Entrants in the 12-day, 7000km event will get more for their entry fee than fun, adventure and camaraderie. They will instantly join the honour roll of those who have competed in the previous twelve ‘Round Australia’ rallies that originated with the RedeX Trial of 1953.
The original Trials were major events that captivated the nation and opened up the then-mysterious Outback to millions of people through the huge media coverage they generated.
Many members of the 90 crews already committed to participating in this year’s Trial have previously been ‘Round Australia’ – a number many times.
One of the most experienced is nine-time New South Wales Rally Champion Barry Ferguson, who took part in the 1964, 1979, 1995 and 1998 events, finishing second outright in the first two.
He will compete in this year’s Red Centre to Gold Coast Trial driving the same former Holden Team Commodore that he shared with Wayne Bell and Dave Boddy to finish second in the 1979 Repco Reliability Trial.
Another 2008 entrant, Ron Fraser, is a veteran of three Round Australia trials and will compete in the less-demanding ‘Challenge’ category in a classic Peugeot 404.
Fifteen other 2008 Trial entrants have competed in two previous Round Australia events.
Around 140 members of the informally incorporated ‘Round Australia Club’ met recently in New South Wales to mark the 55th year since of the original RedeX Trial. Appropriately they met in Maitland, home town of the late Ken Tubman, who won the 1953 Trial in a Peugeot 203.
Amongst them was octogenarian Ken Harper, who took part in that historic first event, navigating for the late Norman Hamilton in Australia’s first Porsche.
He has since taken part in a further seven Round Australia trials – the 1954 RedeX, the 1957 Ampol Trial, both the 1958 Ampol and Mobilgas Trials, the 1964 and 1970 Ampol Trials and the 1995 Mobil 1 Trial.
Starting in Alice Springs on Monday September 8, the Trial will take a maximum of 120 competitors in historic and production rally cars and recreational 4WDs built prior to 1986 on a zigzag course across the Centre and north east of Australia before finishing on the Gold Coast on Saturday September 20. A large part of the course will cover roads never previously used in Round Australia trials.
After scrutineering and a welcome function in Alice Springs, the Trial will begin with a ‘shakedown’ loop containing four competitive sections south of Alice Springs before commencing the long run to the East Coast.
Entrants will travel on mainly unmade, Outback roads via Mt.Isa (Sept.11), Normanton (Sept.12), Cairns (Sept.13), Townsville (Sept.14), Longreach (Sept.15), Birdsville (Sept.16), Tibooburra (Sept.17), Bourke (Sept.18), Goondiwindi (Sept.19) and the Gold Coast (Sept.20).
There will be up to 50 competitive sections over the 10 days of the Trial, some as long as 100km.
Entry in the Red Centre to Gold Coast Trial costs $5,500 for the Trial category and $4,250 for the less-competitive Challenge, both prices including GST, with a maximum of 120 entries permitted.
For Supplementary Regulations visit the Red Centre To Gold Coast Trial website.
or call Bob Watson on (03) 9646 1066/0427 201 158
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