Happy New Year from Targa Newfoundland

Message from Robert Giannou, Targa Newfoundland owner and co-founder:

Happy New Year from Targa Newfoundland, the most fun you can have in your car with your clothes on. The engines are silent now but in just nine months they will roar to life for the 2026 edition of the world-famous tarmac rally on our beautiful and scenic island home of Newfoundland.

Our next Targa Newfoundland event starts Thursday, September 10, 2026, with Targa School, and ends on Friday, September 18, the night of the awards dinner. The concept for the 2026 course is done, and the detailed course will be confirmed in February.

We’re excited to announce that we’re planning a number of new course concepts, both for transits and competitive stages. We are also welcoming some new towns (and stages) to the fold as well as modifying some much-loved older stages. More to come on both fronts so stay tuned.

But the big news for this year is that we are celebrating our 25th anniversary. Yup, Targa Newfoundland was founded in 2001, and the first rally was held in September of 2002. In the 25 years since then, we have run over 1000 stages in some 130 Newfoundland communities. During that time, we have welcomed hundreds of competitors and volunteers to our island, all the while establishing our event as one of the safest in North America, if not the world.

So, this year we have much to celebrate, including a spectacular motorsport event that turns fantasy into reality and changes normalcy into an unforgettable experience. But most of all, it challenges us out of our day-to-day environment and into the world of our wildest dreams that manifest themselves into wonderful memories.

Teenage dream becomes Targa reality

As a young boy, Devon Knight of Corner Brook, NL was already fantasizing about fast cars and Targa Newfoundland. He even did a school project on the history of the legendary rally in his home province that we highlighted back in 2013.

The Targa bug bit him early. From a young age, he watched Targa on the Speed Channel and dreamed of competing one day. After moving to the Toronto area, he took driver training, spent many weekends doing track days in southern Ontario and got into autocross, something he helped launch in western Newfoundland when he returned there.

It took 11 years but Devon made his Targa dream come true by entering the shorter Bambina event in the fall of 2024 with his thundering V8-powered 2015 Ford Mustang GT. After ripping through the streets of Gander, he was really hooked and determined to come back for the full event.

“It was unreal,” said Devon. “I can’t name one time I’ve ever felt like that in my life. It was the most excited I ever remember being. You’re talking about memories and building friendships with all these people from all over the world and all walks of life.”

Devon says that track days and autocross just don’t compare to experiencing the Targa rally on city streets and closed country roads.

“Running on a road course or competing in an autocross, you don’t really comprehend what it feels like to be on the street because everything’s right there next to you on these narrow lanes. You’re hitting 100 kilometres an hour and it feels like you’re hitting 200 kilometres on the track. It’s the way everything’s flying by.”

Last fall, Devon and co-driver Logan King-Gaudon returned for the full rally and impressed everyone by wheeling their way to a well-deserved second place in Targa 1, just behind pro racer Randy Pobst and Paul Abbott. Dreams can come true.

Watch Knight Motorsports rip through Gander here.

Cool running in a hot car

Targa Newfoundland isn’t only about competition. For those entering Targa Tour, it’s about the thrill, camaraderie, and the sights and sounds of a unique motoring adventure in a spectacular location without the pressure of racing the clock.

Charles Brooks and Toby Garrett, two best friends from Northern Ontario, with a shared passion for all things motorsports and performance driving, tried their hand at Targa Newfoundland last fall. They bonded over motorsports and have done drag racing, auto racing, driving the Tail of the Dragon and just about anything else that can be done with fast cars.

Their team name, Cool Runnings, was inspired by the famous Jamaican bobsled team from Charles’ home country. Their bobsled has a lot more power than the namesake though. They drove from Northern Ontario to Newfoundland in two 800-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcats that attracted attention wherever they went and drew admiring crowds at every car show.

The entry to Targa Newfoundland was a birthday gift to Charles from his wife, Donna. Toby’s partner Linda drove the support vehicle, the second Hellcat, a purple one that belongs to her. She’d love to run the rally herself but needs a capable co-driver.

Whether you drive a Hellcat or a Honda Civic, Targa Tour is an absolute blast. You get to drive the same stages as the competitive divisions but at your own pace.

Race the Rock in 2026

Targa Newfoundland is the ultimate tarmac rally for classic and modern cars in North America, attracting hundreds of competitors from around the globe since 2002. There are few events like it in the world where competitors get to run their cars at speed and test their skills on closed public roads.

This year’s rally is scheduled for Sept. 10-18, 2026, starting with two days of training and ending with the awards dinner. The competitive stages will run from Saturday, Sept. 12 to Thursday, Sept. 17.

Targa 2026 will cover close to 2000 km (1240 miles) including about 500 km (310 miles) of challenging stages at speed on closed public roads through towns, outports and spectacular scenery. Targa is comprised of two events in one – the Duemila, an eight-day competition, and the Rotoura, a six-day rally experience. Both include two days of Targa School including classroom instruction and practice runs.

Choose your division:

Targa 1 – competitive, roll bar required, top speed – 155 kph
Targa 2 – competitive, roll cage required, top speed – 180 kph
Grand Touring – time, speed, distance rally; roll bar required – 130 kph
Targa Tour – non-competitive adventure, top speed – 130 kph

Are you ready to Race the Rock and take on Targa Newfoundland 2026? Apply to drive and be a part of this unforgettable experience.

About Targa Newfoundland

Targa Newfoundland, which first ran in 2002, is the only tarmac rally of its kind in North America. Held each fall on the ruggedly beautiful island of Newfoundland in eastern Canada, the rally covers 2000 kilometres of challenging, twisty roads through spectacular scenery including about 500 kilometres of thrilling stages at speed on closed sections of public roads and town streets. Targa Newfoundland celebrated its 1000th stage in 2025.

This year’s rally is scheduled for Sept. 10-18, 2026, starting with two days of training and ending with the awards dinner. The competitive stages will run from Saturday, Sept. 12 to Thursday, Sept. 17. The Targa Newfoundland website is your main source for information on the event, including rules and regulations, tech tips, Newfoundland and Labrador, our communities, places to stay, how to get here, and much more!