#879 ... Last Stage

The last stage of the Targa 2009 Rally ... leaving from Taranaki St Wharf ... next to Te Papa (background right) .. and under the watchful eye of the law ... who were breath testing all the drivers.

Targa Rally ... the story
Targa New Zealand is a motorsport event company that organizes the best closed road races on public (tarmac) roads. All of our events are based on the North Island of New Zealand. To enjoy these roads within the magnificent New Zealand scenery will leave you with an indescribable experience that will never be forgotten.

Targa New Zealand was founded in 1995 and since the start it has grown from a 74-car entry list to around 200 entries and from one event a year to an annual three-round series:
Targa Bambina (2-day event) held in March based around Franklin and Waikato district;
Targa Rotorua (2-day event) held in June based around the Rotorua district;
Dunlop Targa (6-day main event) held in October starting in Auckland and travelling through the North Island to Wellington.

Each event consists of open road touring and competitive Targa special stages on closed sections of public tarmac road, where the competitors race against the clock, without the fear of police cars or speed guns. The event is divided into two competitions, Classic and Modern, each with five vehicle categories difined by means of age, giving the competitors a chance to compete on a level footing with cars of similar speed. Over 1200 tyres are consumed by the competing cars annually during the three events, and Dunlop is the proud supplier of these tyres and the main sponsor of Targa New Zealand.

Targa New Zealand has become New Zealand’s largest competitive rally series and the longest closed-tarmac road motorsport event in Australasia, spanning vehicles from the 1950’s to today. The unique aspect of Targa NZ is this variety of cars, from old to new, from very expensive to the very affordable, all driven by passionate car enthusiasts. This is car culture at its finest: driving fast, loads of fun and an element of danger!

The attraction of this unique event is the ability for people from all walks of life to compete, even in a relatively standard vehicle. Given reasonable reliability and a good standard of driving ability, it is possible to be as competitive as the man with the unlimited chequebook.

Youth are not forgotten with the event targeting young drivers through a series of initiatives to assist them to compete and race in a controlled manner, rather than testing their skills in an open road situation. Local community involvement is an important part of the Targa New Zealand events. Schools (tomorrows decision makers) and community clubs are involved in activities for fundraising through the events from providing a morning or afternoon tea, pre paid lunches, passage controls and car washes. Parents are being utilised as marshalling in return for a donation to the school or community club.

Targa New Zealand’s charity of choice is Cure Kids and since our relationship began in 2002, we have raised over $400,000.00 for them. Cure Kids is a very worthy cause and we are proud to be supporting an organisation that gives hope to so many children and their families.