Ivar Stanelis has had deep connections to Australian rallying both tarmac and gravel for over fifty years. He has been and still is, a major force in rallying in South Australia.
He has run the South Australian round of the ARC for eighteen continuous years from 2001 to 2018 and for nineteen continuous years the South Australian Rally Championship, the first three as deputy Clerk of Course and the next 16 as Clerk of Course.
In all of these events Ivar set the courses involved, did the safety checks, and was responsible for the total execution of the events.
Ivar’s appetite for rally organisation is insatiable. He was a senior Chief Official and Course Co-ordinator for the two week 20,000 km Repco Round Australia event held in 1979, which required 5000 officials to be placed around Australia. He took part in the course planning with Frank Kilfoyle during 1978.
He was the creator and Clerk of Course of the State Bank Discovery Trial, a seven-day sesquicentenary trial held in 1986 that travelled all around South Australia.
Ivar Stanelis seemed to be involved with any rally event that took place in South Australia.
He was Technical Adviser to the organisers of the 1977 Singapore Airlines London to Sydney marathon, and Australian Course and Officials Co-ordinator for the Sydney to London Classic Marathon in April/May 2014 where he set the course from Renmark to Perth and placed about 500 officials.
On the tarmac side of things Ivar was Clerk of the Course for the 2009 Darwin to Adelaide World Eco Challenge, Deputy Clerk of Course for the Classic Adelaide Rally 2001-2006 and Clerk of Course Classic Adelaide Rally in 2009 and 2010.
Back on the gravel side, he has been the organiser and Clerk of Course for the innovative and spectacular AGL Rally SA –Rally of the Heartland in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, using the access roads to the many wind generators in the Burra/Hallett area.
Stanelis has served on numerous CAMS committees and Panels, including the SA Rally Panel. He was President of the Walkerville All Cars Club in the years 1971/2, was made a Life member of the Walkerville All Cars Club in 2008 and became a Patron of the same club from 2010 to the present. He was South Australian Rally Panel Rally Official of the year for 2018.
Ivar Stanelis is a CAMS Silver Star holder, a prestigious award which sits between the honour of Life Membership of CAMS and the CAMS Service award. It is presented for services over and above the level of the Service award.
He enjoys high quality support amongst officials throughout Australia, and through his hard work for the sport is warmly welcomed into the Australian Rally Hall of Fame.
* Citation reproduced courtesy of the Australian Rally Hall of Fame.
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