"I've always wanted to do a Targa and when I heard that Chris [Key] had asked our boss Ric [Salizzo] about doing it I was like yes please, can we, can we?"
Holt and workmate Key will take part in the non-competitive Targa Tour, with the pair sharing driving and navigating duties in their work vehicle, a 2014 Isuzu D-Max ute.
Tour entrants follow the same route as the competition cars but they travel as a group between a tour leader and Tail End Charlie and travel at a pace closer to that a driver might use if the road was open.
"I'd love to do the event in a proper competition car but I think that, for a number of reasons, the Tour is a good place for Chris and I to start," Holt said. "Our goal, obviously, is to finish and not to crash but as much as anything else I just want to have a fantastic time, meet some new people, get involved in the social side of the event, that sort of thing."
Rotorua's best local hope in the rally will be Mike Lowe, who is no stranger to Targa events.
Lowe has been racing Targa events for 20 years in his iconic 1964 Fiat Abarth 1000. He will drive alongside co-driver Phil Sutton from Wellington.
The three-day rally winds its way from Bombay in the north to Whitianga in the east, Awapuni in the west and Rotorua in the south. It includes 457km of special stages on closed roads.
These days over half the field is made of late-model exotic machines like Porsche GT3s, Lamborghini Gallardos and Nissan GT-R35s.
Where to watch the event
- The Targa North Island cars and teams will arrive at Village Green from 3.45pm today, followed by racing tomorrow near Rotorua.
- You can check out the cars at Village Green today from 4pm.
- The cars will leave from Eat Streat tomorrow from 7.30am, but will be returning to Village Green throughout the day. There will be a family fun zone at the Village Green from 10am to 5pm tomorrow.
- The best stages to watch the cars in action are the two final stages tomorrow - Hamurana and Paradise Valley.
- Hamurana stage: First car away at 3.15pm. Best spots to watch from are on Hamurana Rd at Mourea (start) or corner of Hamurana Rd and Te Waerenga Rd (enter in through Hamurana). The stage roads will be closed from 2.15pm to 5.30pm.
- Paradise Valley stage: First car away at 3.50pm. Best spots to watch from are on Paradise Valley Rd near Agrodome (start) and around the back of Paradise Valley Rd (finish). The stage roads will be closed from 3pm to 6pm.
