FUTURE TARGA TASMANIA DATES ANNOUNCED
TARGA has announced the dates for the next five editions of Targa Tasmania after extending its agreement with Events Tasmania until the end of 2027.
Despite the current suspension of tarmac rally events by Motorsport Australia, TARGA has released the upcoming dates as well as the opening date for entries for 2023.
The iconic tarmac rally will keep its traditional dates next year, running throughout the week after the Easter long weekend from April 17-22, after considerations of a shift to March.
“As we come out of COVID, and analysing the tourism landscape in 2022, we have decided, in agreement with Events Tasmania and the various regional tourism bodies around the state, the actual best place for TARGA Tasmania to stay for the next five years, is exactly where it has historically been held,” a statement read.
“So, we are excited to announce the dates today for the next five running’s of TARGA Tasmania, which will take the `Ultimate Tarmac Rally’ to it’s 35th Anniversary event in 2027.
“There is a myriad of exciting announcements surrounding next year’s event to come out in the weeks ahead, including the course (get ready for some amazing changes), the opening of entries, which will be later than normal on 15 August and what you can expect from TARGA Tasmania in the future.
“We appreciate your patience in recent times and hopefully the moving back of next years date by a month will assist everyone’s plans to show their support for TARGA Tasmania. We can assure you all that we will be back better than ever in 2023.”
The dates for the next five events are below:
2023 – April 17-22
2024 – April 8-13
2025 – April 28 – May 3
2026 – April 13-18
2027 – April 5-10
TARGA’s announcement was attached to a letter for CEO Mark Perry addressed to customers, current, past and future.
The letter detailed what the organisation has done since the deaths of two competitors in the most recent Targa Tasmania event, while also ensuring that Targa events will return despite the current suspension of tarmac rallies by Motorsport Australia.
“We were advised on Saturday 14 May by Motorsport Australia that their board had passed a resolution that morning to suspend all tarmac rallying until further notice,” Perry said.
“We were advised of this at 3.00pm and the media release was published at 4.30pm. We had absolutely no indication that this was even a discussion point before this moment of advice.
“I can categorically say that the period from the cancellation of TARGA Tasmania in 2020 to today is now a period unprecedented in the history of TARGA Tasmania and dare I say, tarmac rallying anywhere in the world.
“Yet, we have continued to turn up every day to ensure that we deliver some of the world’s most exciting motorsport events for our customers. Our dream never fades, our desire to be better never subsides. We are always doing the best we possibly can, even in the most difficult of circumstances.
“We have done all we can over the last year to implement all of the changes needed and recommended by the Investigatory Tribunal, ensuring that you again get to live out your dreams at TARGA Tasmania. Ultimately though, we are in your hands.
“We need to find a way to continue to work cohesively together to ensure that our dreams can continue to come true in the future. This is not the end, but just a pause in the journey to take stock, and ensure we move forward in the right direction.
“We will continue to work closely with Motorsport Australia and the review committee to re-establish our events as quickly as possible and ensure that tarmac rallying continues long into the future. We will also work closely with the various competitor groups that take part in our TARGA events and the myriad of stakeholders who we need to approve each event.”
Entries for Targa Tasmania 2023 will open on August 15.
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