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Past stories Living off-the-grid New Brunswick's Saint John River Ontario's Bruce Trail Canadian Ski Marathon Elk Island National Park Rallying for rallysport Montreal - Circus city Beluga Bytes Dawson - a musical adventure Bald Eagle Confederation Trail Boning up on the badlands Ukkusiksalik National Park Geocaching Discover Cypress Hills Saint Joseph's Oratory A walk through Stanley Park Sudbury's science centre Acadia continues Toronto's underground world

On the first day of competition in 2002, Mike Salter and Richard Paterson of North York, Ont., were tearing through a closed-road Targa stage in their 1955 Austin-Healey 100S. As they rounded a blind corner, they slammed into a Volvo that had just collided with a rock. No one was badly hurt, but the crash destroyed the Healey, one of only 54 cars handcrafted by the Donald Healey Motor Company.

There is at least one such wreck each year, says Targa Newfoundland co-founder Doug Mepham, with drivers and navigators escaping with limited injuries, from cuts and scrapes to broken bones. One year, he says, a car hit the seawall in Placentia at high speed. The navigator didn't give the call in time, so the road turned right, but the car didn't. The driver came away with a stretched spinal cord and a spectacular story to tell.

Because of the risks involved, spectators are warned not to sit — as they may have to get out of the way quickly.

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