THE world-renowned Targa Florio vintage car rally will, for the first time, race outside of Italy and through the Mornington Peninsula later this year.
More than 200 classic cars will travel across 1200 kilometres of Victoria and make their way from the Bellarine Peninsula to the Mornington Peninsula via ferry on Friday 1 December.
The prestigious road race is scheduled to travel through Mornington’s wine region and up through Red Hill before heading towards San Remo and onto Healesville on the Saturday.
The four-day event which is set to begin on Thursday 30 November will mark the 101st anniversary of the Targa Florio and is expected to attract thousands of car lovers, celebrities and international media.
Over the years the Targa Florio has attracted some of the top international car makers such as Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Bugatti, Lancia, Maserati, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche.
This year’s event will also feature 101 Ferraris competing in the popular Ferrari Tribute as well as pop trio ‘Il Volo’ – who have performed alongside Barbara Streisand, Placido Domingo and at the Eurovision Song Contest – also performing at the race’s closing ceremony.
“These classic cars will travel to some of our most breathtaking destinations, breathing more life into regional communities across Victoria,” Minister for Tourism and Major Events, John Eren, said.
“Our love of sport and fast cars, coupled with our beautiful scenery and large Italian community, makes us the perfect host for such an occasion.”
This will mark Victoria as the only place in the world to host the F1 Grand Prix, the Moto GP and the Targa Florio, all of which are sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 15 August 2017
