Targa Tasmania is a rally staged in the state of Tasmania, Australia. It was first staged in April of the year 1992 and no one has ever looked back.
1992, being the inaugral year, was always going to be the "make or break" year. People's expectations were low as to how well the event would go and many looked upon it as though it was a "bit of a 'doddle'" (Andrew Miedecke, driver in the inaugural Targa Tasmania in a De Tomaso Pantera, commenting in "Targa Tasmania: The Legend", Media Productions Pty Ltd, Melbourne - Australia.) But, upon arrival, people were soon to see the rally as - something else...
These people found the rally to be a great sporting arena to show off their beautifully kept and restored classics as well as straight-off-the-floor performance cars. It was instantly a hit because of the great atmosphere that came with a major rally. Outright winners for 1992 were ( driver and navigator) Greg Crick and Greg Preece (1991 Honda NSX); Deny Hulme and Angus McKenzie (1991 BMW M5); and Ross Brindley and Greg Brindley (1990 BMW M5)
Targa has gone from strength to strength since it's inception in 1992. Each year, a higher number of entries have been recieved, with 1999 being the biggest and best yet. This year, the usual celebrities (Glenn Ridge, Jim Richards, Neal Bates) have again entered along with the likes of Peter Brock and son James. These two, unfortunately in the car that James was to start his racing career in, crashed out in one of the end stages of the rally.