Victoria 1970

Re-live the action from 1970

Year in review

Highlights

It was a dominant year for Bob Watson & Jim McAuliffe who won both the Australian Rally Championship and the Victorian Trials Championship in their Renault R8 Gordini 1.3. 

The Victorian State Council of CAMS released the third edition of the Victorian Trial and Rally Code which sold for 50 cents.

Australian Rally Championship

Having won the past two year’s Australian Rally Championships, Ford withdrew from rallying at the end of 1969 to concentrate on circuit racing. This left the way clear for the Renault team to make a strong showing and thus became favourites for the national rally title in 1970. 

Renault’s main challenge was expected to come from Harry Firth’s newly formed Holden Dealer Team which ran a Monaro for Bond/Shepheard and a new Torana for Tony Roberts. In the end, the HDT challenge fizzled and Watson was victorious in four of the five rounds, only beaten in the South Australian round by locals Stewart McLeod and Jack Lock.

Victoria hosted the first two rounds of the Australian Rally Championship, the Eureka and the Blue Ribbon rallies.

Renault / Castrol advertisement from 1970

Other Major Events

In May the traditional BP Rally was run and gave the Holden Dealer Team some joy when it was won by Tony Roberts and Mike Osborne in a Torana.
 
Mid year saw the running of the Ampol Trial, a “half” Round Australia Trial. The Ampol Rally had an optional starting point in Melbourne before crews assembled in Port Augusta. The Ampol Trial had passed through Victoria between Wagga and Adelaide then again with a stopover in Melbourne.
 
At the end of the year the Alpine Rally was conducted as a non-championship event but was nevertheless won by, you guessed it, Bob Watson and Jim McAuliffe in the “all conquering” R8 Gordini.

Victorian Trials Championship

VRC events in 1970 were the HAC Invitation, Akademos, Experts, Derrick, Two Day, North Eastern and Cooper Memorial.

Outright champions: Bob Watson / Jim McAuliffe, Renault R8 Gordini

For more details, including event results and points tables, go to the 1970 VTC page.

Other Open Events

TBC

Closed Events

TBC

 The Rally Calendar for this year:

DateEventClubStatus
31 JanSummer SafariPCCVOpen
31 JanSummer TrialMUCCClub
7 FebHAC InvitationHACVTC-1
21 FebClubmans RallyBLCCClub
28 Feb-1 MarEureka RallyBLCCARC-1
7 MarPenfold Motors TrialRCCVOpen
7 MarBegonia Rally?BLCCOpen
14 MarNovice TrialCCRMITClub
21 MarClubmans RallyLCCARestricted
21 MarWestern District TrialGMHMCClub
21 MarCommencement RallyMUCCClub
11 AprClassic RallyGMHMCOpen
18 AprMidlander TrialCVCCClub
25 AprBlue Ribbon TrialVSCCARC-2
2 MayFarago TrialMUCCClub
9 MayAmateur 100VADCClub
13-17 MayBP Rally of South Eastern AustraliaLCCAInternational
23 MayAutumn Midnight TrialCCRMITClub
30 MayAkademosMUCCVTC-2
13 JunMaroondah Rally (cancelled)HACOpen
20 JunMidnight TrialVSCCOpen
20 Jun-5 JulAmpol TrialARDCInternational
4 JulMidyear TrialMSCCOpen
11 JulAmateur TrialCCRMITClub
18 JulExpertsLCCAVTC-3
25 JulWinter TrialHACOpen
8 AugCorroboree TrialCRBCCClub
8 AugWinter TrialMUCCCluv
15 AugGeorge Derrick Memorial TrialCCRMITVTC-4
29 AugBlue RibbonVSCCARC-2
5 SepTwo Day TrialVADCVTC-5
12 SepOpen TrialGMHMCOpen
19 SepMid Western RallyLCCARestricted
19 SepPorky’s Midnight TrialCVCCClub
26 SepHunter SafariCOCCOpen
10 OctInvitation TrialA7CVClub
17 OctNovice RallyVSCCClub
31 OctCaltex North EasternNECCVTC-6
7 NovPresidents TrialCCRMITOpen
14 NovCooper Memorial TrialWDCCVTC-7
21 NovShell 200 Spring TrialMDCCClub
28 NovAlpine RallyLCCAOpen
13 DecSunrise RallyPIARCOpen
13 DecPolice Courtesy RallyVPMSCOpen