As highlighted in a recent article on the RallySport Magazine website, the ‘Southern Cross’ name has been widely used in Australian rallying since the 1960s, with the name conjuring up long, tough events based largely around the far north coast of NSW.
In 2006, the Southern Cross Classic Rally, an initiative of legendary competitor and director, Mike Bell, was announced as a round of the Australian Classic Rally Association calendar for 2007. More information on the event has just been announced, allowing potential competitors to plan on entering this new event on June 22 & 23 this year.
The event is to be based on the Southern Cross Rally of the 60s, 70s and 80s which achieved national and international status as one of the most testing events in the world.
The Southern Cross Classic Rally is, as its name suggests, for classic production classic rally cars and historic rally cars built prior to December 31, 1989, and excludes 4WD and forced induction vehicles. A maximum field of 90 cars will be permitted to start, and interest in the event has already been strong.
Based on the NSW mid-north coast twin towns of Forster/Tuncurry on Wallis Lake, the venue is a popular Great Lakes holiday destination famous for water sports and fishing. The modern Forster Tuncurry RSL Club will be the headquarters for the event.
Competitors will face over 300 competitive kilometers in the nearby forests and, as in the days of the old Southern Crosses, servicing will be ‘on the move’. For those that lament the passing of what are generally considered the best periods of Australian rallying, this new event will give owners of the rapidly-increasing number of classic rally cars the chance to relive the ‘good old days’.
A top field of drivers and cars which include Ford Escorts, Datsuns, Mazdas, V8 Commodores and more, the Southern Cross Classic Rally will be one event not to be missed.
Competitor information books will be available in February 2007 and Supp. Regs. will be released in March. In the meantime, you can get more information from mikebell@bigpond.net.au or sarah.manuel@defence.gov.au
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