RallySport Magazine October 2016

15 YEARS AGO
OCTOBER 2001
DRAMA IN NSW
New South Wales rallying is at crisis
point after the forced cancellation
of the last round of the NSW
Championship, the Stout Road Smash
Repairs Rally at Oberon.
The decision to cancel the event was
made by director Graeme Humphreys
after police insisted that the entire
length of the route of the rally (on both
sides) be bordered by vehicle-arresting
barriers.
The order came from the Western
Region office of the NSW Police,
based at Dubbo and was relayed to
Humphreys the week prior to the event.
The official notification advised that
the region requires from the organisers
“a 12 metre run-off with no obstacles,
or full motor vehicle-arresting barriers
for the entire length on both sides of
the roadway.”
The requirement was to “reduce the
threat of serious injury or death to
competitors, officials, spectators and
other members of the general public.”
PINE FOREST BAN IN VICTORIA
Victoria is the second state to be
affected by a restriction on rallying
activities after Hancocks Victorian
Plantations invoked an almost
unworkable policy that could see the
end of the sport in the state’s softwood
plantations.
The new policy, proposed by Hancock
Victorian Plantations’ Ovens District
Manager Neil Churton, makes it almost
impossible for clubs or individuals
to run events in forests under their
jurisdiction.
In one sweep, it has prohibited
the use of softwood plantations in
the north east of Victoria for rallying
or testing use unless a number of
Possum Bourne won
his sixth Australian Rally
Championship title.
stringent conditions are
agreed to.
Areas affected include
forests in the popular
Myrtleford, Bright and
Warrenbayne areas, and
leading figures in Victorian
rallying believe it could
extend to other areas –
Gippsland in the south east
and the Western District
around Portland. Already
restrictions have been
placed on areas such as
Merriang, Ovens, Stanley,
Running Creek, Hurdle
Creek and Warrenbayne
forests, an area that
covers most of the north east.
FOOTNOTE: 15 years on, rallying is
still not allowed in softwood plantations
controlled by Hancocks.
POSSUM’S SIXTH SENSE
Subaru made a clean sweep of the
AussieDuct Rally of Melbourne, as both
Possum Bourne and Cody Crocker
retained their Australian Championship
titles. It was Bourne’s sixth straight title.
when
DEFENDING
CHAMPS WIN
It was a day for
defending champions
the 2001 Australian
Safari finished in Darwin. First in the
auto division were 2000 winners
Bruce Garland and Harry Suzuki in an
unlimited category (modified) Holden
Jackaroo, their result giving them a
record fourth victory. Andrew Caldecott
(KTM 660 Rallye) took out the moto
division for the second year.
They had covered more than 4000km
during eight days of competition,
running from Alice Springs to Darwin.
ARC ROUND FOR SYDNEY
New South Wales looks certain
to regain a round of the Australian
Rally Championship Super Series in
2002 after being given the nod by the
Australian Rally Commission (ARCom).
The proposed new event, which will
replace the Coffs Harbour round lost
two years ago, has been awarded to
a company to be formed by Rally of
Melbourne Clerk of Course, Glenn
Cuthbert, and will most likely run in
March.
To be called the Harbour City Rally,
the event only needs ratification from
the Board of CAMS to get the green
light. Insiders see this as being purely
a formality and plans are already
being drawn up by the Victorian team
to get the rally up and running.
OCTOBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 65