TARGA NEW ZEALAND Media information For immediate release Targa South Island The Ultimate Road Race Christchurch-Queenstown Mon-Sat Oct 27-Nov 01 2014 26-10-14 HISTORY REPEATS AT ADDINGTON TARGA START When a field of over 200 cars gathers at Christchurchs Addington Raceway tomorrow (Monday October 27) for the start of the Targa South Island tarmac motor rally the cars will be following in some very significant wheel tracks. Nearly 109 years ago - on Boxing Day 1905 to be exact - New Zealands very first organised motor race meeting was conducted on the trotting track at the Christchurch facility. Its something not a lot of people know, even in Christchurch event director Peter Martin confirmed yesterday. But when someone mentioned it, we did some digging, and sure enough, over 100 years ago we’re back. Christchurch was very much the birthplace of organised motorsport in this country, with the Pioneer Amateur Bicycle and Athletic Club including motorcycle, tricycle and car races on the programme at its annual Gaslight Gala meeting at Lancaster Park in November 1901 and the local Automobile Association organising the first hill climb in the country in November 1905. According to the late motor racing historian, A.R.E (Dick) Messenger writing in his book, Flat to the Boards, published in 1985, the race meeting at Addington attracted around 30 starters, and was watched by around 800 people. During the day a number of heat races were held before the main race, for cars over 12hp, won by Dr Thackers 8hp Beeston Humber driven by A. Duncan. On the day there were also races for women, and motorcycles. This time round the Addington Raceway & Convention Centre is the starting point of the 20th annual six-day Targa event, the first to be held in the South Island. Competitors and entrants in the concurrent Targa Tour gather in the morning for documentation and scrutineering before being flagged away at 1.30pm for the first of two prologue stages. The first Prologue stage is along the Summit Rd, in the adjacent Port Hills, the second at Christchurchs Mike Pero Motorsport Park (nee Ruapuna Raceway). Spectators are welcome at all three venues with maps and stage times available in the latest issue of NZ Classic Car magazine or on the Targa NZ website at targa.co.nz. Entry is free and Targa charity Kids in Cars will be based at Mike Pero Motorsport Park for the day with free, fun activities for families After over-nighting in Christchurch the Targa field heads south on Tuesday for stages in South Canterbury, before the first of two days based in Dunedin where the cars will be housed overnight in the Forsyth Barr stadium. After a day full of stages in the North Otago hinterland (and lunch and service stop in Oamarus historical precinct) on Wednesday the field returns to Dunedin before heading south on Thursday to Invercargill - and a days end stage at Teretonga Park. Friday October 31 is then spent completing stages through Eastern Southland, West and Central Otago before finishing at Cromwells Highlands Motorsport Park. The events final day (Saturday November 01) sees the field in the Lakes County with stages to and from Glenorchy and across the Crown Range before the official finish in downtown Queenstown and the prize giving function the next day. Event entrants this year will contest 807kms over 34 closed special stages linked by 1828km of open road transport stages. TARGA HISTORY Dubbed The Ultimate Road Race, the annual New Zealand Targa event can trace its links back to the classic open road races - the Targa Floria and the Mille Miglia - popular in Italy from the early years of the 20th century until the 1970s. Targa is Italian for plate, a reference either to a cars licence plate or to the rectangular bronze plate awarded to the winner of the Targa Floria. The first Targa New Zealand event was held in 1995, its organiser, Mike John, having been inspired by the success of Australias first Targa event, Targa Tasmania, in 1992. Since then the annual multi-day New Zealand event has been joined by several other shorter, regional events with current owner and event director Peter Martin taking the helm in 2008. Key to the on-going success of the main and subsidiary events is the unique New Zealand landscape with its unsurpassed network of sinuous sealed roads perfect for closed Targa stages. Targa New Zealand events are organised with the support of sponsors Ecolight, Federal motorsport tyres, Global Security, Highlands Motorsport Park, Instra Corporation, Kids In Cars, Metalman, NZ Classic Car magazine, Race Brakes, TeamTalk, TrackIt, VTNZ. and Woolrest Biomag. Ends CAPTION: Then and now. Photos of racing at New Zealands first organised motor race meeting at Addington Showgrounds in 1905 (Photo credit: Fast Company/Ross MacKay) and winners of the 2013 Targa event, Martin Dippie and Jona Grant in Dippies Porsche 911 GT3 (Photo credit: Fast Company/ProShotz)
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 08:34:21 +0000
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