Targa Newfoundland, one of the longest running tarmac rallies on the planet, will hit another major milestone this September. Teams competing this fall will cover the 1000th stage since Targa began 23 years ago in 2002. Robert Giannou, Targa co-founder and owner, says that will happen on the Eastport Peninsula portion of the rally.
“This is a fantastic milestone in a province not known for motorsports,” says Giannou. “It represents a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of joy in Newfoundland communities. It’s a remarkable achievement. I’m not sure any other rally in North America has achieved 1000 stages and we have one of the best – if not the best – safety record over 23 years.”
Targa co-founder and longtime competitor Doug Mepham says it’s a noteworthy achievement for the legendary rally.
“When we started the first event in 2002, we were just focused on one stage — the first one! We figured if we got the first stage completed, we’d move on to the second one. It was literally one foot in front of the other,” says Mepham. “Remarkably, as I recall, we got all of the scheduled stages completed that first year. That was a minor miracle in itself. No one could have possibly dreamed of a thousand stages or running them for more than 20 years.”
Jim Kenzie, Targa co-founder, past winner, and well known automotive journalist, adds: “I doubt Doug or I even considered how long it would last. Even the Targas in Tasmania (the original) and New Zealand have had some ‘issues’ recently. Targa Newfoundland’s record is one everyone involved can be proud of.”
Here are the numbers and they are impressive:
- 23 years of Targa Newfoundland (except during COVID)
- 1000th competitive stage in 2025
- About 2000 km per year (transits and stages)
- 1.5 million km (transits and stages)
- 315,000 km of competitive stages
- About 1000 competitors
- About 2000 volunteers
- 130 communities
Targa Newfoundland is one of only three internationally recognized Targa events in the world. Over its storied history, Targa has attracted many notable competitors such as accomplished racers Randy Pobst, Steve Millen, and Andrew Comrie-Picard; Murray Smith, racing promoter, driver and car collector; celebrities such as actors Robb Wells and John Paul Tremblay, better known as the “Trailer Park Boys“; automotive executive Ralph Gilles, Chief Design Officer at Stellantis (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, etc.), who led the design team that created the 2013 SRT Dodge Viper; and hundreds of racing and car enthusiasts from all over the globe.
“The big attraction to Targa is that every corner and every stage is an adventure,” says Giannou. “As Jim Kenzie has said, It’s the most fun you can have in a car with your clothes on.”
The 2025 rally is scheduled from September 11-18 with that magical milestone taking place on Tuesday, September 16 somewhere along the Eastport Peninsula. Information on all of the stages is posted on the Targa website.
Join us this year and celebrate the 1000th stage of Targa Newfoundland.
