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Havelock North is set to welcome New Zealand Targa Rally competitors

Friday 14 October 2011, 12:17PM

By Hastings District Council

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Targa 2010 winner QuinnTillett
Targa 2010 winner QuinnTillett Credit: Hastings District Council
Clark Proctor
Clark Proctor Credit: Hastings District Council

HASTINGS

Havelock North is all set to welcome the competitors at the end of one of the country’s most gruelling car rallies.

The New Zealand Targa Rally is described as the ‘Ultimate Road Race’ and starts on Tuesday October 25th when competitors head north to the day’s finish in Whangarei. Over the next three days, the rally returns to Auckland, heads south around the extremely testing roads of the Waikato before completing Friday’s run in Palmerston North.

Saturday’s stages take the drivers from Palmerston North to a lunch break in Waipukurau, an afternoon service at the Hawke’s Bay Racing Centre in Hastings and then over the final two stages before the ceremonial finish in the centre of Havelock North.

The teams will then be able to celebrate their achievement and swap stories in a special Targa Rally zone which will be created in Napier Road, Havelock North. Supporters are invited to the zone on Saturday afternoon where there will be food and music before the visitors can further relax in the restaurants and cafés of the village.

Fans will be able to get a close up view of the cars during the lunch break at Central Park in Waipukurau and at the half hour service at the Hawke’s Bay Racing Centre.

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule says” Having the rally finish in Havelock North will be a huge boost for village businesses. It is another chance for Hawke’s Bay to show its fun side to visitors from all around the country and there will also be a few from overseas. These types of events are a fantastic way to show Hastings as a vibrant business centre with a truly great lifestyle.”

The 95 teams who have entered the full Targa will compete over 750 kilometres of closed road special stages while 23 teams have entered the Targa tour where drivers do the same stages as the full Targa but at a more sedate speed behind a pace car.