SOUTHERN CROSS RALLY

[Music] [Music] a good driver can make Sydney to Melbourne in around 10 hours a rally driver who is better than good will take longer for his roads are the roads the ordinary Australian seldom sees the winding unsealed vaguely signposted tracks that only the locals really know 2,500 M 4 days of tough driving through two states Victoria and New South Wales Bob Selby wood work superintendent on the famous Sydney Opera House is also Australia's top r director the man chosen by the Australian sporting car club to plan this big International Event the route must be tough yet Fair hard yet within reason gruelling but safe and above all a supreme test of drivers Navigators and the cars they drive the survey period calls for complete secrecy the rally director takes to the air to complete the planning the first Rothman Southern Cross will be no Sunday picnic yet 71 crews are entered including three from overseas and Australia's best as well as the sponsored cars there are the private entries enthusiastic amateurs men who love the sport who hope for that break of luck that could bring them in ahead of the big name Works teams Rick Harris and Fred Logan two men out to give it a go their CA reinforced with sump and petrol guards and extra lights we're going to follow this pair throughout the rally the route is Secret until departure all that's known is that mountain roads will predominate on the bo is the next one it be interesting to find what road he takes down there well KN Bob Selby would he probably shoot us down here somewhere 62-year-old Alec Haywood and his elderly mgy Sports not the best car forat is but he enters and to him that is the important thing even if BMC knows about the mg it has bigger fish to fry here to drive Works Mini Coopers are Finn Rano tonin and Irishman paty hoper two of the fastest loose surface drivers in the world up as you know and try and keep the weight down and also put a few special item you're going to need can we get the English rally seat over this is the fiber glass one that is made actually to fit me you know yeah we had to get it flown out you've got your own personal seat yes we're well how do you uh think the pedals will be R well they are quite nice except for the gas pedal which one I make you about an accelerator it's too far about from a brake pel for toe and healing pressure stop side cargo two Volvos from Sweden Ford of the tough Volvos start four will finish these two have come straight from the factory with special snow tires rally seats that grip like a vice hder meters Computing in hundreds of a mile West Australian Murray stubber in the Holden station wagon he's got over 2,600 mil per to Sydney to drive to the start line before the start scrutineering cars fall into four engine size classes each divided into standard and modified Navigator Logan 14 1500 440 LIC Sydney's Giant rosand shopping center and the bustle of the rally start first car the Japanese Prince Gloria 6 driven by Carl Kennedy what lies ahead they get their first route instructions at the start the per team has to learn new place [Applause] [Music] names driver's license Navigator's license license yes well that's just about right that's very good everything's in order out goes the winless Smith Volvo good Navigators like Australian and Gary Chapman with hopkirk have to get them there hopkirk is happy for like overseas rallies the Southern Cross comprises a series of fast special stages with points lost for every 15 seconds late the abis rent car helmet infantry of Wendy Taylor and Patricia Hart an entry in the special women's section boots got the boot your boot we might the Chang are on the tires you got the spare fuel 31 of the field will fail to finish one of them jell IGN knite Jack muray legendary figure of the round Australia Trials of the 50s and a favorite with the crowds the practical joker of rallying a $40 orange stink bomb a wolf's head mask and he's away world rally Champion Rano Altona even at this stage he's not happy with the Cooper's generator Roy Denny one of Australia's best Navigators there to show him the way Denny has steel nerves with Alona master of sideways Motoring he'll need them but it's almost time for the haris Logan CA to go looks like he's been away on rallies before among the last to be flagged off the Harry F Graham hoinville team a modified Cortina GT fully equipped even headlight washers what an think 9.42 turn right into hawton Park Road turn right at 9.97 sign post at Great Western Highway the first night section 700 M to wager the fresh alert field storms through the Blue Mountains past small country towns with names like old bowenfels Shooters Hills and genus through the Janan caves once a bush Rangers Hideout where far underground the patient dripping of calcified water builds shape and color in the Lim [Music] St 6 and 1/2 hours out from Sydney the field PS into crookwell for a meal break the pattern has begun breakfast at midnight lunch at day break a small snack when you can get it and sleep well that's another story Mini Cooper team leader Evan green checks his oil already there are three returners a pjo 404 a mini and a CA Doug chers Lindsay Adcock and the alpha romea Julia super have lost two points Harry fur is two down car doing fine haven't lost it yet no or how many we're not deing [Applause] just [Music] rning which one HK is in trouble with a collapsed hydrolastic suspension a special British unit but almost all the top Crews have clean sheets no points lost on with the brilliant quartz iodine lights and away to the first of the special stages a 44-minute Blinder near wangala Dam every 15 seconds late here cost you a point you have to pick which way the dirt road goes around the next Corner the next Crest a mistimed half second can spell disaster the Keem Roberts Cortina has ended its Southern Cross rally with nobody badly hurt there are five mishaps still to come you start to feel bad the eyes are tired the car is sliding too much there's a funny noise in the Shockers the Navigator is starting to feel physically sick from the [Applause] [Music] sway at Daybreak 50 minutes to recover in the M shrouded town of jugia the tough volkswagons most of them wearing the larger 1.6 CER engines are still with the leaders more Sunshine brings new problems water splashes and stretches of thick black mud Australia's black soil is great for Cricket pitches and sugar cane but who needs it now Harris and Logan in the Cortina have found the biggest mud hole in that part of the parish now it's dig and shove and Grunt and hope for someone to stop but this is a fast stage Harry F racing to grab time brushes the quer on the way through he's really in a hurry this is one way to do it build your own Road the Earth and gravel roads present new problems the leaders are averaging over 65 mph in some sections and the pace of the rally is growing faster and faster [Applause] [Music] taking it about 50 now a short Leander [Music] yes there are 53 gates in this rally and each has to be opened and shut Alon and tip out Navigator Denny and makes him run to the car Ping On the coals in his 1310 CC mini a moment before Denny hits the [Music] [Applause] seat local drivers are Kinder some back up for the hardworking Gat [Music] man e [Music] [Music] wish you keep this car still you know some dust on the road Max must be just in front of [Music] us we can get Boger on the radio eh yeah it should do we're getting close right Swit on this is Radio riverina 2wg the time 9:00 the associated agents of wer advis that there will be a total yarding of 23,000 head at the wer sheet sale this morning the market comprises 20,000 fat sheep and lambs and 3,000 store sheep here are details of the Rothman Southern Cross car Valley Field which is now checking into water after the first dat from Sydney there are 12 cars still without loss of points hopkirk has lost 142 points and alteran is down 60 points after generator trouble favorites who have lost no points include Barry Ferguson Greg Gard Frank kilfoil and Evan green Harry fth is still two points down the 9:00 temperature reading at wer 56° the weather outlook continuing fine with the chance of night rain on the slope by wagger eight cars have retired others are showing signs of contact with the scenery the crews have 9 hours of daylight to rest while the cars are locked in control no work allowed years ago think I oil one the same evening and the Rothman Southern Cross Field is on its way to Melbourne the halfway mark in the rally still cheerful still oblivious of the unbelievable special stages to come going very well is the three car team ented by Victorian Holden dealers probably the best prepared cars in the rally F despite his points loss is confident and the fuel injected perso is still a big threat more dust to contend with and further on mud and [Applause] water got a beer right just over the how quick is it pretty quick just quick enough to be safe by right hander the bright auxiliary lights are on again they need them to cut through the darkness a short breather at the small town of tumara and the crews can use it the now famous bethanga stamped is not Far Away director Selby wood contrive this very difficult special stage to sort out the leaders in a big way three sections in a clover leaf around the tiny Center of bethanga call for spitse second timing and multiple controls at one start finish Center approaches from the wrong direction catch many drivers the points Mount up Ken Tubman loses the wind screen of his Hillman to Flying Stones it and this is the last time we'll see the Holden of Brisbane driver Lionel Williams in one piece theer shattered the field everybody lost points Russell's highly favored perso found a hidden ditch and dropped 196 points on on to Albury on the New South Wales Victorian [Applause] [Music] border again we got another core train a quicky 34 that was as they struggle into the checkpoint Al tonan has lost more points but F has now reached second place behind Ferguson's VW dr8 minutes and I think that'll take a lot of oh nobody do that yeah then there the other section there was another tree fasts too little yes what happened on the we had the radi do you think what you had previously this is very much like the East African safari much the same kind of Road surfes and condition well it's interesting at any R keep you on the ball it it looks difficult at the moment but we'll try an hour's rest and the tide field gets underway again some thinking the road signs very appropriate it's back to the bush and now more than ever there's no room for [Music] error Timber is coming up the other way on this bit right around the next L you've got a bridge [Applause] [Music] Lionel Williams had a bad night you took it over four times yeah that's right uh you mean on four separate occasions or just once I don't make a this the AIS girls are piling up lost points and the Imp true to its name is in all sorts of trouble Maybe those boots are meant for walking closer to Melbourne the mud stained cars sweep over some of the best Alpine roads in Australia Al tonan is setting some shattering averages over the smooth gravel next turn 4 and2 T from now R gard's Holden is now fifth outright and highest placed holding around Lake Elden off the gravel and back onto the bitchman again the second stage is now nearly [Music] over now we go we uh we've got a few minutes to spare our C pass and I wouldn't to have a little bit of time up our sleep about 15 mil ago Melbourne halfway house for the rally rival to Sydney is Australia's biggest city a venue for many famous International sporting events the 1956 Olympic games were held here 13 cars now retired and the road stained field leaves Melbourne on Friday afternoon with rumors of snow up ahead some even have to ask their way out of Melbourne thank you Charles on the roadside just out of Melbourne Ford Works mechanics descend on F's GT Cortina replacing the cam followers in just 32 minutes dusk as they head towards sail towards the Alps and the smell of snow in the air over Sagen buan Ferguson still [Music] leads oh by the way I heard there was some snow up around the Rangers 3 4 in let me move forward out of the way second for how's it going buy terrible well very well but I at every diabolical thing happened to this side I wonder what it be to do with Servo the servo we put the bra on all the time try that got thiso but I wonder if disconnect the budy Servo that night there is no snow but that are has deserts the cars skate past the edge of 300t drops into valleys lights fingering through Blackness during this stage to end at canra many vital points are lost [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] this is cattle country with cattle grids every few miles this grid damaged the Kennedy Prince Gloria and will drop leader Lang Peach's Reno back to third in class be with a smashed front end into the snowy Valley thankfully the roads are cleared of snow in midwinter there's more snow than in [Music] Switzerland but the spring Thor is on and the slippery roads add one more Hazard to the Rothman Southern Cross rally right uh just a moment control I was about another 5 six t that's all p is still second after the hard night from Kuma Ferguson in the VW still as exuberant as ever leads the field over the famous rally stage of yuk Adam minabe 50 Mi of gravel to go [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the leaders entered Australia's national capital CRA in its spring Glory of popler Silver Box trees and Burly Griffin planning three days gone one more to go three more cars have retired the strain of the rally is telling on both Crews and cars back in Sydney the big scoring team Telles up the points Ferguson leads with only 51 points lost then F 59 kilfoil 60 bnes CA 6 63 Gard 69 Al tonin has lost 132 and hopkirk 189 the class leaders have changed and every crew is hoping desperately that their car will keep going to Sydney out of CRA with the threat of rain in the mountains ahead leaving a little before dusk again the strain is squarely on the all for a brief stage back on the main roads again and the normal traffic to contend with two special stages in the back roads around Yas and collector saw a Mini Cooper come to grief on a bridge and the class-leading Mitsubishi cot roll over out in the Blackness there's nothing no people few homesteads just the lights the swaying car the Blurred navigational notes Ferguson still leades until his Volkswagen runs head on into a tree and the lead goes to Harry [Music] F meanwhile the drain wellard Renault has taken second place in class f after The BMC Works Cooper of Bob Holden and George Shepard hit the same tree and dropped a third it was a busy tree that night it also beckoned the forest Miller Volvo which called for some rather drastic panel beating [Music] everybody gets tired of opening Gates everybody gets tired of shutting them but it's one of the rules some just get more tired than others next time he'll take the [Music] train POG and River Crossings rip points from the teams on this final Lake cars start failing they lose head GS gears brakes lights everything but the will to finish [Applause] the fog continues all through the kangaroo Valley and the rich country of the Southern Table LS nobody can relax the clock is still ticking [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] away this right hander straight out a bit better FL [Music] finally Sydney and the huge welcoming crowd at roselands Harry F the gray fox has won again and Selby wood knows the course was a tough one the rothman's Southern Cross Australia's First International Car Rally rightfully takes its place with the legendary Monte Carlo and the East Africa Safari 40 cars came home F and hoinville winning from Gard goldin's Holden Class A goes to a Honda class b to Renault C to a CA D to a Holden E and F to Mini Coopers G to F's CA GT and H to gards Holden only two of these are full Works entries the private teams have done well Rick Harris and Fred Logan lost a lot of points no prize money for them but a tremendous satisfaction from completing the course and many lessons well learned for the factory entries more valuable experience in design in component parts in safety features lessons for them that will ultimately reflect in the cars built for the tough Australian and international motoring conditions this was the rothman's international Southern Cross rally [Music] [Applause] [Applause] I