TARGA inquest delayed
The formal inquest into the deaths of four drivers at the 2021 and 2022 Targa Tasmania has been delayed.
A four-day hearing was scheduled to take place in Hobart from August 26-29 and make the future of the iconic event clearer.
However, after the hearing was initially delayed by a day after not beginning on Monday, it has been postponed indefinitely due to the coroner’s illness.
The Magistrates Court of Tasmania website has confirmed the inquest has been “adjourned to a later date to be confirmed.”
On Monday, Tasmanian newspaper The Mercury reported the initial delay.
“On what was meant to be the opening day of the coronial inquest, the court informed parties the hearing had been delayed due to illness of key personnel. The inquest is now set to begin on Tuesday,” read the report.
However, the inquest is now further delayed. Coroner Simon Cooper was to preside over the hearings regarding the tragic deaths of Shane Navin, Leigh Mundy, Dennis Neagle, and Anthony Seymour, at the Hobart Magistrates Court.
Behind the scenes, talks have been progressing over the planned return of Targa Tasmania in 2025.
Targa CEO Mark Perry created a public forum to foster an open debate surrounding what the future of the event will look like, which has also recently involved the TRCAA (Tarmac Rally Competitors Association of Australia).
Following the deaths in the 2021 and 2022 Targa Tasmania events, Motorsport Australia suspended all of its tarmac rallying activities in May 2022 before forwarding 94 recommendations to enable the Targa style events to resume under Motorsport Australia sanctioning.
These recommendations have all but stopped competitive Tarmac events under MA’s sanctioning, however Tarmac rally events are still being successfully held under the sanctioning of the AASA.
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