When Targa Tasmania takes off on Monday, spectators will have plenty of sites across the state to take in all the action.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
This year there will be more than 33 competitive stages covering an overall total distance of 2000 kilometres.
Here is everything you need to know.
Where to see the cars:
George Town Street Stage, Monday, April 29
Being the first day of the event, this is your best chance to see the entire field in action.
See the quick cars jump over Low Head Main Road on William Street, negotiate the complex chicane on Macquarie Street or mingle with the teams in Regent Square after their run.
- Roads closed from 11am to 3.30pm
- The first tour car is due at 11.30am
- The first competition care is due at 12pm
Sheffield, Tuesday, April 30
Sheffield makes for a rally stage, but quite difficult in places.
It starts with a challenging uphill run with several tight and slippery corners.
It then passes through the Paradise Forest where there are a number of deceptive bends and long straights.
The stage then passes through open farmland where there is a mixture of fast sweeping bends and several very tight corners.
- Roads closed from 8.29am to 12.59pm
- First tour car due at 8.59am
- First competition care due at 9.29am
Latrobe lunch stop, Tuesday, April 30
- First tour car due to at 9.43am
- First competition care due at 10.13am
Moriarty, Tuesday, April 30
Moriarty flows through farmland with several deceptive 90 degree corners at the end of straights.
- Roads closed from 10.25am to 2.55pm
- First tour car due at 10.55am
- First competition care due at 11.25am
RELATED: Targa Tasmania to host $650k Ferrari
Mt Roland, Tuesday, April 30
Mt Roland is the first 26 kilometres of the Cethana stage in reverse. It starts with a hill climb up Mt Claude, then a flat run over the top of the plateau then a series of tight bends on the run down the other side of the plateau, then a flowing run to the finish.
- Roads closed from 11.28am to 3.58pm
- First tour car due at 11.58am
- First competition care due at 12.28am
The Sideling, Wednesday, May 1
The Sideling is regarded as one of the key Targa stages to sort outright and category placings and is the first of five North-East stages using the Tasman Highway for the course.
The stage takes competitors through forestry plantations with plenty of sharp corners requiring skill in car placement and gear selection.
An excellent stage which is mostly smooth tarmac and full of tricky corners that come up quickly with lots of 'clips' - cutting corners.
- Roads closed from 7.45am to 12.15pm *7.15am from Scottsdale end
- First tour car due at 8.15am
- First competition care due at 8.45am
St Helens lunch stop, Wednesday, May 1
- First tour car due at 10.20am
- First competition care due at 10.50am
Elephant Pass, Wednesday, May 1
Elephant Pass is the most famous East Coast pass and definitely one of the toughest of the event, with switchback corners, steep drops from the side of the road and rock embankments.
Run in the south to north direction, it becomes a challenging seven kilometre hill climb before winding slightly downhill to the finish. The stage is as daunting as it is challenging to drive.
- Roads closed from 11.44am to 4.14pm
- First tour car due at 12.14pm
- First competition care due at 12.44pm
Silverdome Targafest, Wednesday, May 1
The annual Silverdome Expo will return on Wednesday from 6pm to 9pm. The public will have the opportunity to enjoy a cavalcade of motoring history, all under one roof and out of the weather.
Tickets are available at the door. Adults $10 and kids under 12 are free.
Cethana, Thursday, May 2
Cethana is a great stage, the longest of the day, and considered to be the best long section of tarmac road in the world.
Winding with crests and dips it crosses the Mersey river followed by a twisty climb, opening out to a fast section on the plateau, then an undulating run through many difficult corners.
This section is followed by a steep descent into the Forth Valley followed by a climb to the finish at Moina.
- Roads closed from 7.23am to 11.53am *6.53am from Moina end
- First tour car due at 7.53am
- First competition care due at 8.23am
Riana, Thursday, May 2
Riana an extremely important stage due to its length and variety of driving conditions.
It is an unbelievably challenging stage that winds up and down three separate river valleys.
Full of difficult to read crests and corners, the stage also contains some long straights with crests in them where the car will most likely become light.
- Roads closed from 8.52am to 1.22pm
- First tour car due at 9.22am
- First competition care due at 9.52am
Burnie lunch stop, Thursday, May 2
- First tour car due at 10.23am
- First competition car due at 10.53am
Hellyer Gorge, Thursday, May 2
Hellyer Gorge provides one of the ultimate driving challenges.
It starts off gently enough, over an undulating road until suddenly, it's on in earnest as the road surface changes to a smooth one as it winds its way downhill to the bottom of the gorge and then twists and turns up the other side to the plateau.
The road is almost guaranteed to be wet and slippery, if not for its entire length then on many bends.
As this road is now not used frequently by the public autumn leaves fall on the road and when damp, add to the slippery conditions. But that is all part of the competition.
- Roads closed from 11.34am to 4.04pm
- First tour car due at 12.04pm
- First competition care due at 12.34pm
Mt Arrowsmith, Friday, May 3
Mount Arrowsmith is the longest Targa stage of the event.
It is a mixture of fast open stretches and tight bends and can make or break competitor's aspirations to outright victory, category or class wins.
In parts the road is bumpy and the key to successful fast drive is to be near the maximum on the wide parts and take care on the bends - some of which you may have to apply the brakes, although you may normally feel that you would take them flat out.
- Roads closed from 8.15am to 12.45pm
- First tour car due at 8.45am
- First competition care due at 9.15am
New Norfolk lunch stop, Friday, May 3
- First tour car due at 11.23am
- First competition car due at 12.02pm
Grasstree Hill, Friday, May 3
Grasstree Hill is a quick run over the hill on the outskirts of Hobart.
The road has a very smooth surface for the most part with good grip.
- Roads closed from 12.56pm to 4.51pm
- First tour car due at 1.26pm
- First competition care due at 1.56pm
Hobart Targa Fest, Friday, May 3
Friday will see the stunning Hobart waterfront come alive as the Targa field rolls into town for the Hobart Targa Fest from 6pm to 9pm on the floors of Mac2.
Tickets are available at the door. Adults $10 and kids under 12 are free.
Tinderbox, Saturday, May 4
Tinderbox is only a short stage but it will require plenty of concentration, with no time to catch your breath as the majority of the stage is spent going either left or right.
- Roads closed from 7.38am to 12.08pm
- First tour car due at 8.08am
- First competition care due at 8.38am
Longley, Saturday, May 4
Longley is deceptive and it can catch out the unwary.
It's a good tight and twisty run along the Huon road from Vince's Saddle to Neika, with a combination of sweeping bends and sharp corners and it will be slippery if wet.
In fact some bends will be damp as the sun does not filter through the overgrowth at this time of year - so watch out for them.
- Roads closed from 10.29am to 2.59pm
- First tour car due at 10.59am
- First competition care due at 11.29am
Targa Tasmania official finish, Saturday, May 4
Come down, relax and enjoy the prime location on Hobart's majestic waterfront.
On arrival at the finish line, competitors will receive their Finisher's Medallions and provisional winners of each competition will be recognised for their outstanding performances with a "Grand Finale Champagne Shower" on stage.
- From 12pm.
Running order
Unlike regular rallying, the Targa field runs slowest to fastest, in the following order through each Targa stage:
- Posted speed limit Targa Tour (car numbers 2 to 99)
- Speed limited Competitions (car numbers 100 to 199)
- Classic Full Speed Competitions (car numbers 200 to 699)
- Modern Full Speed Competitions (car numbers 700 to 998)
What this means?
Patients is the key, as the fastest and more high profile latest model Targa cars will come through each stage last.
In a nutshell, the care sill get faster and faster with the passing of each car.
The Targa Tour cars will come past in close knit packets of around 10 cars.
After this a car will come past approximately every 30 seconds, unless of course they are being passed by a faster car just where you're standing.
That's right, in Targa passing is allowed, so get ready to see something normally only seen on a race track.
Safety:
Officials, along with the police, will not allow a stage to start until all spectators are positioned in what they consider to be a safe location, not where the spectator thinks is safe.
It is very important that you think about the fact that you can be positioned there for up to six hours, especially those with young children.
Organisers recommend you consider a junction or intersecting road with the stage, if you wish to arrive after the Targa stage road is closed and/or leave before it re-opens.
The event runs to the minute and no access from either end of the stage will be possible from the minute the road closure time commences.
