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Targa Drops MSNZ for AASA

10 February, 2020

 

 

Last year we covered the new motorsports sanctioning body, Australian AutoSport Alliance (AASA), launched locally by LeMons organizer Jacob Simonsen. The alternative sanctioning body offers an alternative choice for permitting, licensing, and insurance for New Zealand motorsport event organizers, competitors, and officials. It was quickly adopted by Targa New Zealand for the Targa Tour portion of the event, while the main portion stayed under the MotorSport New Zealand (MSNZ) banner.

Now in 2020, the organizers behind Targa have announced that they’ll switch sanctioning bodies completely, with the local-arm of AASA taking over full duties. “I have decided to go with the AASA for both the competition and tour parts of our three Targa events in 2020,” Ultimate Rally Group director Peter Martin says.

“As an event organizer, and someone who is ultimately responsible for the safety of everyone who not only competes in but also is involved in some way in any of my events, I understand that safety is absolutely paramount.

“I found it refreshing this year to find that Jacob and his team at the AASA share the exact same laser-like focus on safety as I do, yet — because most [of] the processes are online — actually save everyone involved in the process of competing in one of my events, in time as well as money.”

The two-day Targa Bambina will return in March (7–8), followed by the three-day Targa Hawkes Bay event in May (15–17), and the five-day Targa New Zealand in the Taranaki region (14–18 October).

Lunch with… Jim Palmer

16 April, 2025

In the 1960s, Hamilton’s Jim Palmer won the prestigious ‘Gold Star’ four times and was the first resident New Zealander home in the New Zealand Grand Prix on five consecutive occasions. He shared the podium with Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Denny Hulme, Jackie Stewart, and Chris Amon. The extent of his domination of the open-wheeler scene in New Zealand will probably never be matched or exceeded. Yet he’s always been modest about his achievements.

NZ Classic Car magazine, May/June 2025 issue 399, on sale now

13 April, 2025

Who would have thought it would become such a worldwide motorsport star when Ford introduced the humble Escort in 1967?
Its popularity, particularly in Mark 1 form, is now of iconic status. Our cover story for this issue is on a 1968 Ford Escort Mark 1, Alan Mann Racing Tribute. We talked with the owner of this very special Escort, finished in tribute also to the owner’s father.
“Most children love speed, and motorsport typically comes courtesy of a parent, and Elliott is no different. His engineer father, Mark, had a love for motorcycles and going fast; however, when children came along, he swapped two wheels for four, in the form of two Ford Escorts.
Little did Mark know it at the time, but the humble Escort was about to weave its way into the family fabric once and for all.
After emigrating from London to New Zealand, Elliott recalled one evening when he was 14 being invited to tag along by his father, helping a friend convert an Escort road car into a racing car. This was the pivotal moment when Elliott remembers the motorsport bug taking over. He knew he had to have his own one.”