Mike Davenport was a fixture at Targa for years. The former owner of Davenport Subaru in Orillia, Ontario and co-driver Brad Benson won Open Division two years in a row in 2013 and 2014 in what else but two Subarus – a 2002 WRX Wagon and a 2015 WRX STi.

In addition to those wins, Davenport has several Targa plates in his collection for finishing the rally within the prescribed times.

He also raised a lot of cash for charities over the years including the local hospital, Ronald McDonald Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters. An annual Rally For the Kids alone raised more than $475,000 for local children’s charities over the years.

“I just can’t sit still, is what it comes down to,” he told Orillia Today in an interview. “I wake up in the morning, and when my feet hit the ground they are usually moving at a fast rate.”

Mike’s latest visit to the Rock came in 2023 when he and co-driver Mark Winterburn led the Targa Tour with vigour in a supercharged 2004 Chev Monte Carlo SS.

Photos by Ralph Saulnier