Targa Texasland Might Just Have Set a New Bar for SCCA Events

(This article is a first-hand experience of SCCA’s Targa Texasland, which took place April 30-May 4, 2025. If this event sounds fun, consider taking part in one (or both!) of the two upcoming Targas, Targa Southland, June 11-15, and Targa Chicagoland, July 30-Aug. 3. You can learn more on the Targa webpage.)

“Welcome to SCCA® Targa, where the rules are made up and the points don’t matter.” Those may not have been the exact opening words spoken by SCCA Manager of National Time Trials John Hunter during day one of the April 30-May 4, 2025, Targa Texasland, but it’s close enough. His statement also set the tone for the multi-day, multi-track, multi-discipline motorsports event called Targa Texasland that was about to unfold. Over the course of the four days that followed, 16 teams would attempt to tackle four beautifully challenging motorsport circuits while facing off against ungodly amounts of rain that pounded down during large swaths of the 700-plus transit miles.

While Targa is nothing new for the Sports Car Club of America, it’s somewhat of a rarity. Prior to this year’s Targa Texasland, only two other SCCA Targas had been held, both called Targa Southland, with the most recent taking place in 2017. Targa Texasland marked the return of an event format that welcomed a limited number of teams (two drivers minimum per car) to partake in an experience that would involve Time Attack competition, TrackSprint sessions, and RoadRally elements that incorporated some gimmick rally components with a very social twist.

Me? Targa Texasland was my first Targa to enter, and I did so because while I had grown up in Texas, I’d not been there for years and I’d never driven on any of the racetracks that Targa Texasland would visit. My Time Attack experience was limited, but with ample National SCCA Road Racing experience, I wasn’t scared of high speeds. My codriver, Langlee, was the opposite – she’s been a National-level autocrosser for more than a decade and had never been to Texas before. Her on-track experience prior to Targa involved driving a handful of pace laps during a Track Night in America® event.

A disparate team, for sure. But you know what? The combination was as perfect as it was entertaining.

With that, we borrowed SCCA’s Club Spec MX-5 from SCCA’s Topeka, KS, headquarters – a car neither of us had previously driven – and towed it to Texas using a Mazda CX-90. There, we unloaded the car, stashed the CX-90 and trailer (towing during Targa transits is against the rules), and thus began the adventure of a lifetime that would put us on track at MotorSport Ranch, Harris Hill, MSR Houston, and Eagles Canyon Raceway.

(Our trip to Targa Texasland involved a road trip of its own, starting at SCCA's HQ in Topeka, KS, on our way to MotorSport Ranch in Cresson, TX. From Cresson on, we would drive the CSX MX-5 on the street.)

Humble Beginnings

Rain had pounded north Texas, and MotorSport Ranch in Cresson was feeling its effects. Come Wednesday afternoon, the course was waterlogged, and where there wasn’t standing water, the surface was as slippery as the slope that leads to motorsports itself. Many drivers (myself included) made unexpected excursions into the grass during pace laps. Conditions were rough, but the drivers pushed through with a (sometimes nervous) smile.

The competition held at each Targa Texasland venue was similar in that they all took place on the track. At half of the venues, the day would begin with a TrackSprint – standing start to a flying finish utilizing part of the racetrack – before transitioning to traditional Time Attack competition (the other venues featured Time Attack only). The twist? TrackSprints would be run one direction, the Time Attack portion would go the other. Pace laps were held prior to each competition to ensure teams knew their way around, but those who could pick up the course quickly definitely benefited the most.

Interestingly, many of the teams only had autocross experience, which meant learning new configurations was old hat to them.

The stop at MotorSport Ranch, would only involve Time Attack, but with menacingly slick conditions, Hunter and SCCA’s Vice President of Experiential Programs Heyward Wagner made the call: Two on-track timed sessions would be held, each consisting of three laps. If the drivers managed to stay on track for six timed laps, they’d score first-place points. Every off would count as a points deduction. If a team chose to skip the on-track competition, they’d be awarded 15 points, which was roughly equivalent to finishing third. For those willing to roll the dice, bonus points would go to those putting down the fastest times in class.

(SCCA's Heyward Wager led a driver's meeting at a wet MotorSport Ranch that revealed the day's new competition rules that would keep everyone safe while still encouraging competition.)

The quick competition pivot was critical to the tone of the event. Competition was important, but safety was key. Teams that decided to forego the track portion in order to keep themselves and their cars safe were not instantly put behind the competition eight ball. Those who wanted to see what they could manage were also given something to shoot for.

Langlee and me? Words weren’t necessary – driving one of the lowest horsepower cars in the competition, we both knew this was the time to send it.

Going South

The skies had cleared by the end of competition at MotorSport Ranch, and as teams packed to head to Harris Hill in San Marcos, the first group text arrived:

“Transit bonus points! For a (good) +1, @ next fuel stop, post a pic of you & your teammate to social & share to TT Facebook group. Want to up the ante? Include a famous rodent in said fuel stop selfie for 2 bonus points. Make us laugh while doing that? You’ll get total +3!”

Buc-ee’s was obviously calling, and the posts the teams made to social media are worth checking out. For images from that challenge (and the challenges that followed), search #targatexasland on Facebook and Instagram.

Transit challenges quickly became the norm for Targa, and the teams were all in.

Two Fast Ones

Harris Hill in San Marcos saw a counterclockwise TrackSprint and clockwise Time Attack competition. That was followed by a drive to Angleton, just south of Houston, and the long, flowing circuit of MSR Houston.

By MSR Houston, Targa Texasland was operating like clockwork – and perhaps credit for this goes to the Targa teams. While technically competing against each other, at this point, Targa Texasland had turned into one team. With such a small group (which, at this point, had unfortunately shrunk due to attrition) everyone was looking out for the group. Have a question? Yell it out and chances are someone would enthusiastically respond. Need a tool? Ask anyone! Not sure when you’re on track next? Someone will find out for you.

(Tire puncture? No problem! This team had the tools they needed to fix the problem, but everyone was willing to lend a hand if needed.)

It was also on our way to MSR Houston that a text arrived with a couple new challenges – the thing was, I had somewhere else I wanted to visit, and Langlee was game for my adventure. We opted to skip a transit challenge to Bastrop State Park, posting a photo from our visit to the Shiner Bock brewery on social media instead – and we weren’t alone with the personal diversions. Also looking for a good time, Team 86 Pieces found themselves at a mini rodeo riding a horse – a serendipitous outing that no one could have planned for.

Final Destination

Targa Texasland’s conclusion came at Eagles Canyon Raceway in Decatur, roughly an hour from where the adventure had begun. This stop wasn’t as intimate of a gathering as the other Targa Texasland stops, however, as the May 3-4 weekend was also a Tire Rack SCCA Time Attack Challenge – with more than 150 cars in the paddock, rolling into Eagles Canyon was as intimidating as it was inspiring.

The Targa teams would compete on Saturday for their final score, but should they choose to stay for the entire weekend, they’d also receive one entry into the Time Attack Challenge. We entered Langlee as our team’s Eagles Canyon driver pulling double duty for Targa Texasland and the Time Attack Challenge, while I registered myself separately for the Time Attack Challenge.

(My teammate Langlee quickly went from racetrack rookie at the beginning of Targa Texasland to a skilled road course devotee who couldn't get enough. Meanwhile, the CSX MX-5 never faltered.)

Sharing a car during a Time Attack Challenge weekend isn’t for the weak of heart. With five run groups on Saturday and four on Sunday, our pace in the paddock was rivaled only by our speed on track.

Saturday evening brought Targa Texasland to a close with a party that involved food, drinks, and an awards celebration where it was obvious just how tightknit the teams had become. From inside jokes of a dramatic on-track spin to the celebration of a team that never said die in their attempt to compete in Targa Texasland with a NASCAR truck – yes, a NASCAR truck made street legal – the wrap party was one we’ll remember for years to come.

(Yes, this is a street legal NASCAR truck on street tires that competed in Targa Texasland. The team battled many mechanical issues and didn't make it to all of the events, but their heart and determination had everyone rooting for them.)

Would We Do It Again?

With more than 700 miles traveled between four racetracks in four days and flood-level rain on the transits, Targa Texasland was intense. But it was the challenges that made the event. At one point I heard someone ask another team, “What class are you in?” Their answer? “I don’t know!” They also didn’t care. Why? As Hunter said on day one, the rules are made up and the points don’t matter – truth is, team fun is Targa’s ultimate measuring stick.

Targa includes competition, but it’s the experience that makes it transcend other motorsport events. “I can honestly say that Targa Texasland might’ve been the most fun I’ve had at an SCCA event…ever,” my teammate said after the event. High praise from a Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships regular who goes all-in on those event themes.

(Many of the Targa Texasland teams gathered on Sunday for a group shot at Eagles Canyon's podium. This wasn't everyone who made it to the end, or everyone who ran the entire Time Attack Challenge event.)