Class for hybrid cars will debut at Targa Newfoundland 2007

Courtesy Ian Chaytor

ST. JOHN’S, NL (March 14, 2007) – The Targa Newfoundland international rally will break new ground in 2007 with the introduction of a competitive class for hybrid vehicles, Targa organizers have announced.

The new class will make Targa among the very first organized motorsports events in North America to offer a class for the increasingly popular vehicles powered by a mechanical alliance of a conventional internal combustion engine with one or more electric motors.

Nearly a dozen hybrid models are currently available in the Canadian market and more are expected.

The class will be for new models from existing manufacturers, and will be part of the Targa competition. The rules will be based on the existing Modern Division regulations for “Standard Specification” vehicles.

“This is just the first step in an important new direction for Targa,” said rally organizer Robert Giannou. “Creating a class for hybrids not only acknowledges the popularity and importance of these vehicles, it helps us as organizers build our expertise on environmental issues that will become more important in the future.”

In addition to the safety and other regulations that govern the Modern Division, the rules for the new hybrid class will restrict modifications that might otherwise compromise the vehicle’s fuel economy, Giannou said.

“Hybrid vehicles have always been welcome in the Grand Touring competition, but now we have expanded the invitation to include the Targa competition,” said Giannou. “In the future, we’re prepared to look at classes for conventional cars converted to hybrid operation, at alternate fuel vehicles and other technological evolutions. We see this as a great platform for manufacturers, for university engineering schools, or anyone interested in using Targa to explore new technologies.

“We don’t expect a flood of entries the first year, but we do expect this class to grow and be an important part of our appeal,” Giannou concluded.

Targa Newfoundland is one of three internationally recognized Targa motorsports events in the world and is listed on the Federation International de l’Automobile (FIA) international calendar.

The 6th annual Targa Newfoundland is set to run from September 8 –15, 2007. It will start and end in St. John’s and cover more than 2,000 kilometres of the challenging, twisty roads of the central and eastern portion of the island of Newfoundland over six days, including more than 400 kilometres of closed-road, flat-out Targa Stages.

Competitors have come from the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Holland, the Bahamas and the U.K. for the first five editions of Targa Newfoundland. Entries continue to arrive daily for the 2007 event. Targa Newfoundland is owned and organized by Newfoundland International Motorsports.