Targa Newfoundland is an annual 2200 kilometres (1,367 mi) long road rally

Road rally

A road rally is a car rally that takes place on the public road. It is a popular sport in the United Kingdom, especially Wales, and has traditionally been the core of the "grass roots" of club-based amateur motorsport. However it has declined in popularity since the 1980s and now stage rallies are...

. It is held over a seven-day period in September of each year on the paved roads of the eastern and central parts of Newfoundland.

The event allows the owners of historic, classic and modern sporting motor vehicles to drive them the way they were designed to be driven in a rally competition. In the event each vehicle competes against itself on a handicap basis as well as against other vehicles.

Several events are run over the same stages, which remain closed to other traffic during this time:

• Fast Tour, a non competitive event which allows the owners of exotic cars to drive them the way they were meant to be driven, without the stress of competition;
• Grand Touring, a time-speed-distance rally (TSD Rally) emphasizing precision in maintaining the average speed set by the organizers;
• Targa, where the objective is to meet or slightly better the stage times set by the organizers for the age, displacement and modification level of the vehicle. Every competitor who completes all stages within the established trophy times wins a Targa
  Targa top
  Targa top, targa for short, is a semi-convertible car body style with a removable roof section and a full width roll bar behind the seats. The term was first used on the 1966 Porsche 911 Targa, and it remains a registered trademark of Porsche AG....
  
   plate.

There are also trophies for overall placing in the Touring and Targa events, and for placing within the various categories within the Targa event, as well as trophies for national and marque teams, and for the best-placed novice team.

The Targa Newfoundland is made possible though the efforts of 2,200+ volunteers and members of 70+ Newfoundland communities.

Event Format

The competitive portion of Targa Newfoundland begins and ends in the city of St. John's

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...

. The format for 2011 was as follows:

• Prologue (Sept. 11) - St. John's area
• Leg 1 (Sept. 12) - Northeast Avalon
  Avalon Peninsula
  The Avalon Peninsula is a large peninsula that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland.The peninsula is home to 257,223 people, which is approximately 51% of Newfoundland's population in 2009, and is the location of the provincial capital, St. John's. It is connected to the...
  
  
• Leg 2 (Sept. 13) - Exploits
  Exploits Valley
  The Exploits Valley is a Canadian valley in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in the central part of the island of Newfoundland.-Natural environment:...
  
  
• Leg 3 (Sept. 14) - Kittiwake Coast
• Leg 4 (Sept. 15) - Heritage Run
• Leg 5 (Sept. 16) - North Avalon

The 11th Annual Targa Newfoundland will run From Sept. 8-15, 2012.

List of Past Winners - Targa Division

Year	Driver	Navigator	Vehicle	Total Penalties
2002	Len Cattlin	Gayle Cattlin	1967 Ford Mustang Fastback	0:01:36
2003	Bill Arnold	Peter Guagenti	1972 BMW Bavaria	0:00:38
2004	Bill Arnold	Tamara Hull	1972 BMW Bavaria	0:00:10
2005	Bill Arnold	Alan Ryall	1972 BMW Bavaria	0:00:45
2006	Glen Clarke	Evan Gamblin	1979 Porsche 911	0:02:30
2007	Roy Hopkins	Adrienne Hughes	1969 BMW 2002	0:01:46
2008
2009
2010
2011	Scott Giannou	Ray Felice	1981 Porsche 911 SC	0:01:04

External links

• Targa Newfoundland
• Targa Newfoundland Driver & Navigator School