Targa Rally bringing head-turning classic cars to Hawke's Bay

Ninety modern and classic cars will be driving through Hawke's Bay as the Targa Rally kicks off on Saturday. Photo/ file

Everything from newly released Porsches to modified Toyota Starlets will be landing in Hawke's Bay at the end of the week.

Targa Hawke's Bay is a new two-day event, which will see competitive and touring drivers whiz around the district right from Napier down to Dannevirke.

Previously held in October, event director Peter Martin said when they were looking for a place to cast the two-day event between Targa Rotorua and Targa New Zealand, Hawke's Bay was the ultimate option.

"For a start there are the roads. The roads in the Bay are fantastic. You couldn't ask for better for an event like ours.

"There's also a strong and very active motorsport fraternity and some very supportive councils with which we have an excellent working relationship with."

Targa Rally spokesman Ross McKay said people can get right up in the action either watching the cars fly down the road, parked up in a service site or at their overnight stay at the Village Green in Havelock North.

The event kicks off on Saturday at the Village Green and incorporates 15 closed special stages covering 378.5km and a total of 585.2km of touring stages across Hawke's Bay.

Fifty competitive cars and 30 touring cars will cruise out to Waimarama, Crownthorpe and Glengarry with two services at Pettigrew Green Arena.

Ten cars will also join the tour as part of the Rally of Hawke's Bay, which has been organised in conjunction with the Hawke's Bay Car Club, and will run as part of the larger event.

The cars will be parked up along Martin Place in Havelock North while the drivers have lunch between 1:20pm and 2pm.

In the afternoon session they will head out towards Raukawa, Argyll and Kaokaoroa with a service at Otane.

The Rally will return to the Village Green for their overnight parc ferme where people can walk around the cars and talk to the drivers.

On Sunday the tour will head out towards Tukituki Rd, Elsthorpe, Ormondville and Umutaoroa with a service at Russell Park in Waipukurau and lunch at the Dannevirke A and P Showgrounds between 11:20am and 12:10pm.

The afternoon session will involve the Rally heading out to Pongaroa, Mangatainoka and Ashley Clinton with a service at the Tui Brewery and Dannevirke A and P Showgrounds.

The Rally wraps up on Sunday afternoon down Treachers Lane in Havelock North where there will be a podium and celebratory finish.

"Watching these flash cars go down stretches of road fast is so much more exciting than seeing them go round a circuit, I think it will be a really fun couple of days," said Mr McKay.

He encouraged people to get down to the service spots or the Village Green as some of these cars were not seen often.

"The chances of seeing some of these cars on the roads is one in a thousand."

Cars will start to descend on Hawke's Bay this week with the official Rally starting at 7:30am on Saturday.

For more information visit: http://targa.nz/targa-hawkes-bay-2017.