WHAT NEXT FOR TARGA?

Reduced speed and wet tyres advises tarmac rally tribunal

FOLLOWING THE TRAGIC trio of deaths at the 2021 running of Targa Tasmania, Motorsport Australia formed a tribunal to investigate the circumstances of the accidents and provide recommendations to improve competitor safety in subsequent events. After extensive consultation with Targa competitors and officials, as well as motorsport experts both local and international, the tribunal has handed down its findings including 23 recommendations for future Targa competitions.

The tribunal was chaired by Garry Connelly AM, Motorsport Australia’s FIA delegate and the Chair of the Australian Institute of Motor Sport Safety, as well as being the man who brought the WRC to Australia in the late 1980s. Joining him were four-time Australian Rally Champion and team principal of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia rally team, Neal Bates, and lawyer Matthew Selley, an FIA International Gold Steward, member of the stewards’ panel for Formula 1 and Formula E. He’s also a long-time rally competitor, including a two-time outright winner of the Classic Adelaide and three-time South Australian Rally Champion.

Submissions were heard over six hearings from a wide range of witnesses, including rally organisers and officials, current and past competitors, Targa and Motorsport Australia representatives and international safety experts. In addition to written and video submissions, evidence included competitor and vehicle data, official paperwork (service crew information, reconnaissance notes, scrutineer reports) as well as footage and photography from the accidents in question.