Targa drives up the excitement
SPECTATORS line the route as Howard and Jayne Aron tackle the Kuranda Range stage in their Ferrari 488 on yesterday’s final day of Targa Great Barrier Reef. The rally proved a hit with competitors and fans, with organisers already working on extending the current three-year deal.
TARGA Great Barrier Reef is strapping in for a long ride with the Far North after the second event shifted up a gear.
Targa CEO Mark Perry said Targa has a three-year contract to run the Great Barrier Reef event in the Far North, which is due to expire after next year’s event.
Mr Perry said once the dust has settled from this weekend’s event, they would start planning ahead for a future contract.
“We agreed to come here for three years initially and we’re really happy with how years one and two have gone,” he said.
“Like any contract, there’s plenty to be discussed, but we’re optimistic we’ll be able to stay beyond the next year.”
Mr Perry said the festival has seen good growth in its second year, with more cars and great weekend weather driving huge crowd turnout.
“We had about 230 cars this year, up 20 per cent from last year, and it’s the second biggest tarmac event after Targa Tasmania,” he said.
“I think people have got a better idea about what Targa is this time around, they know there’s so many different types of cars, not just supercars.”
The winding roads of the Far North also won over the winning drivers in this year’s Targa Great Barrier Reef, with grand tour champion Mick Downey vowing a return to beat his time next year.
“It’s honestly one of my favourite events already, and not Check out the photo galleries from Targa Great Barrier Reef just because we won,” he said. “The people around Cairns have taken hold of it and made it their own.
“It was great getting to sit out on the Esplanade on Saturday night at TargaFest and have a chat and a beer with the locals.”
The Victorian driver won the Shannon’s Classic GT in his 1979 Holden Commodore VB, clenching a win after coming second in last year’s event to driver Michael Bray.
“Last year was a tight race, we locked horns with Mick Bray for a good while but ended up with some fuel issues which cost us a minute and a half,” he said.
“This year we had some overheating on the Saturday morning which was a real thorn in my side, but in the end we had a play around under the hood and managed to overcome it on the final day.”
Tasmanian team Jason and John White repeated their victory at the inaugural Targa event last year, claiming first place with a solid 53 second lead. A FAMILY of Far North Ford enthusiasts were thrilled to watch their grandpa tackle the Targa Great Barrier Reef course in his classic Ford Mustang (right) on Father’s Day.
Clifton Beach motoring enthusiast Norbert Wegner, competing with wife Kim, was seen off by his family, including his grandkids, to take on the Kuranda Range stage in his restored 1965 Mustang.
Daughter-in-law Bernie Wegner said it was a treat for the kids to be able to watch their grandpa compete.
“Our kids and their cousins are all very proud of their grandpa; they’ve all been brainwashed to love Ford,” she said.
Norbert was hit with a case of engine trouble at the Kuranda starting line, and needed a mechanic to come out and fix it.
Despite being forced to go last, he wasn’t penalised and managed to come third in the Shannons Thoroughbred Trophy category.
Bernie Wegner joked that her husband, Norm’s son, was jealous he wasn’t able to codrive with him, saying it would have been a perfect Father’s Day activity.