Why an Aussie billionaire is taking Targa Tasmania to the world
A billionaire who fell in love with Targa Tasmania is taking it to the world, and Netflix holds the key. SPECIAL REPORT >>
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Australian billionaire Luke Anear has the financial firepower to do pretty much whatever he likes but it was Targa Tasmania that captured his imagination.
So much so that after doing the event himself in 2018, Anear came back last year to film the exploits of Tasmania’s two top drivers _ mates and rivals Jason White and Eddie Maguire _ for a documentary he pitched to Netflix.
White chased what would have been a record-equalling eighth Targa title last year. It would have seen him join six-times Bathurst 1000 champion Jim Richards at the top of the all-time winner’s list. Anear’s film crew was right there to record the drama.
However, White crashed and Maguire went on to win his maiden Targa crown.
Anear returned this year with his own car, a beautifully turned out Mercedes Benz GT-R, along with another film crew _ four teams of two on the ground, a helicopter crew of three that had also shot the Dakar Rally, and Australian director of photography Mark Toyer.
Anear’s documentary is not what you might think.
“It’s not just a story about a car race. It’s a story about mate ship and a rag tag crew of Tasmanians who really didn’t have the credentials to go and beat Jim Richards and people like that in $300,000 Porsches,” he said.
“It’s about a group of kids building $10,000 Mitsubishi Evos and going out and beating the top divers in the county that camaraderie that they have.
“They all pitch in and help each other and they are so innovative and come up with all sorts of ways to get it done.”
Anear was charmed by the idea of kids growing up to emulate their heroes.
“Eddie Maguire was six-years-old when the first Targa Tasmania was on. There’s video of him with his dad pulling cars out that were stuck on the side of the road and there’s Eddie in the background,” Anear said.
“These two kids literally grew up watching these drivers and had a dream from a young age to one day be what their heroes were and become a hero with a goal to win Targa Tasmania, and the dream has come true.
“Eddie won his first one last year, and Jason has won seven. It’s a real tail of them chasing their dreams.”
Anear was fascinated by White and Maguire building their own race cars.
“Jason, in particular, not only has won it a number of times, he builds his own cars,” he said.
“They both went and brought productions cars and then figured out what the perfect Targa car would be. The engineering work they put into these cars is phenomenal.
“There’s no one in the world doing something like that, where they build and engineer their own car and then they go out and race it and win in it – it’s pretty extraordinary to do it at this level.
“I thought that was a story worth telling.”
Targa Tasmania is the envy of other nations, Anear said.
“It’s the most iconic tarmac rally in the world and it’s something people from all over the world who know about and would love to compete in,” he said.
“Jim Richards said himself ‘if you ask me if I’d rather win the Bathurst 1000 or Targa Tasmania, it’s Targa Tasmania every time. There’s 36 different race tracks essentially that you compete on over the course of six days’.
“That’s peaks to the challenge and it’s one of the purest forms of motorsport.
“Targa originated in Italy in 1906 so it pre-dates Formula One and Le Mans, it pre-dates all of the big races we’ve come to know.
“It’s an incredible challenge for someone to be able to take a production car and drive it on closed public roads, which takes a unique, special talent, I think is a great story.
Tasmania is a perfect onscreen talent.
“Tasmania is one of the most spectacular backdrops you could have for making a film,” Anear said.
“You’ve got incredible mountains that go up into the clouds, you’ve got harsh landscapes where nobody or nothing seems to live, and you’ve got ever-changing weather conditions.
“The West Coast is quite different to the North and the East, and you’ve got these spectacular roads and beautiful scenery and the contrast from one part of the state to the other is truly unique and something people all over the world will find really interesting.”
Anear hopes the documentary will be shown on Netflix or another streaming service later this year.
Targa boss reveals timeline for ultimate Targa Tasmania decision
Targa Tasmania officials are “months away” from deciding the future of the state’s iconic tarmac rally after the death of a driver in the 30th event on Wednesday as reigning champion Eddie Maguire says the show must go on.
Maguire led the rally when Brisbane driver Tony Seymour, 59, was killed after he crashed his Lotus Exige on Mt Roland, the final stage of day two on Wednesday.
It was the fourth death in two years and the sixth overall _ the same number of sailors killed in the tragic Sydney to Hobart yacht race in 1998.
White Targa continues as a touring-only event, TT30’s competition classes were cancelled and a cloud hangs over the tarmac rally.
Of the 502 cars that started on Tuesday, more than 300 did the seven closed road stages as a touring event on Friday on the way to two overnight stops in Strahan.
They do eight stages on the West Coast on Saturday and six stages on the way to Hobart on Sunday to draw to a close the milestone event.
“We don’t know what the future looks like right now, we have no idea,” said Targa boss Mark Perry.
“There are 320 cars out there still enjoying a Targa event, so it’s not necessarily the end but what it looks like from here, we’re months away from determining that.”
Maguire, of Burnie, said the consensus among the competition teams was Targa Tasmania should not be scrapped.
“It definitely deserves to have a future,” Maguire said.
“Motorsport Australia and Targa have done a fantastic job over the past 12 months to implement new safety regulations to mitigate the risks and I think the sport is still evolving.
“There might be more they could potentially do but they’ve made the right decision to regroup and access the situation.
“They definitely should not put a stop to it or downgrade it a tour event in future.
“Rallying is a huge sport all across the globe. It is a dangerous sport, we are all aware of that but so are a lot of others sports as well.”
After three deaths in last year’s event, Motorsport Australia handed down 23 recommendations an
d 21 were implemented.
On top of that, competitors were given a comprehensive overview at the drivers briefing on the night before the race, which was also attended by Tasmania Police Inspector Darren Hopkins.
“I’ve given this briefing for 15 years and it has never been more extensive,” Perry said.
“We went from a 30-minute briefing to a 90-minute briefing. I spoke to everyone about perspective, and their families, and that Targa is fun and it should be fun and just keep it in perspective.
“I’ve experienced my own crash in Targa many years ago and it can be life-changing.
“Hand on heart, I can say we’ve done everything we can over the past 12 months and that’s why we cancelled the competition side of the event. We need to analyse what’s happened because after everything we have done this has still happened.”
Targa’s specialist emergency response crews were at the scene within minutes.
“We have got intensive care paramedics and fire crews at the start of every stage. This is a world-standard event with world-standard medical support,” Perry said.
“We have paramedics you would never see in Tasmania any other day of the week. Those crews were activated as quickly as possible and fortunately with them [the Seymours] running toward the back of the field our medical crews were there within minutes.”
The Targa field is scheduled to start crossing the finish at PW1 in Hobart from 3pm on Sunday.
‘No finger pointing’: Targa champion calls for race to go on
SEVEN-time Targa Tasmania champion Jason White said there could be “no finger pointing” at Targa Tasmania officials for failing to clearly emphasise safety in this year’s event after a driver was killed on Wednesday.
Queensland driver Tony Seymour, 59, died when he crashed off the road over a steep embankment and hit a tree on the Mt Roland stage on day two of the six-day event.
His wife Sandra, 59, walked away from the accident with minor injuries. She spent a night in Launceston General under observation.
Officials cancelled the competition section of Targa Tasmania while the touring categories continued, with competition teams able to join them on the closed stages to drive through at posted speed limits.
About 320 cars were on the course for the non-competitive day in the state’s North-East, but White was not one of them in his Dodge Viper.
“My car is not set-up to drive like that, so we’re not going out,” he said.
White said safety was at the forefront leading into this year’s event following an investigation into three deaths in last year’s Targa.
Drivers in the record field of 502 cars for the milestone 30th event this year were put through a 90-minute pre-event briefing – increased from the usual 30 minute driver briefing – in Launceston on Monday night.
It was conducted by Targa officials and Tasmania Police Inspector Darren Hopkins.
“They could not have made it any clearer about safety, there’s no doubt about that,” White said.
“It was the most intense drivers’ briefing I have been to as far as drumming it into everyone about being safe and driving within your means and that kind of thing.
“There can be no finger pointed at the event whatsoever for failing to point out how dangerous it can be.
“The event has done a massive job of communicating to people to take it easy and be safe.
“Motorsport is dangerous and you know that when you sign up to it. Even if you weren’t aware when you signed up, by the time you are finished in the briefing you are well and truly aware of it.”
The teams and their support crews spent an estimated $8.5m to prepared their cars and equipment and get them to Tasmania for this year’s event, as well as coming to the state earlier to do reconnaissance of the stages.
“There are mixed emotions because I feel that if that sort of thing ever happened to me I would be disappointed if the show did not go on,” White said.
“I would consider that a sign of respect. It would be disappointing to think that if I was met with that sort of unfortunate circumstance and everyone decided to not do it anymore.”
Originally published as Why an Aussie billionaire is taking Targa Tasmania to the world
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