The Akademos was held on 1 June.
VRC Round 3 – 1968 MUCC Akademos Rally
Jeff Beaumont tells the story…
It was another Holden Dealer Team one-two victory in the wet Akademos, directed by Geoff Sproat.
Two weeks of drenching rain turned the normally all-weather forest roads into a series of muddy and slippery challenges, where half the field of 41 cars got bogged at some stage, in fact several times for some competitors.
The event started at Ringwood and headed up to the first competitive section on Marginal Road. Best times were put up by the two HDT Holdens and the two Mini Coopers of Bob McInnes and Roger Bonhomme ( the Dents entry ).
Then onto the SEC roads in Murrindindi ; North Eastern Rd and Black Range Road, where the Dent’s Cooper S was the only one clean.
Following sections were from Molesworth to Terip Terip, then down to Yark and onto the Strathbogies before the break at Euroa. The major trouble spot had been the flooded Creighton Creek, which claimed a number of cars. This was followed by a very muddy exit, which claimed Bonhomme’s Cooper S when it slipped off, bumped a tree and broke the steering.
Reg Lunn / Peter Haas had been performing very well, in their “ prototype “ 4 cylinder Torana entered by the HDT; obviously planning for the future with this model which was developed into the XU1 a few years later. They retired with rear suspension problems mid way through the second division
Most of the second stage was a reverse run back through the Strathbogies, which were near-repeats of the north bound first stage. Tony Roberts ran off at a hairpin, wiping out his front lights, forcing him to soldier on with just a single headlamp but somehow still putting up quick times.
Apart from the two Dealer Team Holdens, the battle for minor placings was quite intense, with a group of privateers covered by just a narrow margin.
Special mention must be made of Bob McInnes / Neville Price who hounded the leaders through the slosh in their near standard Mini Cooper.
Partial report from Racing Car News.
A report appeared in June Unicar.
And some very interesting reflections in July Unicar.