The 2024 Targa Newfoundland gets underway September 12 and concludes September 19.
By: Targa Newfoundland 
March 14, 2024 

Gander, Newfoundland – Targa Newfoundland, the only tarmac car rally in North America, will return to the streets of Gander this September for the 2024 edition of this exciting world-famous event.  
 
Targa 2024 will run during the edge of the tourist season from September 12 to 19, 2024, beginning with a two-day drivers’ school in St. John’s before heading out to explore other areas of the province. The Gander stage will take place late afternoon, Sunday, September 15th. 
 
“Gander was always a high point for participants in past Targa events,” said Targa President Joe Dowden. “We are delighted that council and residents are welcoming us back this fall. Our goal is to provide a safe and entertaining event for both competitors and spectators alike.” 
 
Since 2002, Targa Newfoundland has run 22 successful events composed of some 950 stages across the island of Newfoundland on scenic seaside roadways and through quaint towns and villages. This six-day event is motorsport’s ultimate road rally, attracting teams from all over the world to experience and enjoy the people, culture, and hospitality of one of North America’s most beautiful destinations. 
 
Targa is divided into four divisions for gas, electric and hybrid vehicles, including three competitive classes and one non-competitive touring division. Teams of drivers and co-drivers/navigators challenge themselves and each other racing the clock to achieve the best time and fewest penalties. The competitive sections of the stages are held on roads closed to the public.  
 
Teams will race on a closed course through a portion of Gander and stay two nights in the town, benefiting local hotels, restaurants and other businesses as well as shining a spotlight on Gander through media and social media attention. Spectators will be able to view the cars in action and at nightly car shows where they can mingle with the drivers and co-drivers.  
 
“The wonderful people of Gander have always given us a warm welcome and endeared themselves to the competitors,” said Targa founder Robert Giannou. “We’re excited to be back, and hope residents will come out in force to watch the rally, meet the racers and volunteer for the event so we have another successful rally.” 
 
About Gander 
The Town of Gander is a modern and progressive community in central Newfoundland with a population of approximately 12,000 people. The town is home to Gander International Airport and 9 Wing Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Gander, which includes 103 Search and Rescue Squadron. Gander's airport hosted 38 planes, carrying about 6,600 passengers, after they were forced to land in Canadian airspace after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The town’s generosity, warmth, and kindness were highlighted in the hit Broadway play “Come From Away.” Visit Town of Gander (gandercanada.com).  
 
Targa Newfoundland 
Owned and operated by Newfoundland International Motorsports Limited, Targa Newfoundland is one of three internationally recognized Targa motorsports events in the world. For more information on how to compete, volunteer, or spectate, visit targanfld.com.  
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Vincent Lalande and Matthieu Touin on their way to victory in the Rallye Perce-Neige. (Photo-Clément Tavernier/poleposition.ca)
By: Eastern Canadian Rally Championship
February 5, 2024 

The traditional Rallye Perce-Neige was presented this past weekend in Maniwaki, in the Upper Gatineau region of Quebec as the first round of the 20204 Eastern Canadian Rally Championship (ECRC). Victory went to a driver new to the series and to performance rally competition in general, Vincent Lalande. At the wheel of a Subaru Impreza, the 16-year-old was co-driven by Matthieu Toupin and took home his first victory of the season ahead of all the anticipated favourites.

 

Motorcycle driver and road racer (in the Nissan Sentra Cup last year at the age of 15), Lalande negotiated the sometimes snowy, sometimes dirt covered in treacherous icy patches, with seeming mastery. He not only won the ECRC classification but also set a fastest stage time overall on Friday night, ahead of stars from the North American and Canadian championships.

 

He is certainly the revelation of this 2024 edition, thanks in part to the work of his co-driver Matthieu Toupin. In the end, Lalande/Toupin won by a margin of over one minute and fifteen seconds ahead of Sébastien Clark and Patrick Lévesque, also driving a Subaru. For Clark, this was a very promising result after a 2023 season plagued with mechanical issues.

 

The podium was completed by Olivier David and Simon Decosse, ahead of Gabriel Monette/Hughes Bergeron and winners of the 2023 Rallye de Charlevoix, Simon Vincent and Hubert Gaudreau. Behind the Quebec-dominated Top 5, Jonathan Drake and Ian Lantz had a very good start to the event before experiencing some issues with their Subaru RS STI. Two other Subarus rounded out the top eight with Simon Aube/Gabrielle St-Jacques (seventh) and Cédrick Tanguay/Layla Zigby (eighth).

 

The battle for victory in the 2-wheel drive class was intense until the very end of the ECRC portion of the event. Nicolas Laverdière and Marc-Olivier Lamontagne (Ford Fiesta Production 2WD) led until the final stage Friday night but a transmission problem prevented them from completing the rally. This gave the advantage to Hans Larose and Alexandre Pesant (Volkswagen Golf) who won the category, also finishing in ninth place in overall ECRC standings. On roads where dirt turned to icy in a matter of meters, bringing a 2-wheel drive into the Top 10 is a very good performance.

 

Rookies Frédéric Gagné and Alexandre Bessette, at the wheel of 2023 series champion Jean-Sébastien Besner’s Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, completed the ECRC Top 10 while the 2WD podium was completed by Charles L’Estage and Juliette L’Estage (Ford Focus SVT Production 2WD). Nephew and daughter of 10-time Canadian rally champion Antoine L’Estage, this series rookie duo impressed in their first-ever appearance at the event.

 

Mathieu Royer and Alyssa Voyzelle-Montminy (Nissan Sentra) finished third in the 2WD class. In total, 19 of the 22 teams registered in the ECRC finished the 2024 edition of the Rallye Perce-Neige. Antoine L’Estage amd Alan Ockwell (Ford Fiesta Proto R) won the overall classification (North American Rally Cup and Canadian Championship).

 

This season, the Eastern Canadian Rally Championship (ECRC) is comprised of nine rounds, spread out between Ontario and Quebec. The next event is the Shannonville Stages, taking place on April 6th in Ontario. 2024 will be the first year this event is part of the ECRC.

 

For more information, please visit the site www.ecrc-crec.ca

 

2024 ECRC Calendar

 

February 2-3

Rallye Perce-Neige
www.rallyeperceneige.com
Maniwaki (Quebec)
Club Rallye Maniwaki

Overall: Vincent Lalande & Matthieu Toupin
2WD: Hans Larose & Alexandre Pesant

 

April 6

Shannonville Stages

www.pmscrally.com/sss
Shannonville (Ontario)
PMSC + KWRC

 

April 29

Rallye de Sanair
www.rallyedesanair.ca
St-Pie-de-Bagot (Quebec)
Club Autos Sport La Licorne

 

May 25

Rallye Vallée de Beauce
www.casll.qc.ca
St-Victor (Quebec)
Club Autos Sport La Licorne

 

June 29 - 30

Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs
www.rallyebdc.com
New Richmond (Quebec)
Club Rallye Auto Baie-des-Chaleurs

 

August 10

Black Bear Rally
www.mlrc.ca/blackbear/
Catchacoma (Ontario)
Maple Leaf Rally Club

 

September 7 - 8

Rallye Défi Petite Nation
www.rallyedefi.ca
Montpellier (Quebec)
Club Autosport Défi Outaouais

 

November 2 – 3

Rallye de Charlevoix
www.rallyecharlevoix.com
La Malbaie (Quebec)
Club Rallye De Charlevoix

 

November 24

Tall Pines Rally
www.tallpinesrally.com
Bancroft (Ontario)
Maple Leaf Rally Club

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The Race of Champions coverage starts immediately following live coverage of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
By: Rev TV 
January 26, 2023
 

Burlington, Ontario – REV TV CANADA'S MOTORSPORTS & AUTOMOTIVE DESTINATION 24/7 is thrilled to announce that we are set to air the chilled and blisteringly fast Race Of Champions Snow + Ice from Pite Havsbad, the biggest resort in the North of Sweden.

 

Some of the world's best drivers from several major motorsport series—including Formula 1, World Rally, NASCAR, IndyCar, Le Mans, Touring Cars, and X-Games—come together for a unique chance to compete head-to-head in identical cars to decide who really is the fastest of them all, the “Champion of Champions,” and to crown the “World’s Fastest Nation” in the ROC Nations Cup.

 

“Last year’s Race Of Champions was an absolute pleasure with its mixture of super fast racers, freezing temperatures and frivolity,” said Ed Kanerva, Director of Programming at REV TV. “It is a delight to see some drivers from such a wide range of disciplines going head-to-head and letting their hair down in such a fun environment, and, as exciting as the racing is, we can’t wait to see who takes the polar plunge into the Baltic this year!”

 

To see all of the incredible drivers involved in this year’s ROC click HERE.

 

“We are very happy that Canadian motorsport fans will be able to watch the return of the Race Of Champions World Final on Snow + Ice, to the frozen ocean 60 miles from the Arctic Circle at Pite Havsbad in Sweden on REV TV,” said Fredrik Johnsson, President of Race Of Champions. “It will be wonderful to see how some of the world’s best drivers adapt to the circuit, especially the newcomers, and to see who will come out on top.”

 

Built on the frozen Baltic Sea, the ROC SNOW+ICE course will use the series’ iconic parallel track and cross-over bridge. This proprietary track design ensures the head-to-head action fans have come to expect from ROC, and is optimized for broadcast productions. ROC is dedicated to providing a platform for innovation and 2023 marks the return of the incredible all-electric FC1-X. This commitment includes cars powered by electric and 100% fossil-free biofuel engines.

 

The ROC Nations Cup will be broadcast LIVE on Saturday, January 28th at 6AM ET, with the Race Of Champions airing on Sunday, January 29th at 3PM ET following REV TV flag-to-flag live coverage of the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona The Race Of Champions 2023 series will also have highlight airings that will be available in the weeks following.

 

About Race Of Champions

The Race Of Champions (ROC) is a defining contest in global motorsports. For over 30 years it has given audiences and world champions a unique head-to-head showdown designed to level the playing field and crown the world's very best of the best. ROC draws on a diversity of disciplines from Formula One®, IndyCar®, and other open-wheel leagues, to the grittier contests of NASCAR®, World RallyCross® and even MotoGP®, as it travels the world and exotic venues.

 

About REV TV

YOUR MOTORSPORTS & AUTOMOTIVE DESTINATION is available to over 8 million households across Canada and features over 200 races from around the world and right here at home. From two-wheels to four and so much more. REV TV showcases all forms of high-octane racing, such as MotoGP, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Monster Jam, World Rally Championship, INDY NXT, World RX Championship, WorldSBK, along with news coverage such as The Inside Line (F1), Winged Nation (winged sprint cars) and PASMAG’s Tuning 365. We also have a slate of original programming with REV Culture with Todd Lewis that features interviews with motorsports luminaries, All North Racing which focuses on grassroots racing, a slew of how-to and behind-the-scenes programs, and so much more. REV TV is your MOTORSPORTS & AUTOMOTIVE DESTINATION 24/7.

 

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JS Besner & Yvan Joyal took the win in the season opener at Rallye Perce-Neige Maniwaki. (Photo-Clément Tavernier/poleposition.ca)
By: Eastern Canadian Rally Championship
February 8, 2023
 

Returning to its traditional date in the heart of winter, the Rallye Perce-Neige Maniwaki, held in the Haute Gatineau region of Québec, kicked off the Canadian national rally season this past weekend. Competing in the Eastern Canadian Rally Championship (ECRC) portion of the rally, this season-launching event was won by two-time series champion (2016, 2018) Jean-Sébastien Besner, in a Mitsubishi Evo Lancer. Co-driven by Yvan Joyal, the Montreal driver was consistent on the icy and snowy roads that made up this challenging rally.

 

Showcasing excellent speed while avoiding any mishaps, Besner and Joyal claimed victory by a margin of just over 2 minutes and 15 seconds over Simon Aubé and François Joanisse. At the wheel of their Subaru WRX STI, the novice team of Aubé and Joanisse passed the majority of the favoured and more experienced teams by finished second in ECRC and first amongst the novice competitors. Their performance in such a tricky rally contested on very difficult road conditions that left no room for error, demonstrates that this duo has a very promising season ahead of them. 

 

In addition to finishing in third place overall, Vincent Trudel, co-driven by Albertan Michael Szewczyk, also won the Production 4-Wheel Drive Class in a Subaru WRX STI. They finished with a slim lead of 25.8 seconds ahead of the Francophone-American Emmanuel Cecchet and his Quebec co-driver Jonathan Desgroseilliers, also in a Subaru WRX STI.

 

Back to rally competition after spending several seasons contesting the Nissan Sentra Cup, Simon Vincent’s rally-driving muscle memory didn’t take too long to kick in and bring him amongst the event leaders. Accompanied by his co-driver Hubert Gaudreau, Vincent was poised for victory in his Subaru WRX STI but losing 5 minutes on the ninth stage eliminated those hopes. The Vincent/Gaudreau eventually finished in fifth spot, 4 minutes and 54 seconds behind the fastest team.

 

The Top 6 in the ECRC overall standings was rounded out by Mathieu Leblanc and Éric Dubé.  In their Honda Civic, this team also won the 2-Wheel Drive Class. On the icy Perce-Neige roads, this class victory, coupled with their 6th place overall, is an excellent weekend for a two-wheel drive team. This result puts the team from Gaspé as the early favourites for the ECRC 2WD title. 

 

Finishing less than 5 seconds off the overall Top 6, Gabriel Monette and Danny Hudon (Subaru) ended in seventh, ahead of William Pardiac and Manuel Arsenault (also in a Subaru and second in Novice).

 

The ninth and tenth overall places went to the teams finishing in second and third in 2-Wheel Drive Class. After a tight battle, Mathieu Royer and Alyssa Voyzelle-Montminy beat defending class champion Kurt Duddy, co-driven by Matthieu Toupin. Both teams were contesting the event in Nissan Sentras.

 

At the start of this 57th edition of the Rallye Perce-Neige, the recorded temperature was -36 degrees Celsius. Despite these frigid temperatures, this year will go down as one of the least mechanically destructive in history. Only three of the 22 ECRC-registered teams couldn’t finish the event.

 

The Eastern Canadian Rally Championship (ECRC) consists of eight events this season, spread out between Ontario and Quebec. The next round will take place on Jun 10th, as part of the Rallye International de Mékinac, in Mauricie (Quebec).

 

The 2023 Rallye Perce-Neige also counted towards the North American Rally Cup and the Canadian Rally Championship. Quebeckers Alexandre Moreau and Ian Guité (Subaru WRX STI) claimed overall victory in those standings, ahead of Jean-Sébastien Besner and Yvan Joyal.

 

For more information, please visit: www.ecrc-crec.ca

 

2023 Calendrier ECRC

Date

Event

Town (Province) / Club

2023 Winners

February 4 

Rallye Perce-Neige

www.rallyeperceneige.com

Maniwaki (Quebec)

Club Rallye Maniwaki

Overall : J.S.Besner & Yvan Joyal 

2WD : Mathieu Leblanc & Éric Dubé

June 10

Rallye International de Mékinac

Lac-aux-Sables (Quebec)

Club Auto Défi Outaouais

 

July 1 & 2 

Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs

www.rallyebdc.com

New Richmond (Quebec)

Club Rallye Auto Baie-des-Chaleurs

 

August 12

Black Bear Rally

www.mlrc.ca/blackbear/  

Catchacoma (Ontario)

Maple Leaf Rally Club

 

September 8 & 9

Rallye Défi Petite Nation

www.rallyedefi.ca

Montpellier (Quebec)

Club Autosport Défi Outaouais

 

October 21 & 22

Rallye de Charlevoix

www.rallyecharlevoix.com

La Malbaie (Quebec)

Club Rallye De Charlevoix

 

November 25

Tall Pines Rally Regional 1

www.tallpinesrally.com

Bancroft (Ontario)

Maple Leaf Rally Club

 

November 25

Tall Pines Rally Regional 2

www.tallpinesrally.com

Bancroft (Ontario)

Maple Leaf Rally Club

 

 

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