News
(august 11, 2009)
Maximum MINI participation at Targa Newfoundland MINIFEST 2009
Maximum MINI participation at Targa Newfoundland MINIFEST 2009
ST. JOHN'S (August 11, 2009) - It'll be hard to miss the Minis and the MINIs when Targa Newfoundland kicks off MINIFEST as part of the annual international motorsport classic here September 12, 2009.
With MINI designated the Honoured Marque for 2009, Targa will be awash in pictures, banners, parties and special events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the tiny titan, all part of the 8th annual rally. The heroic little cars will feature prominently on the event posters, programs, website and literature, while special MINI Corrals will be set up to display Mini and MINI competition cars and the street versions of the popular marque throughout the week-long event.
MINIFEST is the ideal platform for the introduction of a brand new MINI Canada entry in the competition, too. Targa Newfoundland co-founder, auto journalist and seven-time Targa veteran Jim Kenzie will debut a new 2009 MINI John Cooper Works Challenge car in this year's event. With co-driver Brian Bourbonniere, the team will lead a fleet of Minis and MINIs in the Targa division of the annual classic.
As part of the celebrations, a special team has also been entered in the Grand Touring competition under the banner of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada. The team -Tom Thornton and Ron Bartleet of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario - are driving a MINI Cooper S Clubman model. The pair is a long-standing Big Brother (Tom) and Little Brother (Ron), who now volunteer their time to promote the Big Brothers Big Sisters reconnections.
A special two-day Hot Package has been created to allow Mini and MINI owners to share the limelight, with VIP access to the Sunday demonstration stage in St. John's, special stage access, Mini/MINI Corral participation, luncheon, dinner, clothing package and much more.
"We're working closely with MINI Canada to make this the best week anywhere for Mini and MINI owners, fans and friends," says Scott Giannou, head of sales and marketing for Targa. "If you love these cars like we do, Targa is the place to be in September!"
Whether it's spelled ‘Mini' (as in the British Motor Corporation-built Morris and Austin Mini that first appeared in 1959) or ‘MINI' (built in the UK since 2002 by BMW), the diminutive cars have captured the imagination of generations of enthusiasts who have put them to every imaginable test in competition. Both iterations of the car have been staples of Targa Newfoundland since its inception in 2002, and a modern MINI has twice won the tough Open Division competition - the first international victory for the newly-revived nameplate.
"No other car has so excited and entertained motorsport fans of all ages, created so much fun, for such a long period, and so caught and charged the imagination of so many people with so much delight," says Targa organizer Robert Giannou. "There have been faster cars at Targa, and more dramatic cars, but none have been as popular with the fans as the Mini."
Owned and operated by Newfoundland International Motorsports Limited, Targa Newfoundland is one of three internationally recognized Targa motorsports events in the world. The 8th annual Targa Newfoundland will start in St. John's on Saturday, September 12, 2009, and end back in the capital Saturday, September 19, and will cover more than 2,000 kilometres of the challenging, twisty roads of the central and eastern portion of the island of Newfoundland, including up to 400 kilometres of closed-road, flat-out Targa stages. Competitors have come from the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Holland, the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos and the U.K. for the first seven editions of Targa Newfoundland and international interest continues to build with competitors registering daily.
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Contact:
Media: Doug Mepham 613-966-4969 d.mepham@bellnet.ca
Competitors: Alexandra Healey 709-687-1150 alexandra@targanewfoundland.com
Sponsors:Scott Giannou 709-722-2413 scott@targanewfoundland.com
