The 14th BP Rally, organised by the Light Car Club of Australia, was held from May 10 to 16. The Directors were Frank Kilfoyle, Mike Osborne and Graham Hoinville, with the ever present assistance of John Pryce.
BP goes to South Australia in a very tough test
Ross Runnalls provides a summary (with some additional comments from Jeff Beaumont) …
This year Director Kilfoyle took the route further west into South Australia in a very tough test for man and machine, which competitors seemed to enjoy, despite lots of car damage, lots of de-bogging in mud and sand, lots of gates, lots of cutting and running and subsequently huge points losses. It resulted in victory to South Australians Stewart McLeod and Jack Lock, the first crew to have repeat wins. Others have done so but with different partners.
Entries were received from six states, and started from traditional three locations; Melbourne, Goulburn and Adelaide, early Wednesday morning 12 May on Assembly Stages to Echuca. They started on the Trial Stage after a 12 hour break at 2.30 am Thursday, on six divisions to Swan Hill (depart 10 am), Mildura (depart 3.30 pm), Berri for an overnight break (depart 8.45 am Friday), Blanchetown (depart 5 pm), Pinnaroo (depart 10.15 pm), refuels at Ouyen and Hopetoun, to Horsham for an eight hour break (depart 5.45 pm Saturday), Stawell (depart 12.45 am Sunday), Kyneton (depart 10 am) for easy run to Chadstone for afternoon finish.
The points accumulated early and regularly for all crews. Rex Lunn and Bob Forsyth started the rally badly, having to change a head gasket on their V6 Capri, a job that they had to repeat three more times during the event! Low scrub along the banks of the Murray caused many broken windscreens, including Colin Bond, who carried on to the finish with a replacement windscreen taped in place.
Chettle / Comerford took an early lead from Len Shaw and Tony Wunderlich in the twin cam Escort. However, the Escort challenge soon faded when their Halda stopped working near the Gol Gol Swamp. The leaders at Mildura were Chettle/Comerford Renault 16TS on 57 points, McLeod/Lock 61 and Philip/Jessup 63.
McLeod lost 40 early out of Mildura, but Philip got stuck hard and fast until the next morning. At Berri it was still Chettle then McLeod then first timer Tom Barr-Smith/Rob Hunt also from SA in a 16TS. Into SA and Watson/McAuliffe, the current national champions broke down and walked out 23 miles to some sort of civilisation. Their team mates Roger Bonhomme / Geoff Thomas were also in trouble, also in a R8 Gordini, with a slipping clutch due to a leaking rear main seal. With dozens of gates to be opened and shut, it became awfully difficult to continue. They persisted for a further 600 miles towards Horsham until the diff finally broke.
The top three swapped places all the way, so that at Horsham only one point separated the two SA crews, 168 to 169. The final division from Stawell through the goldfield forests was set by assistant Mike Osborne, and it was a killer. McLeod missed a via, had three very bad sections, and probably thought they had blown it losing 149 for the Division. Chettle had a better time of it and snuck into second, in front of Barr-Smith.
GMH won the Manufacturers Award, with Bond in 6th and thanks to 8th placed Barwick/Tyson in the 300,000 mile ex taxi HR Holden.
42 crews started and 29 finished.
