Drivers: Brad Melendy (IROC); Michael Neary (Dodge Challenger)
Co-drivers: Andy Proudfoot; Kate Melendy
Vehicles: 1986 Chevrolet IROC Z28 race car; Dodge Challenger
Country: Canada
Sideways Motorsports lives up to name in dramatic fashion
The family of Brad Melendy are local racing heroes in Gander and central Newfoundland. His team, Sideways Motorsports, were special guests at Targa Newfoundland this fall. They put on a show for residents in Gander, Glenwood, and Appleton in a 1986 Chevrolet IROC Z28 race car and a late model Dodge Challenger and lived up to the team name by getting both cars sideways with screeching tires and the trumpeting roar of powerful V8s.
Targa veterans Brad and co-driver Andy Proudfoot ran the IROC, while Michael Neary drove the Challenger with Brad’s daughter Kate doing the navigating. Brad also came to the aid of some Targa teams this year by mending their broken cars at his shop in Gander.
Melendy races stock cars on tracks throughout the Atlantic Provinces. He and wife Amy also organize the annual Fly Your Car In Gander charity autocross event and BGC Gander Demolition Derby.
l to r: Andy Proudfoot, Michael Neary, Brad Melendy, Kate Melendy
The new registrar of Targa Newfoundland is no stranger to the famous rally. It’s in his blood. Wayne Lorenzen has done it all when it comes to Targa. He has been a co-driver, crew member, marshal, volunteer, and spectator since Targa first raced through his hometown of Gander more than 20 years ago.
“Targa went right by home,” says Wayne, who continues to live in the Newfoundland town. “I’ve always been a rally fan. I watched Targa for six years then volunteered for a couple more before I was asked to be a navigator.”
Wayne did a certified course in Ottawa in order to race in Targa as the co-driver for Sideways Motorsports with Brad Melendy in a 1986 IROC Z race car for several years. “We never had an off but once blew a motor and had to install a new one in Marystown after shipping it from Gander.” The pair raised over $30,000 for Central Health over the years they raced together and established an auto slalom event in Gander called Fly Your Car In Gander, which continues to this day.
After Sideways Motorsports he established a new team call MaxZen Racing with Gordon Maxwell. They raced for several years in various Targa events and raised funds for autism and epilepsy.
Growing up in Gander, famous for its airport and role in taking in thousands of stranded travellers grounded there after the 9/11 attacks, it’s perhaps only natural that he worked in the aviation industry for 37 years. That included stints with Transport Canada, NAV Canada, and a local flight school.
“Aviation is all about safety and logistics which also crossover to racing,” he says. “I helped NAV Canada develop a culture of safety. The same mentality applies to racing.”
He also served as national vice president of Local 2245 Air Traffic Services for the Canadian Autoworkers (CAW) and was a town councillor.
“That leadership position helped me with conflict management and thinking outside the box,” he says. “My strengths are optimism and keeping an open mind. The only bad idea is the one you don’t discuss. Even a ridiculous one could have some value.”
Teaching has been a significant part of his professional and personal life. Wayne taught ground school to private pilots, operated a martial arts school for over three decades, and assisted in a training program for drivers and navigators in Targa Newfoundland.
He’s a true motorhead with diverse interests that include all motorsports, sports cars, motorcycles, photography, remote control planes, and playing guitar. He’s the proud owner of a 1983 BMW 320i (E21), a couple of antique Kawasaki motorcycles, and a BMW sport touring bike.
What has kept him involved with Targa Newfoundland all these years?
“I love Targa. It’s such a unique, dynamic motorsport event. The location on the island of Newfoundland makes it different. It’s not just about the stages and closed roads, it’s the adventure, the scenery, and the people – the whole package. You’re not going to find this situation anywhere else in the world.”
As registrar, Wayne oversees the registration process for Targa entrants and addresses participants’ inquiries and issues related to registration, event details, and logistics.
Wayne (in red racing suit) with Andy Proudfoot (left) and Brad Melendy (centre), his former racing partner.
Team VeeDub combines one experienced Targa veteran from Newfoundland and teams him up with a “come from away” rally rookie for six days in a quick and agile VW GTI.
Sharing driving and co-driving duties throughout the week-long rally are Blair Riddle, originally from Nova Scotia and most recently Alberta, and born and raised Newfoundlander Wayne Lorenzen of Gander. Both are volunteers with Targa Newfoundland as well as participants.
Wayne is the registrar of Targa Newfoundland and also coordinated the stages in Gander and central Newfoundland. Wayne has done it all when it comes to Targa. He has been a co-driver, crew member, marshal, volunteer, and spectator since Targa first raced through his hometown of Gander more than 20 years ago.
“Targa went right by home,” says Wayne, who continues to live in the Newfoundland town. “I’ve always been a rally fan. I watched Targa for six years then volunteered for a couple more before I was asked to be a navigator.”
Blair, an experienced public relations practitioner, provides media relations for Targa. This is his first rally.
“Other than some autocrosses, this is really my first taste of motorsport,” he says. “Driving across this beautiful island on closed roads with Wayne guiding me along the way is a dream come true. We’ll see how he feels when I am co-driving for him.”
When things don’t go according to plan, you ask yourself “What would the boy bands of the ’90s do?”
Actually, nobody does that but Corey Finkelstein and Tom Pokorny didn’t let car trouble with Tom’s 1999 Fiat Coupe keep them from Targa 2024 just hours into the road trip to Newfoundland. They had chosen the Fiat because it came from the Nineties and fit the boy band theme they cooked up for their team, N*Synchro. Instead, the southern Ontario team turned around, transferred the decals to Corey’s 2018 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG and hit the road again with Tom’s patient wife. The Mercedes was a solid choice as it’s fast, surprisingly nimble and reliable.
This is Corey’s third Targa and Tom’s second. In 2023, they entered Fast Tour as the Eh! Team but this time they mean business competing in the tough Targa 1 division.
When they are not blasting along the roads of the Rock, both Corey and Tom work in the classic car insurance business. Outside of work, their lives revolve around car culture, attending and organizing car shows and events when they aren’t working on or driving their eclectic collections of vehicles. They love Targa so much they have become volunteers, helping to promote the rally to other gearheads like them.
Targa is blessed to have the Faster Pastor back behind the wheel
A fixture at Targa since the rally began in 2002, Rev. Edison Wiltshire is back this year with his grand-daughter and co-driver Olivia Wiltshire-Ryan in a 2007 Saab 93 V6 Turbo.
Edison, affectionately known as the “Faster Pastor,” has been a familiar face in the Targa Newfoundland racing scene for years, providing motorsports chaplaincy services. When he’s not preaching, he’s revving his engine and leaving competitors in the dust. Hailing from Random Island near Clarenville, Newfoundland and Labrador, Edison has captured the hearts of fans with his love for speed and his strong spiritual values.
Rev. Wiltshire once performed a wedding during Targa. Midway through the intense competition, Edison took a break to unite a couple in matrimony, with all the competitors joining in the celebration. It’s this kind of extraordinary spirit that sets him apart and endears him to all who know him.
Together with his supportive wife, Marg-o, Edison participated in every single Targa Newfoundland race until 2023 when Olivia took over the co-driver seat. They’ve tackled the challenging roads of Newfoundland in a diverse fleet of vehicles, including the iconic Citroen Traction Avant and the Citroen DS Sedan, as well as a Porsche 911 and a Subaru Outback.
Popular local Targa veterans Justin and Erin Crant from Paradise, NL – known as Husband + Wife Racing – return this year with their wild, winged 2009 BMW 135 and they’re ready to fight for a win in Targa 1.
They came so tantalizingly close to winning the division in 2023, finishing a close second to Team Hume in a MINI GP. They were the top team in Targa Bambina twice before. Maybe this will be their year in Targa, though there is plenty of competition.
Justin has been on the top step of the podium several times before. He and John Hume Jr. won the competitive Targa Modern division in 2017 and 2018. He was the co-driver in the winning entry in Targa Modern in 2012 and drove to victory in GT in 2010 and 2011. Justin works as a BMW Master Technician at BMW/MINI St. John’s.
When the Crants are not in a race car, they love to spend time with their senior chocolate Lab, Lou.
Father and son trade two wheels for four to take on Targa
John Hueston and his son Brett have years of experience racing motorcycles and bicycles, but the lure of Targa Newfoundland inspired them to try their hand at a car rally.
John raced motocross in the 1970s and ’80s, including a factory ride with Yamaha. Both he and Brett have raced mountain, road and track bikes as well. But Targa will be their first time racing a car in a tarmac rally.
John and Brett have followed Targa since seeing early coverage in the Toronto Star and on SpeedVision years ago. Both decided one day it would be great to compete, especially after seeing the scenery in Newfoundland.
“The event has appealed to us since its founding,” said Brett. “We’ve been talking for too many years about ‘next year, we’ll do it’. We’re finally committed. The roads look like fun, the event sounds great, and the scenery is amazing. It’s an opportunity to explore the capabilities of enthusiast cars on real roads, and what talent we wish we had.”
The challenge was finding the right car. At 6-foot-1 (John) and 6-foot-4 (Brett), choosing a car largely came down to fit. “Thankfully, the Subaru, which seemed like a perfectly balanced car for Targa, came without a sunroof and a couple small ‘Gurney bubbles’ so we will be snug with helmets on.”
John and Brett are the third and fourth generation in the family business, Aylmer Express Graphics Group, their commercial printing and publishing company in Aylmer, Ontario which traces its history back to 1880. Their Subaru will proudly bear the company logo as they blast through the Newfoundland landscape this September.
We lost a beloved member of the extended Targa Newfoundland family earlier this year. Roger Hodder of Georges Brook-Milton, NL was a long-time member of Team EZRA with the Faster Pastor, Edison Wiltshire.
A master mechanic, Roger helped prepare and maintain the 1977 Citroen CX GTi that Edison and his wife Margo ran in Targa in 2006. From his experience at Import Specialties, Roger was no stranger to European cars having worked on Citroens, Renaults, Jaguars, Fiats, BMWs and Mercedes over the years. Roger was proud to be part of the only Targa team from the Clarenville area.
He died suddenly in March 2024 at the age of 69. Our condolences to his family and friends. You can read his obituary here.
Targa Newfoundland 2024 ended a week ago and I am still buzzed from driving in the rally for the first time. Six days of driving, 2000 km of fun and challenging roads, gorgeous scenery, and wonderful people adds up to an unforgettable experience.
I saw the coverage of past Targas years ago and it left an indelible impression. When I moved to Newfoundland and Labrador and discovered Targa was still running, I eagerly offered to volunteer. I’ve been writing about this legendary event since March as the media relations manager but writing about Targa and experiencing it firsthand are two different things.
Sharing driving and navigating duties with Targa veteran Wayne Lorenzen, we lead the non-competitive Fast Tour as the guide car in my mostly stock 2015 VW GTI. It was the thrill of a lifetime for me. I’m hooked.
Driving fast on a closed, roller coaster section of coastal highway on the Cape Shore with two BMWs close behind; blasting through the streets of Gander and Bay Bulls at speed with crowds waving and cheering; and finally, navigating the tight, winding lanes of historic Brigus in the rain – it was an amazing, incomparable experience for a gearhead like me. It was like living out scenes from the movies “Gumball Rally” about a cross country road race or “The Road Warrior”, minus the hordes of feral gangs of course.
My fast and trusty, nine-year-old VW GTI (“Heidi”) performed flawlessly. I wish I could say the same about me. It was the best time I’ve ever had in a car – well, driving anyway.
If you’ve never been to Newfoundland and Labrador, put it on your “must visit list” as it’s truly a spectacular, enchanting, and special place – the scenery, the people, the history, and the food.
If you’ve always wanted to drive in Targa Newfoundland, the only tarmac rally of its kind in North America, what are you waiting for? Put that on your “must do list” and apply now.
After six long, grueling days, 2000 km of stages and transits across the island of Newfoundland, and variable weather conditions, the final stage in the historic town of Brigus decided the winners of Targa Newfoundland 2024.
Standings in the competitive Targa 1 division were tight all week with different teams grabbing the lead after different stages and some others running into mechanical woes.
Team Targa Tackles Targa with racing legend Randy Pobst from Atlanta, Georgia and Paul Abbott, his co-driver from St. John’s, took the lead after the Random Island stages in a vintage 1989 Porsche 911 Targa.
They faced tight competition from several teams, including Rob Thompson and Justin Ronayne of Newfoundland MotorHead Racing in a wickedly fast Lachute-modified Subaru STI; the surprisingly quick Mercedes C43 AMG of N*Synchro teammates Corey Finkelstein and Tom Pokorny; Justin and Erin Crant of Husband + Wife Racing who were flying in their winged BMW 135; and Targa newcomers Brett and John Hueston of Aylmer Express who were impressive in their Subaru BRZ. It was anyone’s rally to win.
The final day of competition greeted teams with steady rain and standing water. That didn’t seem to slow them down as they charged along some of the most difficult stages of the week including narrow, twisty and rain-soaked roads through Colliers, Conception Harbour, Marysvale, and Georgetown.
But the most challenging stage of all was the final one in Brigus with a winding course through streets barely wider than the cars, past unforgiving stone walls, over a one lane bridge, around tight turns, and up and down hills. The Crants faced an extra obstacle with a puncture that knocked them down the standings but a tire change in record time got them back in the rally.
After three hot, timed laps through town past some drenched but enthusiastic spectators, Pobst and Abbott claimed a well-earned victory in the competitive Targa 1 division. Team Newfoundland MotorHead Racing took second place while Husband + Wife Racing clawed back from fifth to third.
This is the second Targa 1 title for Randy Pobst, who adds it to his impressive collection of about 100 professional race wins in a variety of sports car classes over his illustrious career. This is Paul Abbott’s fourth Targa and second win.
“Paul invited me to drive his vintage Porsche 911, and it was fantastic,” says Pobst. “There is nothing else like Targa Newfoundland. It’s the thrill of the open road at speed. It’s a unique thrill and experience that you can’t find anywhere else.”
The Targa 2 title for cars with full roll-cages went to the Prince Edward Island team of Keir Pollard and Lance Campbell in their first Targa Newfoundland. They raced a rally-prepped 2006 MINI Cooper S JCW that once belonged to Targa co-founder Doug Mepham and never put a wheel wrong.
“I want to thank the volunteers and all the organizers for doing a fantastic job and making this a real pleasurable experience,” says Keir Pollard. “Lance and I (had) the time of our lives.”
Drivers and co-drivers from across Canada, the United States, and as far away as Germany competed on 18 teams this year. They included competitors from four states – Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, and New Jersey – and five provinces – British Columbia, Ontario, New Brunswick, PEI, and across Newfoundland and Labrador.
Registration is now open. Do you have what it takes to compete?
There is nothing else like Targa Newfoundland. It’s the thrill of the open road at speed. It’s a unique thrill and experience that you can’t find anywhere else.
Randy Pobst, sports car racing legend and multiple Targa Newfoundland winner
