Targa Newfoundland

06/17/2026

Targa Newfoundland announces 2026 stages!

Experience the adrenaline-fuelled thrills of the legendary Targa Newfoundland rally. When you compete in Targa, adventure awaits you every day on twisty, challenging roads through amazing scenery.

Our rally has been running for over 20 years, since 2002, and we take pride in our enviable safety record, one of the best in our sport.

After the two-day Targa school and practice sessions, teams in the Duemila event will cover about 2000 km over six days from eastern to central Newfoundland and back again, including about 500 km on closed stages at speed through dozens of communities. Competitors in Routoura will enjoy the thrills of four days on the road.

We've changed things up this year. We've made some adjustments to existing stages and added some exciting new ones. Also new this year is the Transit Challenge, which refers to a section of a transit between stages where a measurable distance must be completed within the posted speed limits in a specified time limit. Penalties will be incurred for being early or late at the finish of the Transit.

Overnight stays will be in St. John’s, Clarenville and Gander. Check out Our Targa Communities to learn more about these places and all the communities hosting Targa and visit the Where to Stay page for information on accommodations.

Join us for the thrill of a lifetime.

Targa 2026 Stages: https://targanfld.com/competition-stages/

Getting to Newfoundland: https://targanfld.com/getting-here/

Where to Stay: https://targanfld.com/where-to-stay/

Our Targa Communities: https://targanfld.com/our-communities/

Visiting Newfoundland & Labrador: https://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/

Targa Newfoundland returns Sept. 10-17, 2026.
Apply to Drive or Volunteer > link in our bio

06/16/2026

Team Jellybean and the Beaumont will rise again.

The Crash Wasn't the End of This Beaumont's Story
Some cars are built to sit under covers and collect trophies. Kurt Penner’s 1965 Acadian Beaumont Sport Deluxe convertible was built to chase adventure.

Penner bought the rare Canadian-built Beaumont in the mid-1990s after originally searching for a Chevrolet Chevelle. Looking back, he says he would never trade the Beaumont for anything else. Over the years, the car became a trusted companion, carrying Kurt and his wife, Luona, on countless road trips across Canada and accumulating hundreds of thousands of miles.

For Penner, the Beaumont was more than just a classic car. As co-owner of a busy restoration shop in British Columbia, it became his escape from everyday stress.

“When things were tough, I’d go for a drive in the Beaumont,” he says. “When things were great, I’d go for a drive in the Beaumont.”

In 2024, the couple embarked on their biggest adventure yet. They drove the Beaumont across Canada, dipping its wheels in the Pacific Ocean before continuing all the way to Newfoundland. Along the journey, they stopped in Oshawa, Ontario, the very city where the Beaumont had been built nearly sixty years earlier. Everywhere they went, people were fascinated by the rare Canadian convertible and eagerly signed its hood as a tribute to the journey.

The destination was the legendary Targa Newfoundland, one of the most demanding road rally events in North America. Covering more than 1,200 miles of closed roads through some of Canada’s most rugged and beautiful landscapes, the rally was a bucket-list experience for the Penners.

Driving in the fast-paced Tour class, the big Beaumont surprised many competitors. Despite its size, the convertible tackled Newfoundland’s twisting roads with determination. At one point, the car briefly left the pavement and slid into a gravel pit, but Penner managed to guide it back onto the road as hundreds of spectators cheered. The incident became one of the rally’s memorable moments, and the couple eventually earned the Spirit of Targa Competitor Award for their cross-country journey and enthusiasm.

The experience was so unforgettable that Penner returned the following year.

Before the 2025 event, the Beaumont received several upgrades, including firmer suspension components, quicker steering, improved safety equipment, and a powerful 350-cubic-inch V-8. This time, Penner was joined by co-driver James Murphy, who hoped to experience Targa Newfoundland firsthand before entering one of his own cars in future competitions.

The rally was every bit as exciting as before until disaster struck.

A challenging corner caught Penner by surprise. Carrying more than two tons of momentum, the Beaumont slid wide and slammed into a tree. The impact severely damaged the beloved convertible, ending its rally almost instantly.

Thankfully, both Penner and Murphy walked away unharmed.

For many owners, such an accident would mark the end of the road. The damage was extensive, and restoring the car would require tremendous effort. But Penner has spent his life helping people bring damaged and forgotten vehicles back to life.

To him, this isn’t the end of the Beaumont’s story.

It’s simply another chapter.

Despite the crash, Penner has no intention of giving up on either the car or the event that captured his heart. The Beaumont will be repaired, rebuilt, and returned to the road once again.

And when Targa Newfoundland calls, Penner already knows his answer.

He’ll be back.

06/15/2026

Less than 90 days to Targa Newfoundland.

Held on the island of Newfoundland on seaside roadways and through quaint towns and outports, Targa Newfoundland is motorsport’s ultimate road rally, a thrilling challenge to test your skills and abilities. Nowhere else will you get to race through towns and outports at speed; nowhere else will you enjoy the people, the culture and the hospitality of one of North America’s most beautiful destinations.

The Targa Legend Continues…

Don’t miss your chance to race this historic event. Competition begins September 10, 2026.

Targa Newfoundland returns Sept. 10-17, 2026.

Apply to Drive or Volunteer > link in our bio

Photos: Ralph Saulnier, Larry Strung

06/12/2026

Husband + Wife Racing are back and they mean business!

The Paradise, Newfoundland rally team of Justin and Erin Crant return to Targa this fall and they have unfinished business after coming tantalizing close to a win in Targa 1 in 2023 and 2024. They’ll be running as Husband + Wife Racing in their big winged 2009 BMW 135i.

Justin Crant is a highly experienced and accomplished local tarmac rally racer living in Paradise, Newfoundland and Labrador, and a staple competitor in the annual Targa Newfoundland tarmac rally.

Over his career, he has completed over 14 Targa events. He is best known for his championship runs alongside driver John Hume Jr., as well as competing alongside his wife and navigator, Erin.

Erin Crant is a prominent female Canadian tarmac rally navigator living in Paradise, Newfoundland and Labrador, best known for competing in the prestigious Targa Newfoundland rally, and the Targa Bambina Canada Day long weekend events in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

The duo, Erin and Justin, have established themselves as high-performing local favourites, consistently placing on the podium in the Targa 1 Division.

In 2024, the last time they ran Targa, they secured a third place overall finish in the Targa 1 Division following a highly competitive and notoriously wet finale stage in the historic town of Brigus.

In the 2023 Targa, Justin and Erin finished in second place overall in Targa 1. The duo were recognized as the highest-placing local Newfoundland team in their division. They finished a close second to the division-winning Team Hume Media, which featured professional racing personality Randy Pobst.

They’re back and ready to rally!

See their team profile on the Targa website: https://targanfld.com/team-husband-wife-racing-2/

Targa Newfoundland returns Sept. 10-17, 2026.
Apply to Drive > link in our bio

Photos: Sam Heron, Ralph Saulnier, Larry Strung

06/10/2026

Looking back at Targa 2003.

The second year of Targa Newfoundland in 2003 saw the car count nearly double as word of the event spread. Were you there? What stories and photos do you have to share?

Competitor Tim Winker wrote about his adventures with driver Scott Giannou in Targa 2003. We've posted his original article on the Targa website. Here's an excerpt...

Monday, Sept. 15, 2003

As a competitor in last year’s inaugural Targa Newfoundland, I am considered a “pioneer”. Those who followed last year’s event may recall that there were 35 entries. This year the count is more like 60, and over a third are among the pioneers. That’s a damn good return rate!

There is good reason for it… Targa Newfoundland is one great event!

Word of the success of TN’s first year has spread among automotive adventurers across North America, and elsewhere, and they don’t want to miss out again.

Jerry Churchill is back, though not with the mighty V10 Dodge Viper he ran in ’02. Instead he has a Subaru WRX built for ProRally, which should do better on these roads despite the smaller engine. In fact there are quite a few Subarus, most WRX’s, including one entered by Subaru of Canada for brothers John and Clark Paynter. Porsche is the Honoured Marque this year, and there are a flock of those as well, and the whole event will be preceded by a Porsche Cayenne SUV as Course Opening Vehicle.

Australian Ralph Grant is entered again, though this time it’s in his own Volvo 142. Canadian Jodie Shay is Grant’s co-driver. Bill Arnold won the Modern class in his BMW M Coupe in 2002, but he’s back in a 1972 BMW Bavaria sedan in the Classic division, though the powerplant is a much newer “M” six cylinder. Jeremy Hill and Lennox McNeely return in Len’s 1965 Ford Mustang Fastback, hoping to better their runner-up finish of last year.

A couple veterans of Mexico’s La Carrera Panamericana made the trip to eastern Canada this year: Tom Silver and Dave Fuss in another ’65 Mustang Fastback, and Tom Hayes and Andy Vann in a highly modified ’53 Studebaker.

Read more: https://targanfld.com/latest-news/

Targa Newfoundland returns Sept. 10-17, 2026.

Apply to Drive > link in our bio

Photos: Tim Winker

06/08/2026

Peter Egan Fan Club to lead Targa.

One thing is certain at Targa Newfoundland 2026, the team of Blair Riddle and Jim Crichton will cross the finish line ahead of everyone else this September.

That’s not an idle boast but a given. It’s not because they’re in the fastest car or demonstrate the greatest driving skill and co-driving prowess. They’ll be leading the group in Targa Tour and the first car to leave the starting line of each stage. Plus, the other cars are not supposed to pass them.

This fall will mark the third year in Targa for Blair in his 2015 VW GTI and first for co-driver Jim. They’re rallying under the moniker Peter Egan Fan Club as both are fans of the respected automotive and motorcycle journalist, mechanic, restorer, adventurer, musician and modern Renaissance man.

Blair and Jim have known each other for 40 years starting when they worked together in the newsroom at CHNS radio in Halifax in the 1980s and early ’90s. Blair worked in broadcasting and later public relations. Jim was a broadcaster for 47 years including 21 years as anchor on CTV News Windsor. Both are now retired and love everything about car culture.

Blair is a volunteer with Targa and the Town of Clarenville, NL.

Jim remains active in the Windsor, ON community lending his talents to many local charities including promoting prostate cancer screening for men as one of three ambassadors for the “Show Us Your Brave” campaign, led by the Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation. Blair’s family has also been hit by cancer.

The friends look forward to experiencing Targa together and they’ll be blasting classic rock all the way to the finish line.

Learn more here: https://windsorcancerfoundation.org/jim-crichton-story/

Read the full team profile here: https://targanfld.com/pet

Photos: Matt Myler, Sam Heron, Ralph Saulnier, Larry Strung

06/06/2026

Volunteers keep the Targa rally rolling.

It takes a dedicated and enthusiastic team of volunteers to make this legendary rally happen every year. If you love cars, rallying and exploring our beautiful province with other great people, join our team for this motorsport adventure.

During the event, you and the other volunteers will spend six days on the road, traveling throughout scenic eastern and central Newfoundland helping set up, tear down and run the closed stages. Accommodations will be provided along with a food allowance and gas allowance (if using your own vehicle). Travel to and from the start and end of the event will be at your own expense.

Join us and be part of this unforgettable motorsport event. We can’t do it without you.

Learn more about volunteer positions: https://targanfld.com/volunteer-positions/

Apply to volunteer: https://targanfld.com/apply-to-volunteer/