If you were one of those crews who missed out, or you were a mere spectator wishing that you could be out there mixing it with the lucky few, a recently-released 2-disc DVD will go some way towards healing that disappointment.
Put together by the talented “DAVE” crew of Brad Hurle, Keith Wells and Pierre A’Bell, Disc 1 features over an hour of exciting rally action that unfortunately (but understandably, given the number of entries) doesn’t quite catch every car in action.
Nevertheless, the footage, shot by some expert camera operators and enhanced by audio gurus, brings us some fabulous action of a large number of the field, including footage of the eventual winner, Geoff Portman (Ford Escort RS1800) in action. His spectacular driving display at the media day at the Lakes Entrance racecourse made the hair on this reviewers’ neck stand up after being treated to some full sideways, full noise laps reminiscent of world championship action from the 1980s.
There were also some stellar performances by other leading crews in humble Datsun 1600s, Jeff David’s grunty Porsche, and lots of others.
Disc 2 shows the Alpine from a different perspective – through some thoughtfully-placed in-car cameras in a range of vehicles that give a whole new perspective on this non-pacenoted long distance event. One fascinating side of this is the difference in route-calling techniques displayed by various navigators, and their responses when something goes wrong!
Certainly a great deal more than an amateur effort, this 2-disc DVD is well worth a look. You can purchase it for just $35 including postage and handling, and it will bring you hours of enjoyment and maybe even whet your appetite for an early entry in next year’s Alpine Rally.
To order, send an email to alpinedvd@optusnet.com.au and they’ll send you a request for payment through PayPal, then send the DVD out to you.
- Jeff Whitten
SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO READ THE FULL STORY
