Welcome to the Targa Newfoundland Race, where adventure awaits you every day. Our event has been running for over 20 years, and we take pride in our enviable safety record, one of the best in our sport.
Day One
Skills Review and Practice Session
The Targa Driving Skills Review and Practice Session on Day 1 is mandatory for all teams new to the event. Our course is specifically designed for this event to teach each member of the team their roles, interrelation with each other, and hone their teamwork, test their skills, and become comfortable in their car, which will be their home for the next seven days.
Location: St. John’s
Overnight stay: St. John’s
Day Two
Stage Review (mandatory for all participants)
Day 2 is the Stage Review, First Responders and Competitors Meeting, which is also mandatory for all teams. During this full day session, all teams come together to understand the course and the communities they will visit in detail. Each stage is explained in detail, with a focus on their roles and duties as a First Responder team who arrives first at the scene of an incident. They will also be introduced to the event officials, who will brief the participants on start and finish protocols, good sportsmanship, and the Targa “family” behavior expectations. This session is followed by an evening meet and greet session
Location: St. John’s
Overnight stay: St. John’s
Day 3
Official Start: Prologue and Leg 1
On Day 3, teams will start from the official start at St. John’s City Hall and proceed via the Trans Canada Highway to the St. Mary’s Bay area for the day. The route will travel through the central Avalon, an area known for its abundant wildlife and spectacular views of rivers and coves, all bordering St. Mary’s Bay. The Prologue stages will run through the communities of St. Catherin’s and Colinet, and lunch will be hosted in one of these communities. These stages will not be scored. The scoring will start with Leg 1 in the afternoon, which will run through the communities of Haricot and Mount Carmel, followed by an overnight stay in St. John’s.
Locations: St. John’s, St. Mary’s Bay – South Central Avalon Peninsula
Overnight stay: St. John’s
Day Four
Leg 2 Placentia Bay – South West Avalon Peninsula
On Day 4, teams will head out on the Trans Canada Highway to the Placentia Bay area. The route and stages will see them travel to the historic former French capitol town of Placentia (Pleasance). They will then proceed to the Cape Shore, along the cliffs and down into the river valleys to the fishing village of St. Bride’s. Then, they will visit the communities of Fox Harbour for lunch and Ship Harbour, where the Atlantic Charter was signed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin Roosevelt in 1941. After the stages, the teams will travel via the Trans Canada Highway to Gander for the overnight stay.
Locations: St. John’s, Placenta Bay – South West Avalon Peninsula, Cape Shore, St. Bride’s, Fox Harbour, Ship Harbour, Gander
Overnight stay: Gander
Day Five
Day 5Leg 3 Notre Dame Bay – North Central Newfoundland
On Day 5, teams will travel by the Trans Canada Highway to the former logging community of Glenwood on the Gander River, then proceed to stages in the Notre Dame Bay area communities of Bobby’s Cove, Pleasantview, Point Leamington, and Leading Tickles, where lunch will be hosted. In the afternoon, they will visit the Glovers Harbour stages and then return to the final stage of the day in the community of Appleton, after which they will proceed to the overnight stop in Gander, a historic airport town.
Locations: Glenwood, Norte Dame Bay, Bobby’s Cove, Pleasantview, Point Leamington, Leading Tickles, Govers Harbour, Appleton
Overnight stay: Gander
Day 6
Leg 4 Bonavista Bay – Eastport Peninsula
On Day 6, teams will head to the Eastport peninsula, on Bonavista Bay, which is one of the special areas of the province and once was the summer home to the Beothuk Indian tribe. Known for its rugged shoreline and soft sandy beaches, the area will host stages in the historic fishing communities of Eastport, Happy Adventure, and Salvage, where lunch will be hosted. After lunch, we’ll repeat stages in Burnside and St. Chad’s before heading east to Port Blandford, which will host multiple stages. Then, we’ll head back to Clarenville for the overnight stay.
Locations: Bonavista Bay, Eastport, Happy Adventure, Savage, Burnside, St. Chad’s, Port Blandford
Overnight stay: Clarenville
Day 7
Leg 5 Trinity Bay – Random Island
Day 7, teams will make their way to Random Island is a small island within Newfoundland. It’s home to many lively communities that will host some of our key stages. We’ll start in Weybridge and then move on to the fishing and lumbering communities of Hickman’s Harbour, Lower Lance Cove, Britannia, and Petley. After lunch in Hickman’s Harbour, we’ll repeat stages in Hickman’s Harbour and Petley before heading back to Clarenville for the night.
Locations: Random Island, Weybridge, Hickman’s Harbour, Lower Lance Cove, Britannia and Petley
Overnight stay: Clarenville
Day 8
Leg 6 Conception Bay Central
On the last day of the competition, we’ll be racing in the Conception Bay area towns of Conception Harbour, Colliers, Marysvale, Turks Gut, Georgetown, and Brigus. These towns will host the most competitive stages of the event. We’ll be racing around the shores of the most historic center of the province. Some of the stages will be repeated multiple times for the ultimate challenge
Locations: Conception Harbour, Colliers, Marysvale, Turks Gut, Georgetown, Brigus
Please Note:
Each day will begin with a continental breakfast at the headquarters hotel, during which the teams will be breathalysed by the Competitor Relations Officers (CRO’s) while the days activities will be reviewed by the Clerk of the Course.
Each of the evenings will be left free for teams to socialize or work on their vehicles at the vehicle storage centres.