Last year it was Waiuku, this year it is Pukekohe's turn to host the first event on the 2014 Targa New Zealand tarmac motor rally calendar, the one-day Ecolight Targa Sprint on Sunday, March 02.
"It's about sharing the event around," says Event Director Peter Martin. "Last year we based ourselves at the Waiuku Rugby and Districts Club because the stage we used was just up the road. This year we've come up with two stages, one on either side of Pukekohe which we are going to use multiple times, so it made sense to base the event at the Ecolight stadium there."
A single-day Rally Sprint event is quite a departure from the traditional multi-day format of previous Targa events which have passed through the Franklin district. And there are a number of good reasons for that, says Martin.
"First and foremost it's about showing people how easy it is to do a Targa event. Last year we had a good mix of regulars and first-timers and this year is the same. It's also about giving something back to the communities that allow us to use their roads."
As part of that 'giving back,' primary and intermediate school children in the district have been invited to enter a colouring-in competition to win a family pass to the ITM 500 V8 Supercar race at Pukekohe Park Raceway in April, plus a selection of Targa merchandise to a total value of $1000.
Targa New Zealand's charity partner, Kids In Cars, is also managing family-friendly activities - including bouncy castles, face painting and rides - from 9am at Ecolight Stadium on Sunday.
The event will see competitors complete 70km of closed special stages and 120 km of touring in-between and with cars returning to Pukekohe after every second stage, Martin says that Ecolight Stadium (on Franklin Road) is a good place for spectators to see for themselves what a Targa event is all about.
During the day, good viewing opportunities of the cars in action will also be available on the corner of Kern Road and Runciman Road, corner of Runciman and Tuhmata Roads, corner of Heights and Ostrich Farm Roads, corner of Ostrich Farm and Ostrich Roads and the corner of Woodhouse and Hunter Roads.
Road maps and more information can be found at www.targa.co.nz/ecolight-sprint-rally
Entries are spread evenly over the four class categories, with around 15 each in Instra Corporation Modern 2WD, Instra Corporation Allcomers 4WD, Metalman Classic 2WD and Targa Tour.
Included in the 60-strong lineup are local combinations Glenn Inkster and Spencer Winn from event and stadium sponsor, Ecolight, in a Mitsubishi Evo 8, and Carl Ruiterman and Channelle Walsh in a Subaru WRX Impreza.
The Ecolight Targa Sprint is the first of three events on the Targa calendar in this, the 20th anniversary year of Targa competition in this country. The second is the three-day Targa North Island from Auckland to Rotorua in May, the third, the six-day Targa South Island from Christchurch to Queenstown in late October and early November.
Photo: Glenn Inkster/Spencer Winn in action. (Photo by Fast Company/www.groundsky.co.nz)
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