The new East Coast Classic Rally Challenge will be open to all classic-style two wheel drive rally cars and will be comprise the Bega Valley Rally on June 17, the Kumho Tyres Rally of the Bay at Batemans Bay on September 1 and the Snake Racing Coffs Rally on October 15-16.
The East Coast Classic Rally Challenge will be decided on competitors’ best two results from the three rallies with points being awarded on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis for each of the three rallies.
The Series was formulated after the Clerks-of-Course from each of the events, Tom Snooks who runs the Bega rally, Colin Fletcher who is in charge of the Rally of the Bay and Adrian Dudok who is organising the Coffs Rally, put their heads together to come up with a reason for the growing fleet of classic-style rally cars to come out and play on some of the best rally roads in Australia.
“In the 1970s when the classic Ford Escorts, Datsun Stanzas, Holden V8s and other machines were the stars of the sport, the Bega Valley Rally earned its reputation as one of the great driver’s events, while a little way up the coast at Batemans the Bunbury Curran Rally was a favourite driver’s rally and, of course, Coffs saw its fair share of Southern Cross Rally competition,” said Adrian Dudok.
“They were three of the great rallies of the era so it is fitting that we run a Classic series for the growing number of great classic-style rally cars that are a salute to the sports rich heritage” he said.
Bega Valley Rally Clerk-of-Course Tom Snooks played a significant role in the golden era of rallying and while he is now back running the far South Coast event he was involved with back in the seventies, had also had a key management position in the legendary Southern Cross on the North Coast and is keen to see the heritage of the sport recognised and nurtured.
Those choosing to pursue the East Coast Classic Rally Challenge need only to enter and compete in the three rallies with points being awarded for all three events.
Prizes and trophies are still being formulated for the East Coast Classic Rally Challenge however the organisers intend for the series to become an annual challenge for classic car competitors and will be looking to make the prize pool as attractive as possible to attract interest in the series. Organisers are hoping to announce a plan to offer free entry to all three events in 2013 for the winner of the overall East Coast Classic Rally Challenge in 2012. It is hoped that this will be confirmed in coming days
The Classic section of the Bega Valley Rally, the Sapphire Coast Classic has attracted 12 entries and organisers believe that with promotion the East Coast Classic Rally Challenge will attract tremendous interest with competitors over the coming years.
Further detail will be made available over the coming weeks.
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