Over the past few months there has been much talk about yet another Round Australia being run, but the sticking point appears to be the lack of a willing director to take on the huge task.
RallySport Magazine understands a number of business people have already come forward with offers to put money into an event if a suitable director could be found, but so far all the most likely directors have ruled themselves out.
Several possible names have been put forward however no-one has expressed more than passing interest in the task. An event of this magnitude would also require the backing of a major sponsor to cover the enormous costs of providing the infrastructure necessary to run what would, as a minimum, a 10,000 kilometre event.
As each year passes, the stumbling blocks that would make running a marathon event of this type even more difficult, are getting larger and larger, thanks to safety issues, the problem of large tracts of land in Central Australia now under Aboriginal or government control, and OH & S regulations. Â
Covering large distances through remote parts of the country poses additional problems in obtaining sufficient officials to run the event, particularly as most would now need to be CAMS accredited officials to allow the event to proceed.
Also a negating factor is the reluctance of authorities to allow the use of the extensive softwood plantations on Australia’s east coast, plantations that contain many hundreds of kilometers of competitive roads that have in the past formed part of the route of previous Round Australias.
Although many would welcome a further full-blown circumnavigation of the continent, that likelihood seems to be diminishing. Even a ‘half Round Australia’ covering all states except Western Australia seems unlikely to proceed under the current circumstances.
The last Round Australia Trial was held in 1998.
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