Motorsport: Entries open for 25th Targa Rally

Whanganui will be the penultimate leg for the Targa Rally this coming October as organisers hope for a big turnout to celebrate the 25th running of the iconic road race.

The 1800km race will include 800km of special stages, as drivers will start in Taupo on October 28 and finish the event in Palmerston North on November 2.

This will include an overnight stop in Whanganui, plus a number of special stages in the region.

Over it's 25 year history, Targa has brought together a diverse collection of cars and drivers from around the country and the world.

Vintage sports cars, Kiwi developed specials, Italian exotics and state-of-the-art 4WD machines have all competed.

Targa New Zealand evolved from smaller Targa rallies that were run throughout the year in different locations nationally, all based on the original road race that was held in Italy in 1906.

Essentially there are two categories in Targa NZ.

First are the serious competitors in highly modified rally cars with a driver and co-driver, which race against the clock and are limited to 200km/h on country roads.

The second category is the growing popularity of Targa Tour, which is generally normal high performance road cars.

Tour cars do not have roll cages or full harness belts, while motorsport safety rules prevent them from racing against the lock, with a maximum speed of 160km/h.

Both categories are monitored by GPS tracking, to prevent them breaking the rules.

There are racing divisions available to suit almost every registered vehicle.

Entries are now open online through www.targa.nz.