Targa Great Barrier Reef is promising plenty of excitement at the end of next month with the first ever running of a Targa event in Queensland. The new event, to be based in Cairns from 31 August to 2 September, is modelled on the world’s largest tarmac rally, Targa Tasmania, which has been held annually on the Apple Isle since making its debut in 1992.
Targa Great Barrier Reef is round three of the four event CAMS Australian Targa Championship, and will see the attendance of all the leading teams and manufacturers.
The actual course itself has been a closely guarded secret for months now as preparations have been going on to provide a design that not only gives competitors the challenges they expect from a Targa event, but also takes the field of exotic and classic cars to a number of key locations in Far North Queensland.
With over two hundred cars taking part, it will represent a cavalcade of motoring history from early classics right through to the latest exotic supercars and for people who live in the region, a very rare opportunity to see this many rare cars up close, right outside their homes in some cases.
The field will tackle 18 Targa stages across more than 900 kilometres of Tropical North Queensland roads.
The event officially gets underway outside the Reef Hotel Casino on 31st August with cars leaving the official start from 7.20am through to 9.30am, before heading to the opening stage at Greenhill, designed to ease everyone into the event.
From there, they tackle the amazing Gillies Range before a visit to Atherton from 9.20am to 12.00pm, where local residents will be able to see the cars up close for the first time. The field then comes back down Gillies Range and heads to Lake Morris Road for the first run up to Copperlode Dam. After the field reaches the top, it will then come back down this road before returning to the Cairns Convention Centre for the first overnight stop.
Saturday 1st September sees the field leave the Convention Centre from 6.45am to 8.30am and head to stages at Upper Barron, Lake Eacham and Glen Allyn before having lunch in Malanda, where again locals will see the cars close up from 9.20am to 12.30pm. The cars will then tackle Glen Allyn and Lake Eacham in the reverse direction before again heading to Lake Morris Road for a second run up and down this fantastic stretch of road.
Sunday 2nd September sees the final day of action for 2018 with the cars leaving the Convention Centre from 6.45am to 8.30am and heading straight to the amazing Kuranda Range before stages at Malanda, Moregatta and Millaa Millaa and onto lunch at Ravenshoe to again showcase the cars to the local community between 10.45am and 1.30pm.
The field will then return to Cairns a final time via the Millaa Millaa and Moregatta stages in the reverse direction before crossing the Official Finish line in the heart of Cairns from 2.30pm, with venue options still being assessed.
One of the world’s biggest champagne showers will happen at approximately 5.00pm, where all of 48 of the events competition winners celebrate on stage together! It is a sight not to be missed
TARGA GREAT BARRIER REEF COURSE SUMMARY
LEG ONE – FRIDAY 31ST AUGUST
OFFICIAL START- REEF HOTEL CASINO – 7.20 TO 9.30
Stage Name: GREEN HILL
Road closure time: 7:34 – 12:04
Roads Closed Between the following Roads
Gray Road Pine Creek Road and Green Hill Road
Greenhill Road Gray Road and Pine Creek Road
Stage Name: GILLIES RANGE & LITTLE MULGRAVE
Road closure time: 8:09 – 14:09
Roads Closed Between the following Roads
Gillies Highway Appaloosa Street and Boar Pocket Road
TOWN VISIT- ATHERTON – 9.20 TO 12.00
Stage Name: LAKE MORRIS 1 & COPPERLODE 1
Road closure time: 11:25 – 17:25
Roads Closed Between the following Locations
Lake Morris Road One kilometre before Campbells Lookout to Lake Morris
LEG TWO – SATURDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER
Stage Name: UPPER BARRON
Road closure time: 7:41 – 12:11
Roads Closed Between the following Roads
East Barron Road Kennedy Highway and Claringbold Road
East Barron Road Claringbold Road and Cook Road
Cook Road East Barron Road and Stonehouse Road
Stonehouse Road Cook Road and Mooma Road
Andrickson Road Mooma Road and Malanda Atherton Road
Stage Name: LAKE EACHAM & YUNGABURRA
Road closure time: 8:07 – 13:07
Roads Closed Between the following Roads
Wrights Creek Road Gillies Highway and Gadgarra Road
Gadgarra Road Wrights Creek Road and Winfield Road
Winfield Road Gadgarra Road and Lakes Drive
Stage Name: GLEN ALLYN & NORTH JOHNSTONE
Road closure time: 8:27 – 13:27
Roads Closed Between the following Roads
Topaz Road Malanda Lake Barrine Road and Haines Road
Haines Road Topaz Road and Lindsay Road
TOWN VISIT- MALANDA – 9.20 TO 12.30
Stage Name: LAKE MORRIS 2 & COPPERLODE 2
Road closure time: 12:17 – 18:17
Roads Closed Between the following Locations
Lake Morris Road One kilometre before Campbells Lookout to Lake Morris
TARGAFEST- ESPLANADE, CAIRNS – 16.00 TO 21.00
LEG THREE – SUNDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER
Stage Name: KURANDA RANGE
Road closure time: 6:46 – 11:16
Roads Closed Between the following Roads
Kennedy Highway Canopys Edge Boulevard and Black Mountain Road
Stage Name: MALANDA
Road closure time: 8:19 – 12:49
Roads Closed Between the following Roads
Merragallan Road Millaa Millaa – Malanda Road and Laundry Road
Laundry Road Merragallan Road and Millaa Millaa – Malanda Road
Stage Name: MOREGATTA & THERESA CREEK
Road closure time: 8:46 – 13:46
Roads Closed Between the following Roads
Moregatta Road Millaa Millaa – Malanda Road and Theresa Creek Road
Theresa Creek Road Moregatta Road and Woolleys Road
Stage Name: MILLAA MILLAA & PALMERSTONE
Road closure time: 9:06 – 14:06
Roads Closed Between the following Roads
Old Palmerstone Hwy Millaa Millaa – Malanda Road and Maalan Road
Maalan Road Old Palmerstone Highway and Old Palmerstone Highway
Old Palmerstone Hwy Maalan Road and Kennedy Highway
TOWN VISIT- RAVENSHOE – 10.45 TO 13.30
OFFICIAL FINISH- CAIRNS – 15.00 TO 17.30
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