Targa Newfoundland

06/03/2026

What makes the best Targa car?

We've seen pretty much everything from a bone-stock Honda Fit to a modified Ferrari Enzo run the Targa stages. Over the last couple of decades, teams have brought street cars, muscle cars, classic cars, station wagons and a pickup. Look at the cars of past winning teams since 2002 and you'll see everything from classic sports cars to rally-prepped beasts.

The best Targa car for you depends what you want to get out of the rally.

You don't need a rally car to have a lot of fun in the Targa Tour, you just need a reliable street car that can handle and brake well. But if you really want to be competitive then you need a vehicle with higher performance and a roll bar for Targa 1 and a full roll-cage for Targa 2.

Whichever division you enter, a well prepared and dependable vehicle is essential but just as important is the preparation and teamwork of the driver and co-driver.

What do you think makes the best car (or truck) for Targa Newfoundland? The Honda Fit is for sale, in case you're interested.

Check out the regulations here: https://targanfld.com/rules-regs/

Targa Newfoundland returns Sept. 10-17, 2026.
Apply to Drive > link in our bio
Photos: Ralph Saulnier, Larry Strung, Targa Newfoundland

06/01/2026

Competition, challenge and camaraderie - 3Cs of Targa.

If you seek North America’s only Targa rally, Newfoundland is the place to come! This world-class event is the adventure of a lifetime held in a place filled with rugged, natural beauty.

Challenging stages
From tight turns to high-speed straights, you’ll need to be at the top of your game to succeed. Targa will challenge your skills as you compete against other teams.

Beautiful scenery
As you run the rally, you’ll be treated to breath-taking views of the rugged coastline, rolling hills, and quaint villages known as outports.

Camaraderie
You’ll have the opportunity to meet and bond with other racers who share your passion for adventure and adrenaline.

Targa Newfoundland returns Sept. 10-17, 2026.
Apply to Drive > link in our bio
Photos: Ralph Saulnier

05/31/2026

The first Targa Newfoundland rally - Sept. 2002.

It took more than a year of planning and preparations before the first Targa Newfoundland rally hit the road in September 2002. The province - and country - had never experienced anything like it before. Teams from across Canada, the United States and as far away as Australia converged on St. John's for the inaugural event that continues to this day. Schools closed for the day the rally rolled through their communities so the children and their families could watch the teams in action. Targa had arrived!

The 2002 winners:
Overall and Targa Classic Division - Len Cattlin and Gayle Cattlin (Australia) – 1967 Ford Mustang
Targa Modern Division - Bill Arnold and Tamara Hull (USA) – 1999 BMW M-Coupe
Grand Touring Division - Alan Ryall and Carolyn Ryall (Canada) – 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX

Targa co-founders Doug Mepham and Jim Kenzie finished a respectable fourth overall in Mepham's Volvo 142 S 71. Meanwhile, Jerry Churchill signed an "autograph" for the local RCMP after getting too enthusiastic on one of the transits in his Dodge Viper.

Tim Winker wrote about the 2002 Targa:

Sunday, Sept. 15, 2002

"I can’t remember the last time I’ve had so much fun… and the Targa Newfoundland rally hasn’t even begun yet!

As with any new event, there seems to have been a wait and see attitude among potential competitors. There are only 25 teams entered for the Targa stages, consisting of 35 stages over five days of rallying, all on paved roads. An additional 11 teams will run the closed roads as a TSD rally, getting to experience the driving pleasure at a sedate speed. In all the course is 2200 kilometers long, with 450 km. of stages!

But there are several teams from Australia who are veterans of Targa Tasmania, the event that Targa Newfoundland is patterned after. Jerry Churchill is here with his One Lap of America Dodge Viper. There is a 1938 Alfa Romeo Mille Miglia Spyder, the only Historic category car on the list. Just over half the entries for the Targa Stages are in the Classic category, up to 1977; several Ford Falcons and Mustangs, Porsches, Volvos and a 1967 Acadian Canso (the Canadian version of the Chevy II Nova). Among the Modern cars is one with true rally history, Taisto Heinonen’s 1982 Toyota Celica, driven here by Ralph and Diane Grant."

Read Tim's account of the first Targa here:
https://targanfld.com/flashback-to-2002-the-first-targa-newfoundland/

Targa Newfoundland returns Sept. 10-17, 2026.
Apply to Drive > link in our bio
Photos: Tim Winker

05/30/2026

How to Speak Like a Newfoundlander and Labradorian.

If you are a visitor to Newfoundland and Labrador, you are called a “come from away” or CFA and you might be puzzled by some of the things you hear in conversation, especially in the outports. Locals have their own unique words and sayings that came from the early settlers from England, Ireland, and France as well as the relative isolation of the place. They even have their own dictionary: The Dictionary of Newfoundland English. Here are some traditional sayings you might hear.

Best kind – That’s great or excellent.
B’y – originally a short form of “boy” but now used to refer to any friend or acquaintance.
Fill yer boots – Enjoy yourself.
God love your cotton socks – Thank you.
Got ’er scald – Things are exactly as you want them.
Got me drove – You’re annoying me.
Got the arse out of ’er – Things are turned upside down or for the worst; out of control.
Got to get me moose b’y – I have to go moose hunting.
G’wan b’y – Don’t be foolish or you can’t be serious.
Hard ticket – Someone who causes trouble.
Havin’ a time – Having a good time.
How ya gettin’ on? – How have you been?
I dies at you – You’re really funny.
Lovely grand – That’s wonderful.
My love, my sweetheart or me duckie – No, the person saying that is not flirting with you. These are just friendly terms of endearment.
Nar thing – Nothing.
Now da once – In a while.
Oh me nerves – You’re getting on my nerves.
Owshegettinonb’y – How are you?
Proper ting – Good for you.
Screeched in – Tradition to make visitors honourary Newfoundlanders and Labradorians by drinking Screech rum, kissing a cod fish and swearing an oath.
S**g it – Forget it.
Stay where you’re at ’til I comes where you’re to – Stay where you are until I come for you.
Stunned as a lump – Dumb as a rock, post, or bag of hammers.
Whadda ya at? – What are you doing?
What a sin – That’s unfortunate.
Who ya ’longs to? or Who knit ya? – Who are your parents? Where are you from?
Yes b’y – Could mean “I agree” or “You can’t be serious.”
You got me drove – You’re driving me crazy.
You’re some crooked – You’re in a bad mood.
You’re some saucy – You have an attitude.
What odds? – Who cares?

Check out this video from Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism: https://youtu.be/DgHQ7DjpxZk

Targa Newfoundland returns Sept. 10-17, 2026.
Apply to Drive > link in our bio

05/29/2026

Attack of Godzilla!

The year was 2009 when a fire-breathing orange monster called Godzilla descended on the peaceful island of Newfoundland and attacked the roads of the Rock.

IMSA legend Steve Millen from New Zealand brought a 620-hp 2009 Nissan GT-R to take on Targa Newfoundland with Road & Track editor Mike Monticello as co-driver. With 15 psi of boost from the turbochargers, the car could hit 0-60 mph in just 2.9 seconds and do the quarter mile in 11 seconds.

Godzilla came with a long list of modifications including a full roll-cage and a pair of racing seats, carbon fibre hood and trunk lid, new downpipes, intake system, an electronic boost controller and a pair of blow-off-valves, coil-overs with Eibach Race Springs, adjustable sway bars and endlinks, AP Racing carbon-ceramic brakes, and wide Bridgestone tires. It was a beast.

Despite never driving Targa before, Millen and Monticello took first place in Modern Division. Monticello wrote a magazine article in Road & Track about their adventure. Here is an excerpt:

“The second to last to start the stage, Millen launched the GT-R with fury into the waning light, carbon rotors a-glowing, belching blue flames from the exhaust and sending onlookers scattering for cover, the GT-R was in its element. And so was Millen, 4-wheel-drifting through corners with near reckless abandon while I tried to keep up with the pace notes…”
– Mike Monticello, Road & Track

"Even though we didn’t win the Targa overall, we had a great time here in Newfoundland,” Millen told Road & Track. “The GT-R worked fantastic the whole week. Whether it was rough and bumpy or cold and rainy, the GT-R shined. Unfortunately our overall result is not indicative of our actual performance.”

Photos: Stillen, Road & Track, Grassrootsmotorsports.com, topspeed.com, Modified Mag, motorauthority.com

You can watch some videos of them in action below:

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1GpubZG96r/?mibextid=wwXIfr

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54Dd8TNHzuI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nXf0ofFTvQ

https://youtu.be/MkpmiyWXd3c

https://blog.stillen.com/steve-millen-racing-heritage/

05/28/2026

Less than four months until Targa 2026!

We're celebrating our 25th year since Targa Newfoundland was incorporated in 2001. This September, more than two dozen teams will Race the Rock in Targa 1, Targa 2 and Targa Tour.

We've got some new stages and old favourites planned this fall. We'll be welcoming new teams and old friends as well.

2000 km of spectacular Newfoundland scenery.
About 500 km of closed stages.
Unlimited thrills and memories.

Targa Newfoundland returns Sept. 10-17, 2026.
Apply to Drive > link in our bio
Photos: Ralph Saulnier

05/25/2026

Honouring a long-time friend of Targa.

Patrick Leo (Paddy) Phillips, June 13th, 1943 – May 22nd, 2026

We are saddened by Paddy Phillips' passing at the age of 82. He has gone to join his friend John Curran. To celebrate the life Paddy lived and in continuing memory of John, Newfoundland International Motorsports Limited will rename the Targa Newfoundland Colliers-Conception Harbour Stage as the Phillips-Curran Stage.

This is done in memory of the two guys, who were best friends and who both spearheaded that stage over 25 years.

John was Mayor of Conception Harbour and Paddy was a huge force in the Colliers community. He served as Mayor, Fire Chief, Targa Stage Commander, fundraiser and Targa party organizer.

In short, they both were, and now have become, community legends. Moreover, Paddy was a best friend to us and of course to Targa Newfoundland.

Robert Giannou
Newfoundland International Motorsports Limited

Read Paddy's obituary here:

View Patrick Leo Phillips's obituary, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

05/24/2026

Understanding Newfoundland: Lesson One.

Get used to different sayings and turns of phrase when you come to the Rock.

In Newfoundland ...
lunch is dinner,
dinner is supper,
and an evening snack is a bed lunch.

Got it?

There's also a cooked dish called a Jigg's Dinner, an iconic, traditional Newfoundland, one-pot boiled meal. It features salt beef boiled with root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and turnips/rutabagas), accompanied by "pease pudding" (yellow split peas boiled in a cloth bag), and sometimes a traditional steamed bread pudding known as "figgy duff".

The name, Jigg's Dinner, is believed to have come from a character in a long-running comic called Bringing Up Father.

You can learn how to make that here: https://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/trip-ideas/travel-stories/jiggs-dinner-for-beginners

05/22/2026

Faster Pastor rides again.

A fixture at Targa since the rally began in 2002, Rev. Edison Wiltshire returns this year with his grand-daughter and co-driver Olivia Wiltshire-Ryan maintaining a perfect rally record. Hailing from Random Island near Clarenville, Newfoundland and Labrador, Edison has run a variety of speedy and some not-so fast machines.

“I’ve done every Targa since 2002 when Robert Giannou (Targa owner) asked me to be rally chaplain,” says Edison.

Edison, affectionately known as the “Faster Pastor,” has been a familiar face in the Targa Newfoundland racing scene for years, providing motorsports chaplaincy services to competitors and volunteers including officiating at a Targa wedding.

Edison and his supportive wife, Marg-o, participated in every single Targa Newfoundland together until 2023 when Olivia took over the co-driver seat.

“I started doing it to make Papa happy,” says Olivia, who is the youngest competitor at 18. “I enjoy meeting the people and seeing all the cars.”

“We’ve bonded in a special way through this,” says Edison. “Though we’ve always been close this has brought us even closer now.”

The team has tackled the challenging roads of Newfoundland in a diverse fleet of vehicles, including an iconic Citroen Traction Avant, Citroen DS Sedan, Porsche 911, Subaru Outback and a Saab 9-3 Turbo. What ride will they bring this year?

There's still time for you to enter too.

Targa Newfoundland returns Sept. 10-17, 2026.
Apply to Drive > link in our bio

Photos: Larry Strung, Ralph Saulnier