It started over 30 years ago when the then owner of Autosport (the late Mike Armitage) offered sponsorship to an up-and-coming rally driver at the beginning of his rally career, after taking third outright in his first event, the final round of the 1979 South Australian Rally Championship.
Over the next decade the association produced two Australian Championships as well as three South Australian Championships for Lowe.
Since Barry’s last serious full season competing in 1990, when he won the South Australian Championship driving a 1971 GT HO Falcon, he has only competed in two events.
So at the age of 58, BJ, as he is commonly known, along with his partner Helen (Lenny) has taken up ACRA’s Classic Rally Challenge as part of this year’s Australian Rally Championship (ARC), with this being Helen’s first ever motorsport experience!
Taking the opportunity to drive a VB Commodore V8 owned by his twin sons (Aaron and Daniel), BJ will drive the car (the same vehicle multi Australian Rally Champion Geoff Portman hired to compete in the 2005 Alpine Rally), they hope to be competitive amongst the top classic rally cars currently competing, which include BDA Escorts, Porsche 911, Fiat Abarth, Mazda RX-7 and replica works Datsun Stanzas and Z cars.
Coffs Harbour in mid-May saw 10 of ACRA’s members put on a sensational driving display, with Will Orders in his potent RX-7 take on the established star of classic rallying, Jeff David in his Porsche 911and Darryn Snooks in his powerful works replica Stanza. It was a battle for young and old with David taking the spoils and Orders damaging his car. Both will be back for the Scouts Rally SA.
Five time Australian Champion, Ross Dunkerton, will also compete, but this time in the Fiat Abarth 131 works replica, previously used by Wayne Bell, Greg Carr and Shawn Urquhart, after breaking the gearbox in his own Escort BDA at the Coffs event.
The entry list for the Classic field at Scout Rally SA is:
1.   Brendan Brown/Correne Seabrook Datsun 180 B SSS
2.   Brian Smith/Douglas Glover Mazda RX7
3.   Brad Gibson/Ryan Hazelwood Datsun 1600
4.   Keith Callinan/Mary-Anne Callinan Ford Escort RS 1800
5.   Neville Whittenbury/Dave Rudham Datsun 180 B
6.   Ross Dunkerton/Lisa Dunkerton Fiat 131 Abarth
7.   Barry Lowe/Helen Pearl Holden Commodore
8.   Darryn Snooks/Matt DeVaus Datsun Stanza
9.   Jack Monkhouse/Dale Moscatt Datsun 180 B SSS
10.   Will Orders/Rian Calder Mazda RX - 7
11.   Jeffrey David/Grant Geelan Porsche 911
Scouts Rally SA is the 4th round of the Australian Rally Championship and action gets underway on June 25 in the Adelaide Hills.
SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO READ THE FULL STORY
