I’ve previously had the chance to participate in the Targa Trophy road rally and upon being invited to participate in their New Year’s Eve special event I jumped at the opportunity to take the ID Agency Ford Focus for a cruise.
The rally this time around was only a half day event around the San Diego area. Drivers checked in at the Andaz hotel’s rooftop with gorgeous vantage points of the city. We also received a goody bag filled with swag from DTA/Rogue Status, T-Bolt energy drinks, Mr. Ticket, Zico, a mix CD for the rally and more. The drivers and navigators then gathered in a nearby parking lot across from 5 & a Dime to prep for the journey ahead.
The Targa Trophy is not a race its not about who gets to the Finish the fastest. It’s a challenge for drivers and their navigators to stay within a set mileage while reaching specific checkpoints and staying within the mystery time frame. Which is one reason I do like this event as I don’t condone racing on public streets, but merely enjoying a scenic and spirited drive with other enthusiasts. The collection of cars is always great to see from a Bugatti Veyron to a Porsche GT3 RS to even a Ducati.
This year we drove through windy and twisted backroads of beautiful San Diego. Checkpoints were unique this year with the first one having to take a Facebook photo a local Fiat dealer, leading to another Facebook photo at “Gymkhana” Road, then playing a slot machine inside a local casino, and running around a campsite searching for 2 items on a pier. After completing the journey we headed back to the Finish Line. With very limited time to grab dinner and get ready for the night ahead for the Red Bull No Limits event we didn’t stick around for the awards ceremony, but am pretty sure we didn’t do that well (got stuck behind very slow vehicles through the narrow roads). I can say that we had a great time and that the Focus, while slow was able to make up the lack of speed with its incredible gas mileage – made it from Long Beach to Downtown SD and competed in the entire rally leaving us with about 40 more miles until empty.
Can’t wait for the next rally opportunity and for the video from this event to come out. I do highly suggest doing a rally such as this at least once in your life. Add it to the bucket list. Thanks again to all of our sponsors from HRE Wheels, Toyo Tires, Brembo, Recaro, Magnaflow, Street Concepts, BASF and everyone else.
He is also a co-founder of the OG Moto Show and contributes to various media outlets such as Fatlace, Acquire, Tread, EDC, and Carryology.
www.jpangilinan.com
Twitter and Instagram @john_pangilinan
what a great event, they just keep getting better and better
you guys did a good job with the Focus