The original events were all run in the Murrindindi forests, and generally were won by Stuart Lister, who is this year’s course checker (as a reward!). The newly-resurrected event will be conducted entirely in East Gippsland on roads that have now become known as Alpine Country.
The event will start and finish at Sarsfield, 13 km north of Bairnsdale on the Bruthen road. The first car will start at approximately 9pm, and arrive back at the finish at around 2am.
The Touring Road Event component will consist of four sections, each with a competitive distance of around 50km, thus keeping transport stages to a minimum.
Being a round of the HRA rally championship, it is nevertheless open to anyone with a two wheel drive car that is normally aspirated. The event will be fully navigational, with all maps supplied by the organisers. Speed will not be a determining factor as all averages are set at around 70 km/h.
A variety of navigation styles will be used, but primarily the event has been designed to reward accurate scaling and plotting, and precise use of a compass. The majority of the roads are excellent, however there are a small realignments and tracks of lesser quality.
Following the TRE event and starting after the last car, will be an untimed Touring Assembly, designed specifically for first timers or very novice navigators. Competitors will cover exactly the same route as the TRE, however doing only the first three sections, and will be supplied with lots of additional information and better maps to ensure they complete the event.
A cheaper entry fee has been arranged, and as the route contains only a small number of “grotties”, a sensibly driven road car could be used.
Director Andrew Roberts is hopeful that some of the club’s experienced navigators might take the opportunity to jump into the driver’s seat and educate a novice in the basic skills of navigation under rallying conditions.
Entries are now open and Supp Regs can be found on the HRA website (just follow the 4 Pointer links) www.hra.org.au
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