Driver: Devon Knight
Co-driver: Logan King-Gaudon
Vehicle: 2015 Ford Mustang GT
Division: Targa 1
Country: Canada
Local team comes back for more after first Targa
Devon Knight and Logan King-Gaudon were just buzzing after the Gander town stage in 2024. Right then they knew they had to come back for more.
“It was unreal,” says Devon. “I can’t name one time I’ve ever felt like that in my life. It was the most excited I ever remember being. You’re talking about memories like that, you’re talking about building friendships with all these people from all over the world, all walks of life.”
For Devon, who hails from Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Targa bug bit him early. From a young age he watched Targa on the Speed Channel and dreamed of competing. After moving to the Toronto area, he took driver training, spent many weekends doing track days in southern Ontario and got into autocross, something he helped launch in western Newfoundland when he returned there. Devon says track days and autocross don’t compare to experiencing the Targa rally on city streets and closed country roads.
“Being on a road course or being in an autocross you don’t really comprehend what it feels like to be on the street because everything’s right there next to you on these narrow lanes. You’re hitting 100 kilometres an hour and it feels like you’re hitting 200 kilometres on the track. It’s the way everything’s flying by.”
Co-driver Logan King-Gaudon is a mechanic from Black Duck Siding near Stephenville and works with Devon at Long Range Outdoors in Corner Brook. Both are members of the Western Speed Park group. Logan has been competing in autocross since it started on the west coast and also has a passion for snowmobiles and dirt bikes. He says Targa is a unique experience in all respects.
“You welcomed us with open arms like you knew us our whole life,” he says. “It was just awesome feeling that way. It made us feel more comfortable and when you got racing I can’t even explain how it felt. It was like seeing everything fly past you in just a blur. It was just unbelievable.”
The sense of community from socializing with other competitors, such as legendary racer Randy Pobst, was another highlight for both of them.
“After every stage you’re having a chat with everyone,” says Devon. “Everyone’s completely down to earth. You’ve got professional race car drivers like Randy Pobst and local community people like us and you can get out and all of a sudden you’re talking to a professional race car driver and it’s like he’s been your best buddy all your life. That and the driving combined, you can’t ask for anything better.”