Race is on for Targa support

THIS weekend’s Targa Great Barrier Reef might be missing some of the big guns because of border closures, but the competition will be no less fierce as the drivers take to the region’s best roads.

While numbers are about half, there is still a field of about 90, including a large local contingent, which will appeal to spectators lining the route over the three days.

Look out for Murray Young and co-driver Scott Griffin who have massively upgraded from a Datsun 180B to a 2012 BMW M3.

Aaron Dunkerton, with co-driver Matt Davidson in a 2003 Mitsubishi Evo VIII, steps into his father’s wheels (Ross Dunkerton is a fivetimes Australian rally champion).

Targa veteran Tony Quinn has made his intentions known right from the start, setting the pace in his Nissan GT-R, but look out for Tony Seymour in a Lotus Exige and Luke Anear in his Mercedes GTR.

The field is a car spotter’s delight, with cars ranging from Porsches, Ferraris and Lamborghinis to Ford Mustangs and Mazda MX-5s, but also classics like a 1967 Holden HR, 1966 Ford XP Coupe, two 1980 Chrysler Valiants and a 1956 Jaguar D-Type.

They will be challenged on the Kuranda and Gillies range roads and Lake Morris Road as well as those on the Cassowary Coast and Mission Beach for the first time.

The TargaCavalcade on Saturday afternoon gives many the chance to see the field pass by their front yards. It will start at Edmonton at 3.40pm and travels north and west to end in the CBD.

Take advantage of an event which the organisers have amazingly managed to stage despite the difficult circumstances of COVID-19.