Targa Tasmania will go ahead in 2023 despite the deaths of four competitors in the past two years, but race fans are already worried speeds will be limited to the detriment of the event.
The future of the Tasmanian race has been uncertain since Motorsport Australia froze all Targa-type rallies following the death of 59-year-old Brisbane driver Tony Seymour during this year's event.
Seymour was killed when his car left the road and crashed down an embankment. His wife survived the crash.
The remainder of last year's Targa was revised back to a touring format following Seymour's death.
Targa Tasmania chief executive Mark Perry has promised the iconic event will go ahead next April in an email to competitors, with next year's race to start in Hobart for the first time.
It's understood the event will include some form of competition, but exactly what that entails, and details of the stages are yet to be released.
"Whilst the actual stages and course design are still being worked on … we are excited to announce today where the event will start and finish along with where each overnight stop will be," Perry said in an email.
Perry said the uncertainty surrounding the event had been "extremely hard" on the organising team but said it was "working tirelessly" to support Motorsport Australia's ongoing review of Targa-type events.
Perry told Hobart's Mercury Newspaper there was a "process we are working through at the moment and it may look a bit different in the competition space, but keep in mind there are hundreds of cars and crews who enjoy Targa these days outside the competition".
"The competition may look different, but it may not. We don't know that yet.
"Everybody from Motorsport Australia, the state government, Tasmania Police and all of the various stakeholders will have a say in the process."
Former champion concerned about skill levels
Tasmanian motorsport legend Barry Oliver, who retired in 2018 after taking part in 26 Targa Tasmanias, said it was important Targa continued as a competitive event but hoped drivers' skill level was considered as part of the entry criteria.
"That's been a worry for me in the past, you've had people coming in with very powerful motor cars and you had to worry if they were really equipped from a skill point of view to be able to operate those cars in the sort of conditions you will encounter in the event," he said.
"I'm not going to say that there are people who shouldn't have done it, all I'm saying is that I think the committee at the moment that are looking at this will have to give consideration to some sort of criteria as to whether a person is suitable to run in the competition."
Oliver said the change in route — which involves two overnight stops in Strahan and Launceston — would be "a real challenge" for competitors.
Competitors and fans came out in support of the event continuing as a race following Seymour's death — and have welcomed to the news of the 2023 event, albeit with questions over how much racing would feature.
"So it looks like they are just going make the race so boring no one will want to enter in it and that way they can stop it due to a lack of competitors," posted Nathan Moore on the event's Facebook page.
"Make a solid guarantee, that the event will continue, as a competition, in the event of a fatal accident. No more hand wringing and putting heads in sand," said Mark Cates.
"With top speeds of 30km/h," wrote Matthew Panda Andrew.
There have been six fatalities during Targa Tasmania races since 1992 — with four of them during the past two events.
Competitors Shane Navin, Leigh Mundy and Dennis Neagle died during the 2021 race, with a Motorsport Australia review recommending speed limit reductions and race route changes.
