Back in early-1989, Jeff Whitten had an idea. Australia had just secured a round of the World Rally Championship, but there was no publication dedicated to rallying in Australia.
Sick of trying to find rally news in the circuit racing-rich weekly and monthly motorsport mags, he set out to start a publication of his own.
Together with son, Peter, things quickly snowballed and by late August in 1989 the first issue of Australian Rallysport News had hit the newsstands.
Inaugural columnists included rally legends Greg Carr and Geoff Portman, and before long the publication – referred to as ‘ARN’ by fans – had taken hold.
In this special edition of our DustTrails podcast, Jeff Whitten, now 80, brings us some recollections on those early years and what it took to get a monthly newspaper from an idea to a reality.
It’s a chat we’re sure you’ll enjoy.
