1966 Southern Cross Rally Event Story

Day One

Starting at Roselands Shopping centre in Sydney, the 2500 mile course headed over the Blue Mountains via Bell and Hampton. The run down the treacherous descent to Jenolan Caves Special tested all the brakes stages, but most cars got through without problems and the leaders did not trouble the scorers. The run across to Crookwell for a mealbreak was similarly uneventful for most, but in a bad omen for the BMC team, Hopkirk’s Mini had a collapsed hydrostatic suspension unit which needed replacing, costing them time. It seemed that the local BMC parts performed better than the UK ones. Aaltonen also needed service time.

After Crookwell came a special section around the Wyangala Dam. This would involve (we think) a loss of a point per quarter minute so the penalty for any problem was much greater. Most of the leaders were on time as it perhaps became apparent that Selby-Woods had set the times a tad too easy. Somehow Hopkirk last 68 points (17 minutes late) and was pretty much out of contention.

By Boorowa there were several retirements, and even the celebrated visitors were in trouble with their cars’ rigid suspensions on the rough roads. The run to Wagga was generally easy, but Yammertree Road was muddy, rutted and with granite outcrops, presenting a challenge to many drivers. However, with care, the time could be made and about half the field were on time.

Despite the challenges, a dozen crews were clean by the first stopover at Wagga Wagga. These were Kennedy, Ferguson, Hodgson, Kilfoyle, Greg Garard, Roberts, Watson, Green, Drane, Russell, Hilton and Hodgson. Firth was down 2 while the two internationals were out of contention with Aaltonen on 60 and Hopkirk 141. Eight cars had retired.

Day Two

Dust laden roads on the run southwards added heavy penalties for some, but the carnival atmosphere of a special loop stage near Tumbarumba restored everyone’s spirits as thousands of the town’s population turned out to watch impromptu “drags” and “wheelies” in their main street, while beaming police and council officials looked on. The run down into Victoria and along the Murray River to Talgarno was largely uneventful.

The special stage to Bethanga over the Plateau Road to Jarvis Creek was the first to take significant points off the leaders. Aaltonen was quickest down 33 (over 8 minutes late) with Firth next on 34, Nolan 35, Hopkirk 37, Ferguson 38 and Roberts 40. Three loops out of Bethanga became known as the “Bethanga Stamped” (see Bob Taylor’s recounting of the night). Only the third loop to the north would take points from the leaders, with Doug Stewart in the Morris 1100 the only one on time. But the times were distorted by whether the gates were open or not! Ferguson was down 2, Winkless 3, Hopkirk, Green, Bourke, Forrest and Vaughan all on 4 (1 minute late). Lionel Williams rolled his Holden but managed to continue. Geoff Russell bent his Peugeot’s steering, while Ken Tubman got a broken windscreen from another car’s exuberant departure. Fortunately the Albury mealbreak and service was just a short distance away.

After the Albury mealbreak the field headed southwards through Beechworth, Stanley and Myrtleford. Bob Watson’s Holden had engine troubles around here. The run down into Melbourne included lots of beautiful roads through Whitfield, Mansfield, Jamieson, Cumberland Junction, McMahons Creek and past Donna Buang before heading into Melbourne. The times were all achievable and Ferguson, Firth, Kilfoyle and Greg Garard were all clean, together with Aaltonen who was out of contention. Some mud near Tolmie presented some challenges to the later cars. Green dropped a couple of minutes with a broken throttle cable, but managed to drive on the ignition switch!

By Melbourne the leaderboard was well established with Ferguson on 40, Firth 49, Kilfoyle 50, Greg Garard 53, Green 54, Hodgson and Winkless 61, Lunn 63 and Drane 65. Several more cars had retired including Hodgins’ Citroen which had suspension failure.

But all was not well with Firth’s Cortina. After Albury they began to run on 2 cylinders. A dislodged plug lead explained one of the cylinders but the other was due to a cracked cam follower, soon identified with the rocker cover removed. From the initial check-in in Hawthorn cars were allowed 77 minutes to reach the impound at Olympic Park, which included a notional hour’s service time. From Hawthorn it was a quick skip to Firth’s workshop in Auburn, engine out, camshaft and cam followers replaced, all in 42 minutes. They made the impound with seconds to spare. See the full story here.

Day Three

The first 50 km competitive began on the Princes Highway at Pakenham (this was a long time ago!) and headed up to Gembrook then through the Beenak Forest all the way to Tonimbuk. Only Aaltonen and Hopkirk cleaned the section. Two more competitives were tackled in the Strzelecki Ranges, the first near Thorpdale and the second using sections of the superb Grand Ridge Road and ending at Gormandale. Although timed to the minute, the second section had Aaltonen on 5, Hopkirk 6 then Firth and Green on 7. The Stubber Holden left the road somewhere in here.

A mealbreak was taken in Sale then a lengthy transport to Buchan. The event’s longest section was then up the Snowy River Road, also known as the Barry Way, all the way from Buchan to Jindabyne, 165 km or just over a 100 miles in the old language. Snow was promised but it was only on the side of the road. The time set was perhaps too lenient and allowed the leaders to be on time.

Cars then headed into Cooma for fuel and out to a special section (quarter minute timing) that began along Jones Plain Road, then looped north through Yaouk and back to Shannons Flat. By now it was daylight and the leaders were pretty much all on time, but Green was losing time with engine issues and falling from contention. A fairly easy run up to Tharwa included a rough grid that damaged a few cars’ suspensions.

Crews headed into Canberra for a well earned rest. It had been a good run from Melbourne for the Cortinas with Firth gaining 7 minutes on Ferguson to be just 2 points adrift, and Kilfoyle 1 point further back, then Ian Vaughan who had climbed to fourth, just 3 points further back. With many quarter minute timed special section on the final night, the event was still wide open. Green had dropped from the leaderboard but was still leading his class. Aaltonen was down in fifteenth place, Hopkirk even lower.

Day Four

With everything to play for, crews head to the outskirts of Canberra for an 87 km section up to Saywers, then around a loop up to the Wee Jasper Road then through to Cavan. These are fast but treacherous roads with many crests, blind corners and grids. Hopkirk nearly made the time but dropped 1 (15 seconds) then Firth 5 and Green and Garard on 8. Ferguson had lost the lead to Firth. On the run across to Collector for the mealbreak Ferguson crashed into a tree over a crest and his event was over. He was not alone – the same tree claimed the Bob Holden Mini and the Forrest Volvo, although the Mini was able to make it to the finish. Firth had taken the lead and Greg Garard was on the move, overtaking both Kilfoyle and Vaughan to move into second.

After Collector came a loop section and then a subsequent special section which ended on Nerriga Road just beyond Stewarts Crossing of the Shoalhaven River. The deep river crossing caught out Kilfoyle who had a puncture and dropped 34 points (over 8 minutes).

After Braidwood came the fabulous Araluen loop including the tortuous climb up to Majors Creek. With quarter minute timing, Hopkirk was best on 17 (over 4 minutes late) then Firth and Garard on 20 and Geoff Russell on 24. Another special section up Charleys Forest Road to the Nerriga Road saw Firth and Kilfoyle best on 42 (more than 10 minutes late).

What remained was an easy run to a refuel in Nowra then some relatively easy sections around Kangaroo Valley (including one quarter minute timed) before the transport back to Sydney. But it was not quite over, and Firth’s Cortina was using oil almost as fast as petrol, and they were running dangerously low. A kindly control official donated some more oil, as told here by Graham Hoinville, and the ailing Cortina made it to the finish.

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