driving duties in the Fast Tour. This fall, Blair will pair up with his son, Mark, for the renamed Targa Tour.

Originally from Nova Scotia, where he practised his driving skills along the twisty highway to Peggy’s Cove, Blair spent 30 years in Alberta before moving to Newfoundland and Labrador. An experienced public relations practitioner and motorsports devotee, he provides media and public relations duties for Targa when he’s not behind the wheel.

“Driving in Targa 2024 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, wet 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’m looking forward to 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 translates to “driving pleasure” and was the slogan for VW GTI ads in years past. “I couldn’t think of a better name for the team this year,” says Blair. “Targa Newfoundland is all about driving pleasure and then some.”