EARLY BIRDS NESTED

The early bird entry deadline of March 15th for the Targa Bambina 2010 has come and gone. The result is hovering at twenty entries to date for this May 23-24 event. The first to arrive was a Porsche 997 GT3 RS in Class 6 from the East Coast, and the second a West Coast Toyota Yaris for Class 3.

It would be hard to imagine two more iconic Targa entries from California than Steve Millen's orange Nissan R35 GT-R (see December's Road & Track cover) and Bill Arnold's silver BMW Bavaria (past multi-Champion at Targa Newfoundland). Both have confirmed Targa Bambina entries and should represent front-runners for the Modern and Classic Champions respectively. Their presence should also assure international media attention!

Moderns and Classics (pre-1985) are a dead heat in the entries to date. The oldest cars entered are both 1964 vintage -- Porsche 356 and Mercury Comet. The newest are a slew of 2009's including Nissan GT-Rs, Porsches, and Audi. The German brands are well represented -- four brands so far, and could reach as high as six if NSU and Mercedes teams in the wind commit.

If we grouped Driving Team members' ages by the same criteria, we have many more Classics than Moderns. Among the early entrants were several women Driving Team members, so fear not ladies reading this, you will not be alone. In fact, there were women Driving Team members as overall champions in the last five of six Targa Newfoundland, New Zealand, Tasmania events combined.

Several willing Navigators have called us to offer their services to teams in need. We look set to have a provider of helmets and driving suits willing to rent those out. So if any of those issues are the reason for your delay in entry give us a call.

Whatever the reason for your delay, don't procrastinate too long, as Targa will never be more accessible than 2010. The Bambina entry field is capped at 60 cars but near-800 have signed up for this newsletter. As well, the first inquiries from the near 100,000 readers of the Just for Canadian Doctors magazine article arrived yesterday.

Our team of eager Targa Canada West organizers continues to fine-tune arrangements with Knox Mountain Hillclimb, refine Targa School, host our volunteers and competitors, and even explore a TV production deal (no promises, but we want that coverage as much as you do).

Stay in Touch!