Corner Brook team fulfilling childhood dream to race Targa.
For Devon Knight from Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Targa bug bit him early. He’s wanted to race Targa ever since he was a kid. From a young age he watched Targa on the Speed Channel and dreamed of competing.
“I got to watch the stages around Gander one year when I was in middle school and absolutely loved it,” says Devon.
After high school he moved to the Toronto area where he took driver training and spent most weekends taking part in track days on various road courses around southern Ontario. He also started competing in autocross events there and once he returned to the west coast of Newfoundland, he helped start autocross there with the Western Speedpark group.
Co-driver Logan King-Gaudon is from Black Duck Siding near Stephenville. Both work at Long Range Outdoors in Corner Brook. Logan has been racing autocross since it started on the west coast and has always ridden hard on snowmobiles and dirt bikes. He is a mechanic which could come in handy during Targa.
“The car we will be racing is my 2015 Mustang GT. Overall the car is fairly stock but has some suspension work such as sway bars, poly bushings, subframe bracing, and more from when I used the car on road courses. The thousands of kilometres I have put on it in autocross and road courses definitely help for entering Targa,” says Devon.
Local team eager to push their limits in Targa Bambina.
Cameron Combdon has always been a car and motorsports enthusiast. He started with a 1988 Fox-body Mustang (which he still has) and learned (and is still learning) to drive, modify and maintain cars for their intended purposes. Cameron has 4+ years of experience racing autocross with his local club, Western Speedpark on the west coast of Newfoundland. He’s competed in the “Fly Your Car in Gander” autocross event three years in a row, taking home first place this year in his Toyota GR Corolla.
“This will be my first time racing Targa and I am excited to learn new driving techniques, meet new people, and have fun pushing the limits of my car over the Newfoundland roads in a controlled environment,” says Cameron.
Co-driver Andrew Keeping is also a die-hard enthusiast who has taken the local autocross community by storm with his impressive driving and navigation skills in only his second year participating. They have similar car interests and are looking to be a strong contender for the event.
They’re certainly committed to Targa. “I purchased this Evo solely to build and race it in Targa this year. My goal is to make it as unique as possible and have it remembered locally as ‘the Targa Evo’”, says Cameron.
This year they’re racing in the Bambina event but already eyeing the full event in future.
Team Bakery Garage brings international flavour to Targa.
Team Bakery Garage is a cross-continental team driven by two cousins, Ralph Wiesbrock of Canada and Matthias Boemke of Germany.
After conquering the Alps and the Autobahn in 2019, the teammates have decided to reprise their adventure in the form an epic Targa Tour.
Ralph is a retiring architect who spends a chunk of his time off playing at Calabogie Motorsports Park and racing his temperamental Miata.
Matthias is a retired engineer with millions of kilometres under his belt unwinding his Miata on the German Autobahn.
Making the journey from Ottawa, Ontario, and Diez-an-der-Lahn, Germany, the duo hopes to encounter wild landscapes, exciting roads, good people, and good cheer. Instead of their Miatas, the pair will bring a 2017 BMW M2 for this motoring adventure.
What inspired the unusual team name, Bakery Garage? “I’m an architect and my wife is a baker,” says Ralph. It’s appropriate that the team sponsor is Sweet Sigrid Nordic Baking.
Team Bavarian Brothers bring the ultimate driving machine to the ultimate road rally!
Brothers – Don and Frank Bray – aren’t actually Bavarian but they are fans of the ultimate driving machines from Germany, and they will race a 1999 BMW M3 this fall in Targa Newfoundland.
Don and Frank were born and raised in Atlantic Canada and have been car enthusiasts for their entire adult lives. Starting in the 1980’s they were hooked on British sports cars including Triumph Spitfires, TR7s, and MGBs. A few American muscle cars followed and then onto BMW and Porsche as they (somewhat) matured.
Frank has some auto service experience from early in his career, and extensive experience in automotive sales. Don pretends to be a “shade tree mechanic” in his spare time and has done a couple of High Performance Driver Education (HPDE) weekends, but neither brother has any (legal) racing experience. They both love driving, tinkering with cars, and experiencing the beauty that Atlantic Canada has to offer. This will be their first time at Targa Newfoundland, and both very much look forward to the experience.
“We were both aware of the history of Targa Newfoundland but really hadn’t thought about taking part until this year,” says Don. “The stories and videos from previous competitors were overwhelmingly positive which definitely drew us in. When combined with the culture, lovely people, and beautiful scenery of Newfoundland, the opportunity was hard to pass up.”
Targa Newfoundland a racing homecoming for Florida brothers
Targa Newfoundland a racing homecoming for Florida brothers
We’re excited to welcome back Rick and Sam Marshall to Targa Newfoundland for a second year. The racing brothers hail from Florida, U.S.A. but they have strong family ties to Newfoundland.
Rick and Sam’s grandfather was born in St. John’s and emigrated to the United States in the early 1900’s. Family reunions and Targa have provided an opportunity to come back and connect with relatives and to make a new Targa family.
As members of Gulfcoast Autocrossers, they enjoy competing in autocross and running fast laps at Sebring. They raced Targa Newfoundland 2023 and are looking forward to returning in 2024. Their goal is to successfully navigate the twisty scenic roads and finish all of the stages!
Their vehicle of choice to race the “Rock” is a slightly modified 2016 Subaru STI. To make it speedy they added an IAG long block, FP Blue Turbo and front mount intercooler. To make it stop: some EBC Red Stuff brake pads!
“The first year we were attracted to racing through beautiful towns and the scenic transits between them. Returning, we are most looking forward to spending time with the Targa family,” says Sam.
Team Targa Tackles Targa in classic Porsche 911 Targa
What better car to race Targa Newfoundland than one called Targa? Racing legend Randy Pobst from Atlanta, Georgia returns to the Rock this fall to defend his Targa 1 title but this time he’ll be behind the wheel of a classic 1989 Porsche 911 Targa, owned and navigated by another Targa class winner, Paul Abbott of St. John’s, NL. And their tongue twisting team name says it all: Team Targa Tackles Targa.
Randy won Targa 1 with Craig MacMullen and John Hume Sr. of the Hume Media team in 2023, adding to his long list of racing victories. Randy is a two-time winner of the grueling Rolex 24 at Daytona, winner of over 90 pro road races including factory contracts with Porsche, Audi, Mazda and Volvo and a member of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Hall of Fame. His impressive racing resume also includes four World Challenge GT championships, two IMSA driver’s championships, and two North American Touring Car championships. He also set the modified electric production record at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in a 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid.
“It’s the thrill of the open road at speed. That’s what I like about Targa Newfoundland,” says Randy. “It’s only in a place like this could you have an event like this where they close public highways and we go tearing across the countryside and end up in a fishing village on the coast at speed. It’s a unique thrill and experience that you can’t find anywhere else.”
Co-driver Paul Abbott of St. John’s has competed in Targa three times including twice as a driver, winning Class 8 Modern in 2009, and once as a co-driver in Open Class. Paul is a past autocross champion in Vinland Motorsport, a racing club in Newfoundland, and an active member of the Porsche Club of America, Acadia Region. The car he and Randy will race this fall is his beloved stock, air-cooled 1989 Porsche 911 Targa.
The first time Paul heard about Targa Newfoundland and saw it for himself was in Flatrock, Newfoundland. “It was year one and I watched it from my driveway!” He spent the next few years as a volunteer and liaison between Targa and Vinland Motorsport, which provided marshals, timing people, and radio operators.
What draws him to Targa? “Targa is my ‘home track’ and I like to showcase what we have to offer here.”
The real question though is do you think you can beat Randy and Paul?
Update:
Randy Pobst and Paul Abbott claimed a well-earned victory in the competitive Targa 1 division in a vintage 1989 Porsche 911 Targa after a tight battle in the 2024 edition of the rally. This is the second Targa 1 title for Pobst, who adds it to his impressive collection of race wins in a variety of sports car classes over his illustrious career. This was Paul’s fourth Targa and second win.
Targa first-timers Team Spud Performance fulfilling a dream.
Keir Pollard and Lance Campbell from Prince Edward Island are new to Targa but their car will be familiar to longtime fans. They swapped the 2003 Subaru WRX they originally planned to race for the rally-prepped 2006 MINI Cooper S John Cooper Works that used to belong to Targa co-founder Doug Mepham.
The pair met through a shared interest in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and soon their conversations turned to motorsports. They have been daydreaming about Targa for years and are thrilled for their first entry into the event.
Keir is an experienced competitor in autocross and iRacing, while Lance is an accomplished professional mechanic and co-star of backyard dirt bike videos. What the pair lack in tarmac rally experience, they make up for with a well-equipped toolbox and an enthusiastic can-do attitude. Their goal is to finish the entire Targa event successfully and gain invaluable road rally experience, making it the adventure of a lifetime.
As for the name, Team Spud Performance, it’s a fun reference to their home province of Prince Edward Island, famous for its potatoes.
Update:
Keir and Lance were quick, consistent and clean throughout the 2024 rally, taking home the Targa 2 title. Not bad for first timers at rallying. Congratulations. We look forward to seeing you again in 2025!
by Jim Kenzie, Targa Newfoundland co-founder and three-time winner
We owe it all to Bob English. Bob, a fellow auto scribe, and his wife Helen had invited me to dinner in their then-home in Erin Ontario, a bit north-east of us in Milton. During dins, Bob mentioned that our mutual friend, Doug Mepham, a former fellow scribe and at that stage of his career a public relations guru, had invited Bob to be his navigator in a crazy event called Targa Tasmania, a week-long performance car rally held in – aw, you guessed it – Tasmania. For the geographically challenged, Tasmania is the island just south of Australia. The event would start on Easter weekend in 2001.
Bob is a wonderful fellow, the sort of chap you would want to share a car with under challenging conditions like these. He is an excellent writer, also a fine driver. But I must say, navigating was not one of his strengths. On several occasions, he and I had driven together on press events. Even while I was driving, I’d often sneak a peek at the route maps or driving instructions he was holding to make sure we didn’t get lost and end up being eaten by wolves.
And Bob knew this about himself. He was worried he might somehow screw up this adventure that Doug had put so much time, effort and money into. He asked if I knew anyone who might like to take on the Tasmanian task. I almost dislocated my shoulder throwing my arm up into the air.
I of course also knew Doug well. He had been at least partially responsible for several aspects of my career. I also knew he was an excellent driver, capably quick, but not foolhardy – someone I’d be comfortable with sharing a car under high-speed, high-stress conditions.
I got in touch with Doug. He knew I was pretty good at it, so he agreed to the swap.
Doug was – is – also just about the neatest person I have ever met. What’s that got to do with rallying? Just that you want a meticulously-prepared car for an event like this. You don’t want to schlep a car half-way around the world to have it blow up on the first corner.
Doug supervised the construction of his car by the respected multi-champion ralliers and rally car builders Frank and Dan Sprongl of FourStar Motorsports in Georgetown, Ontario. It was a 1971 Volvo 142S two-door sedan, one of those “they’re boxy, but they’re good” cars. It meant his car would be solid, and beautifully prepped. “Safe as houses,” to quote Henry Manney III of Road & Track magazine fame.
We completed the rally. It was a great week, on several levels. Didn’t crash. Didn’t die. Don’t remember/don’t care where we placed. Fabulous roads, with the “Special Sections” (for the high-speed stages) closed off to all other traffic. Friendly people. Amazing scenery.
On the ferry back from Tasmania to Melbourne, we were reminiscing about what a magical time we had just enjoyed. Where else on earth could you pull off something like this?
Neither Doug nor I can recall the exact sequence of this discussion. This was over 20 years ago, dontcha know. But at one point, one of us (I think it was me, but that may be because I’m writing this story…) wondered aloud: What if you had an island like Tasmania? A welcoming population like Tasmanians? A place that could use some tourism dollars like Tasmania? I am quite sure it was me who first uttered these two words in the same sentence:
“Targa, Newfoundland.”
When we got back home, Doug called a chap named Robert Giannou. Back in the day, Doug had done PR for Coca Cola where Robert had been a consultant in St. John’s. Doug recognized the Giannou name from the days of the Canadian Road Racing Championship for Formula Atlantic cars. One of those events was through the streets of St. John’s Newfoundland, which Giannou had organized. Robert was very well-known in Newfoundland, and if anybody could pull something like a Targa Newfoundland off, he would be the guy.
And he did.
Doug and I did the first Targa Newfoundland together in the Volvo – we thought it was fitting that the car which had carried us through the event that inspired Targa Newfoundland should be the car that carried us through the event which it spawned.
However, I was sitting on what for me was the wrong side of the car – we both wanted to drive, not “navi-guess” as we joked about it. So, in Year Two, and more by coincidence than design, I ended up as driver in a new-generation MINI supplied by MINI Canada.
A “Factory” ride! Every driver’s dream. When the navigator MINI had arranged for me – a fellow journalist from Montréal – had to leave unexpectedly in the middle of the week, I stumbled upon a chap named Brian Bourbonniere from Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia. Brian had previously won four consecutive Nova Scotia rally championships as a navigator, and it had ceased to be much of a challenge for him. He was at Targa simply as a crew member for some of his buddies who had entered the event. We went on to win three “Open Division” championships together.
The secret to our success? Among other things, our “chemistry” as a team, which was instantly perfect. Inside the car, I never talked, Brian never shut up. He’d call, “100 metres, easy left.” In 100 metres, I’d make an easy left. No questions asked.
After some ten years together, Brian’s real-life job started getting in the way of his fun, and I had to find another navigator. MINI decided they had had enough too, and I had to find another car. I landed a Kia Optima for a couple of events, and later a Nissan Juke RS Turbo for three more. Once more, tales for another day.
Still, Targa Newfoundland remains the most fun you can have in a car with your clothes on.
Jim Kenzie’s auto/biography, In The Driver’s Seat, includes this history of Targa Newfoundland. Find out more and order a copy here.
Team Newfoundland MotorHead Racing excited to race on home soil
Targa Newfoundland has been on Rob Thompson’s bucket list for years. Both of his parents were Targa volunteers in the early years and have race memorabilia in their house in Point Leamington, Newfoundland. He’s long had the desire to race in Targa but work and family commitments kept him from doing that. Not anymore.
“I’ve always wanted to do Targa. It will be so cool to race through the streets of my hometown at speed,” said Rob, who now lives in St. John’s.
Co-driver Justin Ronayne, who also lives in St. John’s, has plenty of previous Targa experience as both a driver and co-driver. His racing resume includes autocross, Legends racing and go-karting.
“The things I like most about Targa Newfoundland are the people, the adventure and of course the cars,” said Justin.
The pair will be racing a street legal, track-prepped 2020 Subaru WRX STI from Lachute Performance with forged pistons and rods along with upgraded turbo, exhaust, and suspension.
Rob is the part owner of the project management firm North Star Associates, which is sponsoring his team. Rob also owns TNT Performance, which provides performance tuning for snowmobiles and watercraft. His company is also sponsoring this Targa effort.
Driver: Satish Gopalkrishnan Co-driver: Savera D’Souza Vehicle: 2018 VW Golf R Country: USA
Rally champions seek repeat victory at Targa Newfoundland!
Veteran rally champions Satish Gopalkrishnan and Savera D’Souza won the Grand Touring (GT) title at last year’s Targa Newfoundland, and they are hungry for another win. Satish and Savera opted to try their hand at Targa 1 instead in 2024 bringing a speedy VW Golf R to tame the twisty roads of Newfoundland.
The husband-and-wife team, who are from India but now call New Jersey home, are seasoned competitors with numerous victories in time-speed-distance (TSD) rallying where precision takes precedence over speed. They were Indian National TSD Rally Champions in 2012 and have clinched multiple national championships in the SCCA RoadRally series since moving to the U.S. Twice they’ve won the gruelling Alcan 5000 Rally from Seattle to Anchorage, in 2022 and again in 2024.
“We have done a lot of TSD rallies, but Targa Newfoundland is one of a kind,” says Satish. “Speeds are high over dozens of closed stages; each stage presenting unique challenges of terrain and altitude, winding over the hills and running through the labyrinthine Brigus. The organizers and community come together to put up a very special event with exacting safety measures and outstanding hospitality. Savera and I had a lot of fun doing the event last year.”
Savera is widely respected for her navigation skills. “I really enjoyed navigating at Targa Newfoundland last year. But I loved Newfoundland’s breathtaking landscapes, lovely people and the great food more, and can’t wait to come back!”
