From Targa Newfoundland
St. John’s, NL – There will be plenty of familiar faces at Targa Newfoundland this fall, including several past winners and previous competitors who just can’t get enough of this epic rally. More than 30 teams from across North America and Europe are racing this year.
Pro racer Randy “The Rocket” Pobst of Georgia has twice claimed the Targa 1 title with different co-drivers and different cars. Last year, he teamed up with Paul Abbott of St. John’s, NL, also a previous winner, in Paul’s 1989 Porsche 911 Targa to win the division. This fall, he and co-driver Paul return to race in a MINI GP as the Mini Maxi Rally Team.
Targa 2018 winner Mark Rittenhouse is back as DBM Racing in Targa 2 in hopes of repeating that success in a well-prepared Mitsubishi EVO. In addition to running many years at Targa, Mark raced the Chihuahua Express Rally for five years, finishing first in class in 2017, 2018 and 2019. His team also won the Rally Historico Transpeninsular held in Baja Mexico in 2018.
The 2024 event was Keir Pollard’s first Targa Newfoundland but he brought a car that has run the rally so many times that it might know the way itself – co-founder Doug Mepham’s rally-prepped MINI. Keir and co-driver Lance Campbell, calling themselves Spud Performance, went home to PEI with the Targa 2 plate. Keir is coming back with a new co-driver to defend the title against some stiff competition.
John Hume Jr. and Justin Crant of Team Hume Media reunite in hopes of repeating past glory. The pair has two previous wins together in the competitive Targa Modern division, where they raced a 2004 BMW M3 to victory in 2017 and 2018. This year they are racing in the competitive Targa 1 division in an Audi S4.
Veteran ralliers Marinus and Renee Damm are coming back to Newfoundland for the first time in years. The husband-and-wife team from Oregon, racing as Dammralliers, are no strangers to the top step of podiums at various rallies. They claimed the Grand Touring (GT) division title in 2015 and again in 2016.
Local competitors MaxZen Racing emerged as a grassroots motorsports team in 2015, when Gordon Maxwell and Wayne Lorenzen joined forces. In 2018, Gordon ran with co-driver Mark Noftall and they claimed the Modern Open Targa 2 Bambina AWD division. He and co-driver Justin Gatehouse last ran in 2023 and they are eager to tackle the rally again in their mighty 2008 Mitsubishi Evolution GSR.
Two teams of young and talented enthusiasts from the west coast of Newfoundland got their first taste of Targa last year and are back for more: WSP and Knight Motorsports. Cameron Combdon and Andrew Keeping of WSP tried their hand at Targa Bambina and loved it so much they decided they had to experience the full event. The same goes for Devon Knight and co-driver Logan King-Gaudon. They were hooked after racing through Gander and will run the full rally in Targa 1 this year.
Kurt Penner and wife Luona, Team Jellybean, drove their classic ‘65 Beaumont convertible all the way from British Columbia to run the Targa Tour in 2024. Kurt is coming back with buddy James Murphy in the co-driver seat but this time to compete in Targa 1. And he’s beefed up the suspension to make the old car more competitive.
Targa got into the blood of the father-and-son team of John and Brett Hueston of Aylmer, ON too. It wasn’t just their first Targa, it was their first time rallying. As John said, “I spent six months leading up to Targa dreading it, but once it began, I spent six days dreading it would end. This is an incredible event.” Watch Aylmer Express tear up the course in their Subaru BRZ.
Another returning team is M2 Strategies, made up of the Florida brothers of Sam and Rick Marshall. They discovered Targa while exploring their family ties to Newfoundland. Their grandfather was born in Newfoundland and moved to the United States. This will mark their third Targa in a row with their fast Subaru STI. For them, this is as much about the friends they’ve made as the excitement of the rally.
Corey Finkelstein from Wasaga Beach, ON entered Targa in 2018 and was instantly hooked. He brought his friend Tom Pokorny along a few years later and they raced in Targa Tour in 2023 and Targa 1 last year. Newfoundland has rubbed off on them as this time they are running as the Good Ole B’ys in Targa 1. They aren’t only competitors, they are also volunteers helping to promote the rally throughout the year.
John Hume has been a fixture at Targa since he started competing in 2009. He won the Grand Touring division three times, with co-drivers Craig MacMullen and Christina Kroner, and his team also won Targa 1 in 2023. He’s been a loyal sponsor and supporter of the rally for years. This time he’s back behind-the-wheel of his winged 2021 MINI GP with his granddaughter Katelyn handling navigating duties for Team Hume Media in Targa Tour.
Mark Williams of Maryland, an expert rally co-driver, was the first entrant to register for Targa back in 2002 and he’s raced or volunteered ever since. As well as being the steward for the rally, Mark and his wife Donna will run their fast and elegant Bentley Continental GT in Targa Tour as Team Motoring Event Services.
Edison Wiltshire, aka The Faster Pastor, from Random Island, NL has run every Targa since 2002. Rev. Wiltshire returns this year with his granddaughter and co-driver Olivia Wiltshire-Ryan maintaining a perfect record of participation. Edison and Olivia are the oldest and youngest competitors in the rally respectively.
Don Bray from Prince Edward Island got his first taste of Targa Bambina with his brother Frank last fall. He said running the streets of Gander was one of the best driving experiences he’s ever had. Don is bringing his Porsche Cayman S and Nova Scotian friend Jim Pentecost as Rock the Croc, which plays on the names of the place and the car.
There are a number of new teams joining Targa this year too. You can read profiles of the teams on the Targa website.
About Targa Newfoundland
Owned and operated by Newfoundland International Motorsports Limited, Targa Newfoundland is one of only three internationally recognized Targa motorsports events in the world. Since 2002, Targa Newfoundland, the ultimate tarmac rally in North America, has attracted hundreds of professional and amateur racers from around the globe to Newfoundland and Labrador.
Held each fall on the ruggedly beautiful island of Newfoundland in eastern Canada, the rally covers 2000 kilometres of challenging, twisty roads through amazing scenery across the island including about 500 kilometres of thrilling stages at speed on closed sections of public roads. Now in its 23rd year, Targa Newfoundland will reach an incredible milestone – the 1000th stage – during this fall’s event. Visit the Targa website at targanfld.com for more information.
