(April 1, 2026, St. John’s, NL) … Competitors will have additional technology in their vehicles for the 2026 rally – an historic development not only for the event, but car rallying as a whole.
For the first time in motorsports history, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be employed to assist competitors in some of the more mundane aspects of car rallying such as navigating and steering. Partnering with international AI firm ChatAFD, the newly developed software and the required hardware will be provided to competitors as part of their event registration.
Targa owner and co-founder Robert Giannou is eager to see how the new technology will impact the competition. “With AI becoming ubiquitous in daily life, including it as part of Targa just made sense,” explained Giannou. “We’re confident that it will improve our safety record but also improve the experience of competitors.”
ChatAFD will action requests such as “Hey car, go faster,” and “Which one is left again?” in real time with near 100% accuracy. Drivers will still be expected to stay alert in case the AI fails.
Veteran competitors and Targa organizers, Corey Finkelstein and Tom Pokorny of Ontario, have been evaluating the technology over the winter. “It’s been working great so far,” reported Pokorny. “Honestly, I don’t use the route book or navigate for Corey anyway, so AI removes a lot of the pressure. Why use my own intelligence when there’s an artificial option?”
First competing at Targa Newfoundland during the 2018 event, Finkelstein echoes Pokorny’s enthusiasm for the new technology. “We estimate approximately 99% accuracy. On a good day, Tom tops out at 50%. AI’s personality is an upgrade as well.”
Despite the initial positivity, ChatAFD has not been infallible. During a local test, a driver asked their vehicle to “turn left in 10 metres onto Duckworth Street.” The AI instead set an alarm for 10:00 p.m. and returned a recipe for duck à l’orange.
“We’re confident that the technology will be ready for September,” said Giannou. “Worst case scenario, we’ll eat well.”
About Targa Newfoundland
Targa Newfoundland, which first ran in 2002, is the only tarmac rally of its kind in North America. Held each fall on the ruggedly beautiful island of Newfoundland in eastern Canada, the rally covers 2000 kilometres of challenging, twisty roads through spectacular scenery including about 500 kilometres of thrilling stages at speed on closed sections of public roads and town streets. Targa Newfoundland celebrated its 1000th stage in 2025.
This year’s rally is scheduled from Sept. 10-17, 2026, including two days of training and six days of competitive stages.
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