Almost as popular as the car is the Subaru support team which not only keeps the car in fighting trim for the week but also helps out teams of all stripes with service, parts and advice while delighting children all along the route with a seemingly endless supply of posters, decals and autographs.
Returning for a second year under the Audi Canada banner is the “awesome Audi” of Frank Sprongl of Georgetown, Ontario, and Rod Hendricksen of New Jersey. A genuine fire-breathing, ear-piercing, pavement churning monster from the 1980s heyday of the Group B rally cars, the Audi is making a second appearance at Targa as part of the German company’s celebration of 100 years of history and heritage. Last year, driver Sprongl and co-driver Hendricksen captured Targa’s rugged Open Division with the car, muscling their way past modern competitors and amazing fans along the route.
The entry reunites Sprongl with the marque that made him famous. Driver Frank, of Georgetown, Ontario, and co-driver/brother Daniel Sprongl dominated Canadian rallying with their multiple championships and countless competition wins in a series of Audi cars. Indeed, Frank won the famous Mt. Washington Hillclimb in the car that will make the trek to the start of the 8th Annual Targa Newfoundland.
Two newcomers with very different approaches will join the field when it takes the ceremonial start in St. John’s.
Perhaps the most anticipated entry of 2009 is the Nissan North America-supported Nissan GT-R from California motorsports specialists Stillen in cooperation with Road & Track magazine. Driver Steve Millen has a long list of race and rally victories and championships, and his company (Stillen) is converting the powerful and sophisticated Nissan for Targa competition and chronicling the effort for the magazine’s readers and for its website. The GT-R now weighs about one hundred kilograms less than stock, sports carbon ceramic brakes and makes over 600 horsepower.
Millen, and R&T feature editor/co-driver Mike Monticello, are a new partnership for Targa. Both men are from California. Millen has run in the annual Targa New Zealand in recent years but the 2009 Targa Newfoundland will be a first for both men.
But the biggest surprise – and the entry sure to be a fan favourite – is the 2009 smart fortwo cabriolet entered in the Grand Touring competition by Mercedes-Benz Canada. Likely the smallest car in the event, the versatile smart will play host to a rotating crew of drivers from a variety of national media outlets during the week. Although the roster of drivers hasn’t been revealed, the diminutive smart is certain to attract attention for its clever design and surprising performance. The list of drivers will be unveiled before the start of the event.
Targa may be the first Canadian motorsport outing for the smart and an unexpected entry in this kind of event, but its compact dimensions, deft handling and fuel efficiency make it a good choice for a competition like Grand Touring, where the emphasis is on precision.
In addition to their Division and class battles, all of the manufacturer-sponsored cars will also compete for the SIRIUS Satellite Radio President’s Cup, a prestigious award for overall results covering all vehicle classes. This competition was first sponsored by SIRIUS Satellite Radio in 2008, when Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada won the inaugural prize.
Owned and operated by Newfoundland International Motorsports Limited, Targa Newfoundland is one of three internationally recognized Targa motorsports events in the world. The 8th annual Targa Newfoundland will start in St. John’s on Saturday, September 12, 2009, and end back in the capital Saturday, September 19, and will cover more than 2,000 kilometres of the challenging, twisty roads of the central and eastern portion of the island of Newfoundland, including up to 400 kilometres of closed-road, flat-out Targa stages. Competitors have come from the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Holland, the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos and the U.K. for the first seven editions of Targa Newfoundland and international interest continues to build with competitors registering daily.
photo:MINI, Subaru, R&T
Returning for a second year under the Audi Canada banner is the “awesome Audi” of Frank Sprongl of Georgetown, Ontario, and Rod Hendricksen of New Jersey. A genuine fire-breathing, ear-piercing, pavement churning monster from the 1980s heyday of the Group B rally cars, the Audi is making a second appearance at Targa as part of the German company’s celebration of 100 years of history and heritage. Last year, driver Sprongl and co-driver Hendricksen captured Targa’s rugged Open Division with the car, muscling their way past modern competitors and amazing fans along the route.
The entry reunites Sprongl with the marque that made him famous. Driver Frank, of Georgetown, Ontario, and co-driver/brother Daniel Sprongl dominated Canadian rallying with their multiple championships and countless competition wins in a series of Audi cars. Indeed, Frank won the famous Mt. Washington Hillclimb in the car that will make the trek to the start of the 8th Annual Targa Newfoundland.
Two newcomers with very different approaches will join the field when it takes the ceremonial start in St. John’s.
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Perhaps the most anticipated entry of 2009 is the Nissan North America-supported Nissan GT-R from California motorsports specialists Stillen in cooperation with Road & Track magazine. Driver Steve Millen has a long list of race and rally victories and championships, and his company (Stillen) is converting the powerful and sophisticated Nissan for Targa competition and chronicling the effort for the magazine’s readers and for its website. The GT-R now weighs about one hundred kilograms less than stock, sports carbon ceramic brakes and makes over 600 horsepower.
Millen, and R&T feature editor/co-driver Mike Monticello, are a new partnership for Targa. Both men are from California. Millen has run in the annual Targa New Zealand in recent years but the 2009 Targa Newfoundland will be a first for both men.
But the biggest surprise – and the entry sure to be a fan favourite – is the 2009 smart fortwo cabriolet entered in the Grand Touring competition by Mercedes-Benz Canada. Likely the smallest car in the event, the versatile smart will play host to a rotating crew of drivers from a variety of national media outlets during the week. Although the roster of drivers hasn’t been revealed, the diminutive smart is certain to attract attention for its clever design and surprising performance. The list of drivers will be unveiled before the start of the event.
Targa may be the first Canadian motorsport outing for the smart and an unexpected entry in this kind of event, but its compact dimensions, deft handling and fuel efficiency make it a good choice for a competition like Grand Touring, where the emphasis is on precision.
In addition to their Division and class battles, all of the manufacturer-sponsored cars will also compete for the SIRIUS Satellite Radio President’s Cup, a prestigious award for overall results covering all vehicle classes. This competition was first sponsored by SIRIUS Satellite Radio in 2008, when Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada won the inaugural prize.
Owned and operated by Newfoundland International Motorsports Limited, Targa Newfoundland is one of three internationally recognized Targa motorsports events in the world. The 8th annual Targa Newfoundland will start in St. John’s on Saturday, September 12, 2009, and end back in the capital Saturday, September 19, and will cover more than 2,000 kilometres of the challenging, twisty roads of the central and eastern portion of the island of Newfoundland, including up to 400 kilometres of closed-road, flat-out Targa stages. Competitors have come from the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Holland, the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos and the U.K. for the first seven editions of Targa Newfoundland and international interest continues to build with competitors registering daily.
photo:MINI, Subaru, R&T