Targa dreams come true
Garnish man with cerebral palsy wins second place at Targa Bambina
The Canada Day long weekend was a dream come true for a man with cerebral palsy dubbed “Targa Newfoundland’s biggest fan.”
This year, Jason Nolan didn’t just watch the road rally – he raced it – and won second place.
“It feels good,” he wrote in an interview with The Telegram over Facebook.
The 26-year-old has difficulty with certain movements, such as speaking, but he has a specially-designed computer keyboard that makes it somewhat easier for him to communicate in writing.
Nolan wrote that “going fast” was his favourite part of the Tom Hollett Memorial Targa Bambina race.
The second annual event — a shorter version of the Targa Newfoundland which is held in September — raced through communities on the Burin Peninsula during the long weekend and clewed up on Monday.
Andrew Warren was Nolan’s driver — he asked Nolan to be his navigator back in February in an emotional video shared widely on social media.
Warren was looking forward to Nolan fulfilling his lifelong dream by racing in Targa Bambina, and thought it would be the icing on the cake to drive through Nolan’s hometown. But they weren’t allowed. “It was sad to see Jason’s looks as we passed the turnoff to Garnish on the way to Frenchman’s Cove,” said Warren. “He wasn’t happy.”
Warren said even though the town voted against permitting Targa to go through the town last fall — before Nolan was asked to be Warren’s navigator — they could have made alternate arrangements to show their support.
“Town officials could have approached myself or anyone else about even a small drivethrough to give Jason a chance to wave to some of his family, friends, and neighbours.”
Residents expressed outrage on social media, with one person calling the council “a bunch of clowns” and another saying they should “hang (their) heads in shame.”
Others used the controversy to show their support for Nolan’s accomplishment.
“I hope Jason knows that we’re all very proud of him,” Nancy Drake wrote.
Garnish Mayor Gregory Day could not be reached for comment by The Telegram before press deadline, but he did put a statement on the town’s website in response to the outrage.
“Last year Targa resulted in a lot of complaints from staff and citizens of Garnish. As a result, on October 19, 2017 Council voted and Targa was denied for 2018. At the time of this decision Council was not aware Jason Nolan was taking part, which may have changed the vote,” reads the statement.
The statement mentioned the town had some issues with Targa management last year.
“As a Council, we act on the complaints from residents, certainly not to cause any problems for anyone. If we caused any ill feelings for any resident, we certainly apologize.”
Nolan’s been known to challenge council decisions where Targa is concerned.
When the Marystown council voted in 2014 to stop allowing Targa to race through the community, he wrote a stack of letters explaining why they should bring it back. In 2017, council voted unanimously to reinstate it.
After the incident over the weekend, Nolan’s father, Brian Nolan, said he’ll be writing his own letter to the Garnish town council.
While Nolan pointed out that the town knew Jason would be racing back in February and didn’t change their decision, he was so elated about the win that even a snub by his hometown couldn’t bring him down.
“We had a good weekend,” he wrote.
Warren said the pair plan to race in Targa Bambina again next year.
Raising funds for a new wheelchair
Nolan was 11 years old when Targa Newfoundland first raced through Garnish 16 years ago. He was an instant fan, never missing a race that went through the Burin Peninsula.
This enthusiasm for the race leaves an impression on the drivers, and many teams have developed a special relationship with him over the years.
About a decade ago, a team gave him a refurbished wheelchair. This year, it was noticed he could use a new one, so Warren initiated a fundraiser.
They held car shows over the weekend with all proceeds going to the wheelchair fund, sold 50-50 tickets for the cause, and many people donated.
Warren said they’ve raised about half the cost of the wheelchair so far.
Anyone who would like to donate either money or auction items, can e-mail Warren at andrew_warren3947@hotmail. com.
Brian said the family watches Targa every year, but this year was “extra special” with his son racing.
“We all held signs that said, ‘Go Jason’.”
He said he could never express how grateful he is to the Targa community for the way they’ve supported his son — “it’s unreal,” he said.
‘It was sad to see Jason’s looks as we passed the turnoff to Garnish on the way to Frenchman’s Cove … He wasn’t happy.”
Andrew Warren