Driver: Stephen Dawe
Co-driver: Talia Bell
Co-driver: Craig Lundrigan
Vehicle: 2002 Nissan Sentra Spec V
Division: Targa 1
Country: Canada

Coming full circle – a Targa team 23 years in the making  

In early 2002, a shiny new silver Nissan Spec V drove off the O’Neill Nissan lot in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland. Later that year, it left the island just before the very first running of Targa Newfoundland. Now, 23 years later, both car and driver—and a kick-ass co-driving team—have returned home to “The Rock” to live out a racing dream that has been building for more than two decades.

TADA Motorsports – It’s magic

“Our team name, TADA, (pronounced as a quick tada, or in a drawn out tah-daaah) is derived simply from the ‘Ta’ in lovely co-driver Talia’s name, and the ‘Da’ from my last name Dawe,” says Stephen.

“The drawn out version, typically accompanying a magician’s rabbit being pulled from a hat (see our team logo featuring a mad bunny peaking from a top hat-esque stack of tires) is just a fun thing we used to say on occasion, mostly when accomplishing something sarcastically simple. In extreme cases, when going for maximum cheesiness, even paired by a raised arms motion, like a gymnast sticking the landing,” he says.

“It’s no illusion that we have consistently heard Targa is nothing short of a magical experience—from the passion of the event to the teams, the support, the volunteers, and to every community that participates in this mystical place called Newfoundland—and so it’s easy to see that when it came to naming our race team, TADA Motorsports was clearly the only option,” adds Stephen.

Stephen Dawe – Driver

Whether behind the handlebars or the wheel, Stephen has never been far from a life-long passion for racing. From dirt ovals and drag strips, to track days and off-road, Stephen has always dabbled in full-throttle hobbies. In addition to being a member at Alberta’s Tilke-designed circuit, Rocky Mountain Motorsports, he has put down laps at tracks and motorsport parks across the country and beyond, and has held racing licenses on both two wheels and four. Originally from Newfoundland, Stephen has followed his creative advertising career across the country. Three years ago, he and his wife, Talia, bought a home back in St. John’s, and the race event on the must-do list for more than twenty years came to life — Targa Newfoundland, let’s go!

Talia Bell – Co-Driver
With a self-diagnosed heavy right foot, Talia has had the need for speed her entire life! As Stephen’s life-long partner, a Targa team was in the cards from “I-do”. Talia’s first car was a 5.0 L mustang and she didn’t have any trouble finding out where the speedo stopped. As a C-suite executive she’s excited to redirect some of that unrealized need-for-speed into the Targa Newfoundland 8-day, on-road rally event—calling the turns and checking off the wins. Now, an honorary Newfoundlander herself, Talia has her heart firmly planted in the east coast, and her right foot planted to the mat.

Craig Lundrigan – Co-Driver
From avid F1 motorsports fan to meticulous auto detailer, Craig’s car scene connection has been a constant. Craig and Stephen met during the forming of one of Newfoundland’s original tuner scene car clubs back in the early 2000s. One of those car show events particularly standing out via the attendance of another car-minded Craig (last name Lieberman)—well-known Skyline whisperer and technical director for the Fast and the Furious movie franchise. While he may wield financial planning by day, as a trained mechanic, (our) Craig brings the technical know-how along with the must-have checklists to help get us across the line with everything right where it needs to be.

The Vehicle – 2002 Nissan Sentra Spec V

After living the first year of its life in St John’s, Newfoundland, this once modest sub-200 hp Nissan Sentra has spent the last 20 years at circuits and shows across the country. In that time, it’s been bulking up and trying on some new looks here and there.

“This look seemed to stick—an homage to the early 70s @bre.datsun livery, the Sentra was as close as I could get to a Datsun 510 at the time. But in a world of vinyl wraps, this one is all paint, so I think I’m going to keep it,” says Stephen.

From outside to inside, while the core pieces are mostly there, there’s not a lot that your average four door sedan owner is likely to recognize. From fibreglass bucket seats and custom consoles to enough gauges to qualify for take off, there’s lots to take in. Under the hood, it’s all pretty much the same, except for that snail bolted in the front. The Nissan puts out 350 WHP.

Those wheels are forged RAYS that Stephen found at a dealership unloading them years ago when they stopped putting them on the Nismo Edition Spec V. For stopping power a set of Brembos came along with the wheels from an ’04.