By: Erin Crant of Husband + Wife Racing, Car #135 – 2009 BMW 135
Targa is an absolutely gruelling week – a complete whirlwind, full of ups and downs and a mix of emotions – adrenaline, defeat, gratitude, happiness, exhaustion, elation, and the list goes on.

Finishing the event is an emotion like none other. We couldn’t have done it without the support and help of our sponsors, many of whom are friends.
Justin and I had an amazing week. It’s not every day you get to do a week-long rally with your spouse; we had an absolute blast and would do it again in a heartbeat. We competed with great folks. Some travelled quite a distance to race in Targa Newfoundland. We made new friends and got to catch up with some old ones. We competed against the legend himself, Randy Pobst. He’s such a down-to-earth, genuine gentleman, who heeded some tips from us during the event, dined with us, shared some stories of his epic adventures, and commended us on a job well done at the end of the week.

This event couldn’t be done without the amazing volunteers, not only the ones we (as competitors) got to see on the stages we ran, but those throughout the communities we visited who graciously welcomed us, cooked fabulous meals for us, and greeted us with smiles. You all deserve the biggest thanks.
One such community was Eastport. They welcomed us at the Legion, fed us a delightful meal of pan-fried cod, and had a delicious display of desserts too. Eastport, for Justin and me, holds a special place. It’s where our Onarock (chocolate) lab, Lou, was born and raised by his fabulous breeders, Wade and Shona Sutton. During Targa, there were so many locals, including them,
who came out to meet the drivers and navigators. The kids were let out of school early to go check things out. Seeing a child beaming from ear to ear sitting in the seat of a race car is truly magical. The place was a complete buzz with excitement.

Justin and I were invited back to Eastport by a lovely local lady, Lori. She informed us of their annual Thanksgiving Parade, explaining that it was a huge event each year for the agricultural exhibition. On Thanksgiving weekend, we hit the highway at 6 a.m. and headed out. Roger Bradley, Parade Marshall, welcomed us with open arms, along with the locals in the parade,
which featured all kinds of different floats, antique cars, and tractors, and even farm animals. What a special event with so many smiles from those who were lined along the roadside, and countless kids (and adults) yelling “heyyy – that’s a Targa car!”

Ocean View Park in Leading Tickles was another fabulous lunch stop where you could walk two minutes in either direction and see the ocean. The waves crashing ashore, the beautiful beach, surf and sand are so picturesque, especially for those “come from aways” who don’t get the chance to see the ocean on the regular like we do here in Newfoundland. The park had all kinds
of carvings and wood cut outs, making for some fun photo ops.

Even for Justin and me, as locals, it’s awesome to get to visit some of these places including some we’ve never been or even thought about going to before.
Hickman’s Harbour is one such place. It isn’t somewhere we’ve been often. The crowds of people who came out to show their support was absolutely heartwarming. There was a massive horde of teens standing on a cliff overlooking the cars race. During our lunch stop we were fed some delectable homemade chili and chowder. Again, amazing hospitality!

Glover’s Harbour was not only the “place with the giant squid”, but also has the cutest local goats, including one which had escaped from the pen and seemingly wanted to join in the Targa fun. The owners were less than impressed, trying to get it back in with the others, while we lined up getting ready to race, just a few feet away.

We’ve driven the Cape Shore many times – usually with our dog, Lou, in the back of our BMW M3 convertible – but racing along the coast, up and down those cliffs at Targa speeds, is something we’ll never soon forget.
The car shows that were held during the event were also a great chance for those who didn’t get out to catch the stages to come out to see the cars, meet the competitors, and purchase a Targa shirt or hat.

Hickman Chevrolet Buick GMC and M&R Auto in Gander helped Justin and me tremendously, as did our fellow competitors Sam and Rick Marshall of Florida. We corded our two back tires and had serious thoughts of having to drive or get a tow home to Paradise and back out again overnight. The Marshalls just happened to have two tires the exact size we needed when things
went awry on Monday night and thanks to these wonderful fellas we didn’t have to go home. It was camaraderie at its best. Being together all week leads to some very close bonds and friendships being built, even among your competition. Targa truly is a tight knit little community. Some of our closest friendships were made through racing.

Targa 2023 had FOUR female navigators – Leanne Junnila (Director of WIMCanada – Women in Motorsport), Olivia Wiltshire-Ryan, Savera D’Souza and me. That’s so impressive. Meeting Leanne was an absolute delight for me. Some time ago, I was gifted a WIM patch from Vinland
Motorsports President Gordon Maxwell for my participation in AutoX (autocross) here in Newfoundland. Showing her my patch that I had proudly sewn onto the wrist of my race suit was super special!

Ultimately, Justin and I finished second in standings. We were tied with Randy Pobst and Craig MacMullen (in their MINI GP owned by John Sr Hume) going into Brigus. However, on our first of three runs, we quickly caught up to the competitor ahead of us in their Porsche. They missed a corner and had to back up onto the course. This meant we were behind them for over 2 km –
more than half the stage – and were unable to pass them, despite Justin’s efforts by flashing his lights, blowing his horn, and even trying to get around them when space permitted. It simply didn’t happen. This cost us nearly 30 seconds and it was deemed as a “rally incident” not allowing us to get our time back. This resulted in penalty time for us that we couldn’t overcome.

On our next two runs in Brigus, we were the fastest car in our division (Targa 1) in raw time, beaten by “Savage Dave” (Dave Wallingford) and Leanne Junnila in their Ford Fiesta (Targa 2), by only four seconds. This was impressive given the caliber of their factory prepared rally car; yet here we were with tools, luggage, and spares in the back with us all week.

Grassroots at its finest, folks. It just goes to show, you don’t need the fastest or most prepared car to run; you CAN do it on a budget. It helps to have a super-skilled driver as a husband, too.

At the awards ceremony, Justin and I received our 2nd place trophies, as well as our Targa Trophy plate. We were one of only three teams to receive this prestigious award. It is given to teams who complete every stage within their trophy time – such a great accomplishment.

Huge thanks to Targa Newfoundland, all the volunteers, the communities who welcomed us, and our fellow competitors for an adrenaline-fuelled and incredible week of racing and camaraderie. Targa 2023 is one for the books!