The Targa Bambina is the launch pad for three Targa events in 2010. With 260 Klms over 16 tarmac rally stages there are also 394 klms of touring stages throughout the Franklin and North Waikato Districts in the Bambina. There are good entries in both categories; Targa Bambina and Targa Tour.

Targa event dates are:

• Targa Bambina (Papakura based) 2 day event 13-14 March
• Targa Rotorua 2 day event 05-06 June
• Dunlop Targa 6 day main event 25-31 October
  

Event Director Peter Martin said: "We have a new sponsor in Rock FM coming on board - Targa is, the demographics of their target market. Talking target markets, what is also interesting is that Parkside Media report increased sales of their Classic Car magazine since Targa returned to the magazine. We have also produced a promotional DVD that will be used to attract international drivers either in their vehicles or leasing one of ours."

Top Gear Live, ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane NZ.  19-21st February 2010.

Friday-

The Top Gear Live Festival was the first of it’s kind, a fully custom built racetrack designed by Greg Murphy.  With many different types of racing and automotive entertainment taking place outside of the Top Gear Live Show, it was looking to be a promising event.  Friday morning we had a couple of test runs on the technical 2nd and 3rd gear course, drifting the whole track.  While the drifters sussed out the course quickly, the concrete barriers claimed a few other cars, mainly the classic v8 muscle cars who were getting a bit too eager with the loud pedal.  The Crowd response was enormous in the afternoon, with gobs of people flocking to the stands every time we came out.

With the next crop of talented young Kiwi drivers enjoying the benefits of winning one of the sectors of Rally New Zealand’s three-part Rising Stars driver development programme, a few changes have been made to the programme for 2010 applicants.

“We’re extremely happy with the way our young drivers have embraced the opportunities available via a scholarship system like Rising Stars, and our 2009 winners highlight the rallying talent in New Zealand,” says Rally New Zealand chairman Chris Carr.

“We have Hayden Paddon, from Geraldine, using his International Award to help top up his Pirelli Star Driver programme and therefore complete a full Production World Rally Championship schedule this season.

“Development Award winner Ben Jagger, from Whangarei, is using his Development Award funding and mentoring to step up to the Group N four-wheel-drive class in the New Zealand Rally Championship after winning the national two-wheel-drive rally title in just his second full year in rallying.

More exciting racing at the penultimate round of the GTRNZ Series at Manfeild in Feilding this weekend has set up a classic finale for each class at Taupo over Easter.

In the GT1 Class for the fastest cars in the series Grant Brennan of Tauranga made the best advancement towards championship success with a clean sweep in his Brennan SB2 Corvette. Brennan took pole position from rival John Rae of New Plymouth on Saturday and went on to take three wins from three races to put himself in a strong championship position.

Rae was only .206 of a second behind Brennan in qualifying and the duo looked set to provide the same breathtaking action as they had on their last visit to Manfeild. Once again the pair provided some exciting battles and plenty of passing manoeuvres but Rae struggled with grip and brake problems in his Corvette C5 while he was also recovering from a virus. Consequently Brennan managed to ease away to win the first two races before a spin in the final race, a handicap event, saw him charge back to catch and pass Rae on the final lap in a thrilling finish. Behind Brennan and Rae local driver Cameron Jones battled engine gremlins in his rotary powered Chev Camaro and was happy to take third place in each race to aid his series points tally. Papamoa driver Tim Rooney in a Ford Mustang and Mark Burgess of Wellington in a turbocharged Mazda RX7 rounded out the class.