More than 260 cars from around Australia are raring to go for this month’s iconic Targa Tasmania, the second round of the CAMS Australia Targa Championship.
With crews to complete 33 stages of 2000km across some of the picturesque towns of Tasmania, the 28th running of the event is once again up there amongst the best in Australia.
Kicking off on Monday 29 April, the six-day event begins in the North with three overnight stays in Launceston, including visits to the High Plains, St Helens and Mount Roland.
The fourth day of action will see competitors head west through Burnie for some of the tarmac rally’s more popular stages before ending the day in Straham, the highlights being Hellyer Gorge, Reece Dam and Gunns Plains.
Day five will see competitors travel west to east, starting in Straham and crossing the centre of Tasmania to end the day in Hobart, passing through locations such as Queenstown, Mount Arrowsmith and Grasstree Hill.
The final day of action will see the crews head further south as low as Gardners Bay and Oyster Cove before heading back up to Hobart for the final stage and the presentations.
While the beautiful Tasmanian scenery are one of the major attractions of the event, the crews competing also attract lots of attention, with reigning champions Jason and John White headlining the strong field.
The Whites are in the unique situation of making history in this event as they look to seal their eighth Targa Tasmania – putting them equal with the famous record set by highly former touring car champion Jim Richards and media personality Barry Oliver.
In a nice addition to Targa Tasmania 2019, the event will be honouring the eight time champions, making it a fitting touch should the Whites equal their record.
Some of the other big names to take on the ‘Apple Isle’ include Classic GT champions Michael and Daniel Bray, Radical Australia Cup star Chris Perini and inaugural CAMS Australia Targa Champion Paul Stokell, who will be with CAMS Australian Rally Championship (ARC) navigator Kate Catford.
A number of familiar ARC faces will also form part of the line up, including 2018 outright runner-up Steve Glenney alongside Daniel Sim and Adam Kaplan who will once again team up with regular co-driver Aleshia Penney.
Targa Tasmania isn’t just great for the competitors, it’s also quite the spectacle for fans with many opportunities throughout the event to see the cars drive by, as well as up close and personal.
Ahead of the event’s ceremonial start on 29 April, the annual Silverdome Expo allows fans to view a procession of motoring history involving all the competing cars under the one roof.
Once the action is underway, each day will have a lunch stop where competitors will park their cars, allowing fans to meet the drivers and their toys before they go off again. The venues include St Helens, La Trobe, Burnie and New Norfolk.
From one of the first stages of the event in the George Town Street Stage all the way through to one of the final ones in Longley, the event is perfect for a relaxing trip with plenty of vantage points to see motoring history in the flesh.
The 2019 Targa Tasmania will take place around Tasmania from 29 April and conclude on Saturday 4 May.