March will become motorsport madness with Targa Tasmania to start festivities

Targa Tasmania might have been cancelled for this year, but organisers have big plans for the event including a change of date to start a celebration of motorsport.

Winners Paul Stokell and Kate Catford near Cygnet on the final day. Targa 2019. Picture: SCOTT GELSFORD/TARGA TASMANIA

TARGA Tasmania’s 30th anniversary event will mark a festival of motorsport.

The tarmac classic will have a new timeslot in early March to kick start a month of premium motorsport that will also include the Formula 1 race in Melbourne and the Supercars round at Symmons Plains.

The 29th running of the event, now to be held in 2021, will remain with the traditional post-Easter dates of April 19 to 24, before swapping to the March dates the following year for the major 30th anniversary event.

Targa Australia has announced the dates out to 2027, with the event now tied to the week leading into the March Eight Hour Day long weekend. The F1 round will follow the following week with the Supercars due in the state in the weeks after that.

Targa chief executive Mark Perry said the new dates would underpin the ongoing success of Targa Tasmania.

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“Having a set time on the calendar every year is a huge advantage for us to be able to continue to attract people to the event,” Perry said.

“It makes everyone’s planning much simpler compared to the moving feast of dates we have always had to deal with, which resulted in TARGA being run anywhere from mid-April to early May.

“The March date also is far more appealing to visitors coming to Tasmania – they can enjoy our wonderful early autumn weather and the long days courtesy of daylight savings.

“We increasingly see the tour component of the event growing – people who have great cars and simply want to enjoy driving them on our great roads and enjoy the best of what Tasmania has to offer – and a March timeslot is much more appealing to them than the colder, wetter traditional spot.”

Targa Tasmania CEO Mark Perry announces the cancellation of the event at Hobart. Picture Chris Kidd

Targa was forced to cancel this year due to the coronavirus crisis, but Perry said the event’s future was assured.

“There is no doubt that losing the event this year was a blow, but with the support of Events Tasmania we can now plan for the future with great confidence,” he said.

“Targa Tasmania is here to stay and now enjoys a premium spot on the Australian Motorsports calendar.”

The event will also return to its traditional Tuesday to Sunday format, rather than Monday to Saturday, allowing more opportunities for Tasmanian fans to access the cars in action over the final weekend.

The Monday following the event will be the public holiday providing an additional economic boost to the state.

THE DATES FOR THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY AND BEYOND HAVE BEEN SET AS:

* 8 to 13 March 2022 (30th Anniversary)

* 7 to 12 March 2023

* 5 to 10 March 2024

* 4 to 9 March 2025

* 3 to 8 March 2026

* 2 to 7 March 2027 (35th Anniversary)