Organising New Zealand’s world-renowned multi-day Targa tarmac motor rally events has definitely not got any easier of late for the man who owns and runs them, Awhitu Peninsula-based businessman Peter Martin.
But run them Martin is determined to do, despite the vicissitudes of the Covid-19 Coronavirus..
For instance, this weekend’s two-day, Hamilton-based Targa Bambina was originally envisioned as the first of three Targa events to run – hopefully with minimum interference from the COVID-19 Coronavirus (or any other outside influence for that matter) – throughout 2022.
The event is definitely going ahead – but it will do so not as the numbers of those being infected by the Coronavirus fall sharply – as is happening across the Tasman at the moment – but as they hover around historic daily highs.
“Which I guess, “says Martin, “ just goes to show that with this virus, anything is possible – but also, that with the cooperation of all the many and varied communities and councils along our route we can actually run one of our events under the red-light restrictions and with all the allied social distancing required.
“In saying that it’s just great to be back racing again after all the past and current restrictions, even if we have ultimately had to restrict the numbers to make it work.
“Also, if we can put on a successful Targa event under the current conditions, imagine the kind of event experiences we will be able to offer our customers when Covid-19 is finally behind us?
“That – in a nutshell – is why I am so excited about the event coming up this weekend.”
This year’s Targa Bambina sees competing crews contest six different closed and timed special stages north of Hamilton on Saturday and six more south and south-east of the city on Sunday.
As of Wednesday, entry numbers had been capped at 35 in the competition section plus a further 17 in the allied but non-competitive Targa Tour division.
After dominating the last Targa event held here, the broadly similar two-day Targa Rotorua in May last year, favourite status again falls on Auckland tarmac rally specialist Jason Gill and co-driver Nicole Summerfield from Christchurch in Gill’s purpose-built VW Polo R 4WD.
The Class 3-winning BMW E30 ‘335i’ of Nigel and Meighan Patterson, meanwhile, will start the event favourite to be first of the Classic 2WD cars home.
And, making a little bit of local Targa event history this weekend is Auckland teenager Ryan Gill, the 17-year-old son of event favourite Jason Gill who is set to make his own driving debut behind the wheel of a Ford KA.
Finally, this weekend’s Targa Bambina event carries points for New Zealand’s inaugural AASA Tarmac Rally Championship. With each day from all three 2022 Targa NZ events counting as a separate round of the 9-round 2022 series those competitors who have entered this weekend’s Targa Bambina event will have a definite advantage come the final round (the second day of competition at the new two-day Targa South Island event on Sunday October 23).
For more information go to targa.nz or check out the Targa NZ page on Facebook.
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