The Blue Ribbon was held on .
VRC Round 5 – 1968 VSCC Blue Ribbon Trial
Jeff Beaumont tells the story…
Amazingly, the two Holden Dealer Team HK Kingswoods clean sheeted the fifth round of this year’s Victorian Rally Championship. The event was considered to be a bit slow but Director Bob Simpson had originally set the rally times in wet conditions. Once the roads dried out the times became quite achievable.
This event used roads through the Daylesford and Mt Disappointment forests.
Thirty eight crews faced the starter at Northland Shopping Centre, then travelled onto the start proper at Calder Raceway. Crews then drove into the dusk through Coimadi to the loop control at Breens Bridges.
Bruce Wilson stopped just out of the start control with a broken gearbox mount.
From the Black Forest crews moved further west to the Simmons Reef area, where special maps were provided to crews, providing clear instructions without concern.
At the Kyneton fuel break, Watson, Roberts and Bonhomme were all clean, followed by a bunch of crews on single digit losses.
Watson’s Holden had a leaking brake line replaced and the Dents Cooper S had an alternator replaced.
The next Division started from Pipers Creek, with a water-logged transport into the Director’s favourite area; the Mt Disappointment Forest.
Another special map was introduced for the final four sections, the first being along Harry’s Link and Harry’s Nose roads. Again the two Holden HK’s and the Dents Cooper S cleaned, with a bunch on one and two points down.
A little navigation created minimal problems for most crews, with the final run down Escreets Road and finally Raynors Road.