Targa-style tarmac racing in Australia will undergo a "hard reset" with a raft of safety enforcements which organisers admit will "adversely affect" competitors, after four deaths in two years during recent Tasmanian events.
On Tuesday, the Targa Review Panel released its report with 94 recommendations, with an extensive investigation into the death of driver Anthony Graeme Seymour during the 2022 race concluding a contributing factor was "likely driver error".
It also found the speed of Seymour's Lotus at the "point of loss of control" was "too high for the prevailing wet conditions and the road" in the crash, which happened on the Mount Roland stage.
Another contributor was found to be the "suspension of the vehicle being unsuited to rally on a bumpy and slippery road".
Investigators also said the wire barrier and posts on the side of the road at the crash site had "failed to prevent the vehicle from passing through it".
In the previous year's Targa Tasmania event, three competitors died in two separate crashes, the second of which occurred on the penultimate day of the race and led to the final days' racing being cancelled.
'Relaxation of controls', drivers 'lack insight' into level of risk
In its report, the panel acknowledged there were "major shortcomings in the conduct of tarmac rallies" — with the problems on full display during the Tasmanian event.
"Without significant changes, the level of risk to competitors is unacceptably high, and the likelihood of further serious incidents is unacceptably high," it said.
The report said the "shortcomings arise from what the panel considers to have been a relaxation of controls on vehicle eligibility as the performance capabilities of production cars have evolved over time, and to recognise the inherent dangers of sections of road which have inadequate, and often no, protection to crews in the event they lose control and leave the sealed surface.
"Moreover, inadequate controls on licensing and insufficient education have meant that some participants in outright competition lack insight into the risks inherent in the discipline and are permitted to compete in often high-powered vehicles when they do not have, or are not established to have, sufficient experience and skills to maintain control of their vehicles, particularly in difficult conditions.
"These failings are manifest in the Targa Tasmania event."
Big changes to eligibility, course, rules
The panel acknowledged a "number of the recommendations", particularly those "with respect to vehicle eligibility" would "adversely affect a number of current competitors in tarmac rallying in Australia".
"Invariably, these will be late model ultra-high-performance GT or sports cars in which the owners have made a significant financial investment to enjoy the sport," the report said.
It said other recommendations will mean that the course for several tarmac rallies, particularly Targa Tasmania, will "need to be radically amended, several stages deleted and most reduced in length, sometimes significantly, to ensure that competition is confined to sections of road which are less hazardous".
"The panel considers that nothing less than a 'hard reset' of tarmac rallying is required in light of the multiple recent fatalities, serious injuries and a significant number of crashes."
The recommendations affect many aspects of the event, including average maximum speed, power-to-weight ratios, road selection, grading, in-car safety measures, course signage, the proximity of spectators to the track and protocols following an incident.
Also set to be enforced under the new recommendations are extensive changes to the eligibility of drivers competing in Targa events, with the introduction of a "tiered licensing system" which "takes into account the very high-performance vehicles that are eligible to compete in such rallies and which considers and assesses a driver's experience, ability to drive such a car, and physical state to manage the demands of driving such a vehicle in tarmac rally competition".
'I'm not going to be the most popular bloke on the block'
In a statement on Tuesday, the Motorsport Australia Board said it had "reviewed and considered" the panel's report and had agreed to "accept all recommendations and begin their implementation immediately".
Motorsport Australia chief executive officer Eugene Arocca said the organisation "again offer our condolences to Anthony Seymour's family, friends and the wider Targa community who all suffered a terrible loss at last year's Targa Tasmania event".
"No family should expect their loved one not to return home after an event, so it's important we acknowledge the long-lasting impacts incidents like these have on various communities."
"If we don't implement these changes, there would be a significant cost to the motorsport community, particularly through the risk of further fatalities or serious incidents and also through increased insurance premiums which would impact every competitor in motorsport, not just those in tarmac rallies," Mr Arocca said.
"This is a very, very passionate sport … I suspect there's going to be some significant public outcry, particularly from what is a relatively small group of motorsport competitors and participants about some of these changes."
Mr Arocca said he expected competitors would "complain about the costs [which will be] imposed" but added: "Our premiums and insurance have gone up significantly as a result of the sad consequences of the last two years or the last 12 to 15 months.
"The modification of the vehicles, the training [experience] of competitors, the changing of courses is going to be seen by a number of people as regressive and unfair and not acceptable, but we have a responsibility to the families of those who have lost loved ones, we have a responsibility to the sport, we have a responsibility to the government that funds this event in particular in Tasmania, to do everything we possibly can to ensure that when people go out to enjoy motorsport, they're not exposing themselves to risks that will be considered unnecessary.
"I know I'm not going to be the most popular bloke on the block in the next week or two, but what I'd say to people is to take a deep breath. Read the report; it's a comprehensive report and analysis, and puts things in perspective.
"As a sport, we cannot tolerate continuing serious incidents of this sort which should and could be avoidable."
