St. John’s, NL – An electric car will charge through the grueling Targa Newfoundland tarmac rally for the first time ever this fall.
John Gordon and Doug Ottenheimer of Auto X Racing, a local team from St. John’s, NL, will bring a Tesla Model 3 to show how an EV can compete with internal combustion engine vehicles over the course of the six-day rally from Sept. 10-17, 2026 on the roads of eastern and central Newfoundland.
Their weapon of choice for the Targa Tour division is a 2018 Tesla Model 3 with dual motors and all-wheel drive, plus some modifications to boost power. It’s supercar quick with instant torque and zero-to-100 kph (roughly 0-60 mph) acceleration in about three seconds. They believe that will give them some advantage coming off tight turns and slow sections.
“We’re excited to see what it can do on the Targa course,” said Gordon. “It’s one of the fastest cars in the province, I believe, and will give us a fun run.”
Targa owner and co-founder Robert Giannou said it will be exciting to see how an EV will perform on the long-running endurance rally.
“We’re thrilled to see the first EV entered in Targa from a homegrown team and we’d love to welcome more,” said Giannou. “Their car has the power and speed and the team seems up for the challenge of six days of hard driving.”
Gordon is with Auto X Preowned, a company that sells and services used electric vehicles. An electrician by trade, Gordon fell in love with EVs when he bought his first electric car in 2013. He then created Canada’s first multi-brand EV dealership and has sold hundreds of electric cars over the last 13 years.
Ottenheimer is a long-time friend of John’s, a car enthusiast and a heavy equipment operator and he’s also part of Auto X.
How do they feel as pioneers bringing the first electric car to the legendary rally, which has run since 2002 in their home province?
“We’ve been pioneers in the EV space for some time,” said Gordon. “We’re excited to introduce EVs to some communities and demographics that haven’t been exposed to them to spread the word that EVs are affordable, fast, fun and reliable.”
“Targa is an amazing opportunity,” added Ottenheimer. “It’s been part of our province for so long. I can’t wait to hit the road.”
Read more about Auto-X Racing on the Targa website: Targa goes electric! – Targa Newfoundland at targanfld.com.
About Targa Newfoundland
Targa Newfoundland, which first ran in 2002, is the only tarmac rally of its kind in North America. Held each fall on the ruggedly beautiful island of Newfoundland in eastern Canada, the rally covers 2000 kilometres of challenging, twisty roads through spectacular scenery including about 500 kilometres of thrilling competitive stages at speed on closed sections of public roads and town streets. Targa Newfoundland celebrated its 1000th stage in 2025. This year’s rally is scheduled from Sept. 10-17, 2026, including two days of training and six days of competitive stages.
Visit the Targa website targanfld.com for more information.
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