TARGA Newfoundland rally underway

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The seventh annual Targa Newfoundland road rally gets fully underway Monday, with several manufacturers entered in the week-long event.

Lexus, Subaru, Audi and Mitsubishi have all entered cars this year in the event patterned after highly successful events staged annually in Australia and New Zealand. Factory teams from Chrysler and Porsche have also entered the race that combines a test of driving skill on road sections which are closed to the public (Targa stages), and touring through scenic countryside at legal speeds (Touring stages).

Targa Newfoundland President Robert Giannou said the rally, which is the only event of its kind in North America, has been growing and improving with each passing year.

"This year, Targa Newfoundland will play host to participants from all over the world offering them a 2,200-kilometre course complete with beautiful scenery and the generosity of about 2,000 volunteers from across the province," said Giannou.

Lexus has entered a GS 450h, the only hybrid vehicle in Targa for the second year in a row. Driven by Marc Lachapelle and navigated by Alan Ockwell, the Lexus GS 450h uses a 3.5-litre V6, producing 339 hp in a car prepped for Targa with performance exhaust, shock absorbers, full racing gear and safety cage.

"During last year's rally, we not only buried the myth that 21st Century hybrid technology can't go toe-to-toe with conventional powertrains, we proved that the Lexus Hybrid Drive-equipped GS 450h delivers many performance advantages over regular automobiles," said Tony Wearing, Managing Director of Lexus in Canada.

Mitsubishi has entered with a new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR and the much-anticipated new Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart. Leading the effort in the Lancer Evolution is the high-flying Andrew Comrie-Picard with co-driver Jen Horsey. The Lancer Ralliart will be wheeled by the team of Mark Hacking and John LeBlanc. Both will do double duty as front line competitors and as journalists covering the event.

BMW is once again in the competition with a Mini Cooper S driven by Jim Kenzie, a freelance writer for the Toronto Star.

Audi has entered an authentic Audi quattro coupe that will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the four-wheel-drive technology that revolutionized motorsport in the 1980s. Sponsored by Audi Canada along with Sirius Canada and piloted by six-time Canadian and four-time North American rally champion Frank Sprongl, the 1983 Audi coupe will carry the colours that the factory cars of the era wore when the "awesome Audis" ruled the world rally championship. The car will compete in the Open Division of the Targa competition.

Not only a tough test of man and machine, Targa generates, on average, an estimated $16 million per year, directly and indirectly, into the provincial economy - making it a considerable contributor to small business - such as the accommodations and food services sectors, particularly in rural Newfoundland.

Glen Clarke and Evan Gamblin won the event in 2006 and veteran competitors Roy Hopkins and Adrienne Hughes earned their first overall win in 2007.

Source:  Driving.ca

Article Date: Sep 16, 2008
Car Accociations: NEW_MINI
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