We take part in Australia’s most famous road rally in Hyundai’s latest hot hatch
- Welcome to Targa Tasmania
- About the Hyundai i30 N Fastback
- Tour Tasmania twice
- Fast, thrilling and unforgiving
- State of Targa
- Targa fixation
- An event without parallel
Next to the Bathurst 1000 and Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix, Targa Tasmania stands tall as one of Australia’s most prestigious motorsport events. Now in its 28th year, the six-day road rally covers some of Tasmania’s most spectacular roads, weaving a path around the Apple Isle before culminating in the state capital of Hobart. This year, carsales.com.au road test editor Matt Brogan took part in the non-competitive Tour section of the event in a mostly-standard Hyundai i30 Fastback N, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t challenging, fast and at times bloody dangerous.
Welcome to Targa Tasmania
The Targa Tasmania tarmac rally is one of the world’s great motorsport events, held on some of Australia’s best roads.
Now in its 28th year, the six-day event recalls famous public-road races like the Targa Florio and Mille Miglia. To many, it’s the modern-day equivalent Down Under.
It’s Australia’s longest tarmac rally, and covers almost every corner of the Apple Isle, with the 2019 event taking in 33 stages and more than 2000km of Tassie’s greatest road between Launceston in the north, Strachan in the west and Hobart in the south.
As we did in the then-new BMW M2 in 2016 , carsales.com.au participated in the Tour section of a fully-subscribed ‘Targa’ field, and in 2019 we attended as guests of Hyundai for the last three days of the event.
Our weapon of choice for this year is the new Hyundai i30 Fastback N , which has been a sell-out success in Germany and, after proving itself on testing Tassie roads, we think it will be just as popular Down Under.
About the Hyundai i30 N Fastback
Hyundai is making strides in the sporty side of the small car market. Locally, the line-up includes hatch and Fastback iterations of just one ‘N’ branded model based on the Korean brand’s strong-selling i30.
But there’s more to come, including N-branded Sonata, Veloster and even Tucson models, and eight-speed dual-clutch automatic versions of the i30 N, a rally-prepared example of which also represented Hyundai in its first factory-backed assault on Targa Tassie this year.
In fact, Hyundai WRC development driver Brendan Reeves and co-driver Rhianon Gelsomino notched up a giant-killing debut for the i30 N hot hatch, finishing sixth in the GT2 class and 15th outright.
Using the circa-$40K hatchback’s clever differential and multi-mode stability control system to great effect, Reeves brought home the first front-wheel drive car ahead of many more fancied – and more expensive – rear-drive sports cars like the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, Dodge Viper, Porsche GT3 RS, Porsche Cayman GT4 and, yes, even the BMW M2.
The i30 N Fastback tested here is priced from $41,990 plus on-road costs, which places it in battle with the likes of Volkswagen’s ubiquitous Golf GTI.
It offers the same equipment levels as its hatchback derivative while simultaneously being a little more comfortable. Pleasingly, it’s lost none of the performance of the i30 N, the 2.0-litre turbo four making a fiery 202kW at 6000rpm and 378Nm at 4200rpm.
Motivation is channeled to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission, a tricky electro-mechanical differential and sticky Pirelli P Zero HN tyres crafted specifically for Hyundai.
Hyundai says the i30 Fastback N will hit 100km/h in 6.2sec and that v-max is electronically capped at 250km/h. Better yet, a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty covers racetrack use for non-competitive events – just like the Targa Tasmania Tour.
Tour Tasmania twice
With the first-half of the 2019 Targa Tasmania done and dusted, we joined Hyundai Australia at the event’s midpoint in Launceston.
Over the next three days we would cover the winding west coast roads to Strachan, cross the Lyell Highway to Hobart and circle the picturesque peninsulas and estuaries south of Tasmania’s capital.
Along with newcomers from rival publications we’re inducted into the event and paired with an experienced co-driver. Three days of spectacular Tassie roads stretch before us – and they’re all shut-off to the public.
I’ve spent a lot of time on Tasmanian roads with our Australia’s Best Driver’s Car awards, and in my own time on two wheels. But having closed roads – and all the support and communication of the Targa Tasmania team – makes this trip something else; even if Tour entrants are capped to a top speed of 120km/h.
Fast, thrilling and unforgiving
We begin the second half of the Targa Tasmania Tour with the challenging Cethana stage (known as TS16 if you’d like to see if for yourself on the Targa Tasmania website).
The sharp hairpins and steep rise-and-fall topography of this relatively short stage trace one of Tasmania’s 54 hydro-electric dams.
It’s a narrow and challenging start to the Tour and a stage that makes certain we’re awake.
It also shows how eager the i30 Fastback N is to get its power down and climb, the close ratios of the six-speed gearbox and accessible low-end torque a bonus some Tour competitors lack.
Combining these traits with the adaptable N Mode chassis and diff settings proves necessary as we head through the faster-flowing Castra (TS17) and Gunn Plains (TS18) stages too.
Being able to quickly adapt the damping and steering settings to changing road and weather conditions makes us certain we could run the stages faster than our cap allows. The Hyundai i30 Fastback N really does inspire confidence.
The day progresses with the damp, serpentine stretches of Riana (TS19) and Hellyer Gorge (TS20), where you’d almost swap the chance to be in the hot seat for a roadside look at the action at the back of the field.
It’s thrilling, fast and a little unforgiving in parts – especially in the wet conditions we encountered – and if it’s this exciting from the driver’s seat, I can only imagine the view from the side of the road.
Our first day at Targa ends with the fast and scenic Reece Dam stage (TS21). A favourite of previous Australia’s Best Driver’s Car routes, this little-used road skirts Lake Pieman before descending into the former silver-mining town of Zeehan.
State of Targa
One of the things that impresses most about Targa Tasmania is how much public support it receives.
Our day two traverses the majority of the state’s southern half as we cover Strachan (TS22), Queenstown (TS23), Mount Arrowsmith (TS24) and Tarraleah (TS25) – or in other words most of southern Tasmania’s only east-west highway.
Hence it requires a major road closure that is sure to cause its share of inconvenience to locals, but the welcoming smiles and enthusiastic cheers from the pockets of people gathered at each stage’s spectator viewing points shows they’re far from unhappy.
Targa is a big deal for Tassie, and the natives give it their all.
Through the tight, twisty forest roads, and the scorched earth of Queenstown’s infamous 99 Bends, the i30 Fastback N pulls like an excited dog stretching its chain.
It’s as if our capped top speed provokes a sense of goading deep within the machine. The N-car gets to our 120km/h limit eagerly so we’re driving with one eye on the RallySafe equipment.
Every Targa car is monitored via GPS following a serious crash in the 2010 event. RallySafe offers car-to-car communication and back-to-base monitoring of field entrants while simultaneously providing live timing. It also blinks the Tour’s 120km/h over-speed warning with alarming regularlity…
The speed limit might seem quick on (closed) public roads, but it’s an easy reach for the i30 Fastback N. This is a sure-footed and capable hot hatch that feels purpose-built for an event like Targa Tasmania. No matter how twisty, it really gobbles up the miles with ease.
As we crest the open farmland of Molesworth (TS26) and Grasstree Hill (TS27) we marvel at how quickly and comfortably we’ve covered the Tour’s longest day. Hobart is in sight and the hours have passed as quickly as roadside gum trees.
Targa Tasmania is nearing a close for another year.
Targa fixation
As the tight and lumpy local roads of southern Tasmania beckon we note how tired some competitors appear to be. Target fixation sees a number of Tour competitors head for the scenery, some precious metal finding a park off the roadside on each of the morning’s greasy opening stages.
We pass through the tricky Tinderbox (TS28), Pelverata (TS29), Gardners Bay (TS30) and Oyster Cove (TS31) stages, where community support is stronger than ever.
The dips and sharp crests provide spectators with plenty of ‘Kodak Moments’, and keep the i30 Fastback N busier than at any time in the past few days.
Still, the car’s adaptive chassis takes the challenge in its stride, and with a flick on the preset N Custom mode we return the dampers to their softest setting and power-on for the Tour’s final stages.
We pass through the picturesque Cygnet (TS32) stage and its mirror-flat lakes before running around the back of Mount Wellington and the closing stage of Longley (TS33). Targa is over. Just like that. And as exhilarating as it’s been, the finish line is bitter-sweet.
An event without parallel
Targa Tasmania isn’t a cheap exercise for competitors. Tour entrants cough up $3990 for the privilege while ‘real’ competitors pay $8690.
It’s worth the price of admission.
Granted, we were lucky enough to have Hyundai foot our bill this time round, but having had a taste of this one-of-a-kind event I’m keener than ever to enter it for myself — maybe in a timed category.
It’s truly a life-affirming event for any driving enthusiast and one that even hardened race drivers come away from with a grin. I loved it. I’ll be back. I can’t wait to do it again.
The crackles and pops of the i30 Fastback N as it belts through narrow valleys will echo in my memory for a long time. The thrill of speed in a setting like Tasmania is hard to forget. It’s a landscape that’s forged for four-wheel fun, and Targa is an inextricable part of its quiddity.
Yes, folks, Targa Tasmania is truly an event without parallel, and we highly recommend taking part by any means possible.
How much does the 2019 Hyundai i30 Fastback N cost? Price: $41,990 (plus on-road costs) Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol Output: 202kW/353Nm Transmission: Six-speed manual Fuel: 8.0L/100km (ADR Combined) CO2: 186g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP (2016)
Keyword: TARGA: Tasmania by Hyundai i30 Fastback N