m5_42_0_1378908344 (1)If we were to restrict ourselves to simply describing the technicalities of the event, Targa NZ is a road race series in which competitors race against the clock in ‘Special Stages’ and compile points over each race leg(up to eight per day), to arrive at a series champion. These legs are held as part of an event, 2 or 3 times per year, and are typically Targa Rotorua, Targa Hawkes Bay and Targa New Zealand. Each event is within a few hours commute from Auckland, and are typically between 2 and 5 days long, requiring a reasonable time commitment by competitor and service crew of between 3 and 9 days to attend each event. The series is contested by approximately 70-100 entrants and you need to be present at all Targa events in order to win the series overall. Each event has specific results.

photo-10However, at it’s core, Targa NZ is a passport to driving your competition car (or rent one of our competition vehicles) through gorgeous, technically challenging sealed Kiwi roads, testing your driving capability and your service crews tenacity, through the most beautiful scenery of any country in the world. Targa NZ is a unique experience, with Kiwi hospitality, ingenuity and camaraderie to be found at every pit stop, service stop and overnight stay. Whether you need advice, parts or simply some words of wisdom, the crew and competitors that make up the Targa family are there for you. Rather than fanatical secret keeping, and arrogant isolation, Targa competitors and crews are often found lounging in one an others pits, laughing through the car window, or hanging out before, after and during the event.

Retro Targa is based on minimum stage times with a points allocation system to determine the results. Cars will still be timed and the actual stage times will be displayed but the results will be based on a points system similar to a time trail, so it is like a hybrid of time trial and rally.  This division is in addition to the current Targa Competition and has been designed to cater for participants who want to exercise their vehicle but reduce the risk with the aim to try and encourage older vehicles back out of the sheds.  It is open to all competition vehicles but primarily aimed at older cars that are not capable of reaching 200kph so we have set the speed limit at 160kph.