The 10th BP Rally, organised by the Light Car Club of Australia, was held from May 2 to 7. This was Donald Thomson’s last BP at Director and he was assisted by Graham Hoinville and John Pryce.
Renault takes out Donald Thomson’s final BP
Mal McPherson and Robin Sharpley were popular winners in their Renault R8 Gordini, Mal having done every BP except 1962 when he had an East African Safari commitment.
DKT was very contented with his 10th and final BP, it being dry and challenging, but all Trial Stage sections were cleaned by someone. The Assembly Stage did not count, like last year, where two sections in Whroo forest had no clean sheets.
In addition to the traditionally exclusive official Broadbent’s maps, for the first time the new military survey 1:250,000 and 1:100,000 maps were also specified. Eight crews entered and started from NSW, down on the previous year, even with four Divisions in NSW, two from Adelaide, and two from Tasmania, who started from Melbourne.
The Assembly Stage converged at Tatura and finished in Wangaratta. The 1370 mile Trial Stage consisted of six Divisions, departing Wangaratta at 10 am Thursday 4 May to Canberra for an overnight break (depart 8 am Friday), Goulburn (depart 3 pm), Cooma (depart 11.30 pm), Orbost (depart 10 am Saturday), Bairnsdale for an overnight break (depart 7.30 am Sunday), Springvale South (depart 1.52 pm to Chadstone).
The first three Divisions were not difficult, due in part to the new maps, with five crews clean to Canberra, two Vic, two NSW and one from Qld and SA, two clean to Goulburn, and only Firth/Osborne clean to Cooma with a further 11 crews under 20 points down.
The early morning hours took their toll on leaders Firth and Phillips as the course crossed back into Victoria, where a loop out of Bendoc onto the Errinundra Plateau rainforests was cleaned only by the Vaughan brothers. Plenty of time was allowed for the simple but relentlessly twisty Bonang Highway to Orbost for breakfast.
Woodfall/Forsyth led at Orbost, looking to make amends for last year’s litigious disappointment, but as had been the pattern of disaster befalling any leaders, they did time where not many others did on the loop east of Orbost, and the then second and third placegetters, McLeod and Ellis, took each other out with a head on crash. The forests of Stringers Knob, Colquhoun and Melwood took further toll on all crews.
McPherson/Sharpley were able to sleep on an eight point lead at Bairnsdale. The run home through the Strzelecki Ranges, took few points off the leaders despite the welcome moisture, so that Bruce Collier/Lindsay Adcock in another Renault Gordini and Ian and Roger Vaughan in a Cortina GT joined Mal and Robin on the podium at Chadstone.
36 crews started and 33 finished.
Modern Motor story on Hillman Imp entry
