The Australian Rally Hall of Fame has announced the five new inductees who will be honoured at the Hall of Fame dinner to be held in Ballarat on Friday, August 23. The new group of inductees will join the 31 current members who have been announced since the Hall of Fame was inaugurated in 2013. The new inductees includes two drivers and three people who have been critical in the running and organising of rallying over many decades. Drivers Scott Pedder and Wayne Bell will join the Hall of Fame, along with master rally scorer Garry Searle, long time rally scrutineer Barry Habgood, and rally organiser Ivar Stanelis, to bring the Hall of Fame membership to 36. Wayne Bell is a legend of Australian rallying and is hailed as the fastest driver never to have won the Australian title, despite having come close on several occasions. Bell's exciting and flamboyant 'Scandinavian' driving style made him a crowd favourite through the 1970s, 80s and early 90s. Bell was part of the all conquering Holden Dealer Team Repco Round Australia Trial team, partnering with Barry Ferguson and Dave Boddy to come in second behind Peter Brock in the gruelling 14 day event in 1979. He went on to pioneer the Hyundai brand in rallying taking the Korean marque into the World Rally Championship and mentoring young drivers. He and continues to be a popular regular on the sidelines of grass roots motor sport. Scott Pedder's 2014 Australian Rally Championship was just part of a long and storied career in the sport which has deep roots in the Pedder family. As well as being a leading competitor and champion Scott oversaw a major overhaul of the Australian Rally Championship and has worked tirelessly to equip the sport for the modern era as an administrator and through his commercial support. Garry Searle has been the leading Australian expert on rally scoring systems and operations for more than three decades and has been both an innovator and developer of timing systems. Garry's input to rallying at all levels often goes unseen by competitors and enthusiasts but without his knowledge and expertise the sport would have been much more difficult to run and enjoy. Barry Habgood is a familiar sight at rounds of the Australian Rally Championship serving as the series scrutineer for more than two decades. Barry's friendly manner and vast knowledge of rally cars and the rules has enabled him to administer the scrutiny of Australian Rally Championship events with fairness and resolve.

Hall of Fame inductee, Wayne Bell.

Ivar Stanellis has been a rally organiser and event director for almost 50 years, playing a pivotal role in innovative Australian Championship events n the 1970s, 80s, 90s and into the 21st century including such iconic events as the famed Endrust Rallies of the 1970s and Rally SA in the 2000s. He also was a key member of the organisation team behind the Repco Round Australia and of late is still running the highly regards Heatland Rally in South Australia. Ivar has put incredible time and lots of his own money into running rallies for the pleasure of competitors and fans over a long time and along with the four other new members is a deserving inductee to the Hall if Fame. Bookings for the Australian Rally Hall of Fame dinner to be held as part of the lead up to this year's Victorian round of the ARC, the Eureka Rally in Ballarat this August, are now open and tickets for the celebratory night can be purchased online at TryBooking.com. The dinner will feature special guest Alistair McRae and a line up of Australian rally 'royalty', with many of the previously announced members joining the new 2019 inductees for a night that will celebrate the rich heritage and character of rallying in Australia, giving fans a rare opportunity to meet the stars of the past and the present. Tickets for the fourth Australian Rally Hall of Fame dinner are $80, which includes a three course dinner with a cash bar. Those wanting to join an exclusive group of eight can enjoy some extra witty Scottish repartee with the purchase of a premium $120 ticket and join Alistair McRae at the lead table. The format of the night has been organised with an early start and finish to the formalities, allowing Eureka Rush competitors to get a good night's rest ahead of recce on Saturday and the rally proper on Sunday. Former works Subaru driver and rally presenter Dean Herridge will MC the night, which will be staged at the function centre of the Ballarat Trotting Club from 6pm on the eve of the Eureka Rally. There is also a chance there will be a very special guest making an appearance at the dinner with further details to be revealed closer to the night. As well as honouring the legends of Australian rallying the night will also celebrate the heroes of Victorian rallying with three new inductees to the Victorian Rally Hall of Fame to be announced at the dinner. Assistance and contributions from CAMS has helped the staging of the dinner and rally fans will also be able to enjoy the dinner ahead of a weekend celebrating the sport of rallying in the forests around Ballarat. Tickets for the dinner are now on sale and can be booked and paid for HERE. Those wanting to book Premium $120 tickets and join the lead table with guest of honour Alistair McRae can go to HERE.

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Peter Whitten

Peter has been the editor of RallySport Magazine since its inception in 1989, in both printed and online form. He is a long-time competitor, event organiser and official, as well as working in the media. In 2020 he received a Motorsport Australia 'Media Service Award'.
Peter has been the editor of RallySport Magazine since its inception in 1989, in both printed and online form. He is a long-time competitor, event organiser and official, as well as working in the media. In 2020 he received a Motorsport Australia 'Media Service Award'.

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