New TARGA event coming to Mount Buller

TARGA will carry on its partnership with Alpine Resorts Victoria by hosting a new TARGA Academy event in Mount Buller next year.

The first ever TARGA Academy event will be held at Mount Buller from January 31 to February 2 2025.

The new event will be focused around teaching participants the key skills required to complete tarmac rallies and get a taste of TARGA prior to when the events return later in 2025. 

The opening day will see competitors spent “suitable time in the classroom” before the fun begins on the weekend where on course practice sessions will take place on the Saturday and the TARGA Academy Sprint is held on Sunday.

It will be held roughly 10 months prior to the anticipated return of the TARGA High Country event which was held in the region from 2010-2012.

The TARGA High Country is scheduled to make a long awaited comeback in its traditional window of November 15-17 2025.

Despite the recent tough times being unable to host major events, TARGA and Alpine Resorts Victoria have remained in partnership.

TARGA CEO Mark Perry explained the importance of the new event.

“Mt. Buller and the High Country region holds a special place in the history of TARGA, being the first of our mainland events,” Perry said. 

“It is a difficult time and the impact of us not attending the region since February 2022 has been felt far and wide, so it is very exciting for us to return next February with the key lead in event to TARGA Tasmania.”

“With the planned return of TARGA Tasmania on 28 April 2025, after a three-year hiatus, it is important to provide additional opportunities for competitors to attend an Academy event, particularly for those competitors who cannot take the extra time off to arrive three days before each TARGA event starts.”

“Mt. Buller provides us with everything we need in having excellent teaching facilities, great accommodation and of course the best mountain road in the country to enable us to provide our Academy program designed to further mitigate risk at future events.” 

TARGA High Country began in 2010 and became Victoria’s first multi-stage tarmac rally.

Across the following 12 years over 180 crews took part on an annual basis, allegedly delivering more than $35million in economic return to the region.

As a result Alpine Resorts Victoria’s CEO, Amber Gardner is looking forward to welcoming it back next year.

“TARGA has been an important part of our summer calendar for more than a decade, attracting thousands of visitors to the mountain and district,” she said.

“We are excited to host the first TARGA Academy and look forward to the TARGA High Country event returning in November 2025.”

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