1973 Southern Cross Rally Event Story

Day One

After the wet and dreary start at Sydney’s Hyde Park, crews tackled a short quarter minute times special stage at Awaba where the top runners were on time – Fall, Mehta, Chivas, Cowan, Singh, Stewart and Ferguson all on time. Road position no doubt played a role in the atrocious wet conditions and at the back of the field, Bond did well to only drop ¼. He would go on to pass close to fifty cars during the night and end in sixth place by the time they reached Port Macquarie. Mid field was another cleansheet, the relatively unknown George Fury in the factory 180B. Iwashita and Robert Jackson were retirements with engine failures, the latter certainly due to over-revving in the muddy conditions.

The competition began in earnest with the 58 km stage in the Myall River Forest near Bulahdelah. Tony Falls signalled his intentions dropping 3, well clear of Cowan and Kilfoyle on 6. The Hondas were not having a good start with Janson blowing a head gasket, then Blanchard rolled his Honda later in the night after rear suspension failure, while Beckman broke a tie rod on the final stage before port Macquarie.

The next 75 km stage in Wang Wauk had Fall fastest again on 7 but matched by Kilfoyle with Cowan on 8 together with the fast Queensland privateer, Charlie Lund. Dramas struck Singh who put he Lancer on its side but was fortunate that spectators were able to quickly right the car and they only dropped a couple of minutes. McLeod also appears to have had an off and dropped 14. Stewart left the road and while missing a big tree became stuck and subsequently ran out of late time. A similar fate befell the Porsche of New Zealander Tim Bailey, whose Porsche clobbered bank breaking the steering then left the road to become stuck under a tree. Mehta broke the read suspension on his 240Z and while only dropping 9 on the competitive, lost 23 minutes on the subsequent transport effecting repairs.

The shorter 14 km Kennedy’s Gap stage had less drama, but Fall punctured and dropped 6 where Chivas, Cowan and Kilfoyle had cleaned. Lumby’s Celica left the road and became stuck only to discover they had left the winch in the service car.

The beautiful 46 km run up Tipperary Road to easy of Gloucester had Fall puncturing three times, and having used both spares, had to drive a fair way on a flat. Meanwhile Kilfoyle passed Fall then had an off, so Fall stopped to tow them back on the road and Kilfoyle provided them with another spare. Kilfoyle dropped 16 and Fall 28. In comparison, Cowan and Chivas dropped 2 with Mehta and Ferguson on 3. In most events such losses would put Fall, Mehta and Kilfoyle out of contention but the Southern Cross was such a long event that anything could still happen.

A further 27 km competitive in Kiwarrak preceded the meal and service break in Taree. Cowan was quickest on 3 from Chivas on 4, giving Cowan and overall lead of 4 minutes over Chivas with Ferguson and Watson next a further 5 minutes back. Moloney’s good run came to an end when they left the road and retired.

After the mealbreak me the night’s longest stage, 125 km through the Dingo Tops, followed immediately by the quick run along Black Flat Lane and back to another service in Wingham. Falls was quickest on 10 with Cowan on 11, then Ferguson 15. Fall dropped 1 on Black Flat and was equalled by Riley in the Galant, with Ferguson next best on 2. Mehta was having continuing dramas and started to short-cut the route and would then skip controls to Port Macquarie eventually finishing the night in a distant 42nd place. Hodgson retired the big Falcon with a wandering rear axle. Back in the field the conditions were deteriorating such that many could get up some of the hills and were forced push, winch or short-cut.

After Wingham came a short run through Yarratt where Fall and Cowan were again quickest, a minute clear of Chivas, McLeod, Ferguson, Watson, Lawson and Bond. Cowan stamped his authority on the event on the nights final long section, 90 km through Kerewong and Bulls Ground, dropping 18, only challenged by Bond on 19, then Fall and Ferguson both on 24, Riley on 25, Kilfoyle and Thompson on 27 and Singh on 28. Watson had a drama and dropped 45 and several places. In addition to the muddy conditions, fog was making the conditions somewhat changeable. Green was having gear selector issues in the Monaro but persevered through the night but was forced to skip the final stage before retiring early on the second night. Many other crews were forced to skip sections as they ran close to their late time limits.

So after the first tortuous night, Cowan on 53 held a commanding lead over team-mates Ferguson on 72, Chivas on 79 and Singh on 86. The first Datsun was Fall on 87, then Bond on 93¼, Kilfoyle 96¼, then McLeod 99 virtually equal with Watson on 99¼. Riley, the first privateer, was up into tenth on 101¾, with Lund (RX3) next on 105¾ ahead of West (XU1) on 111¾. Fury in the next Datsun was thirteenth on 110 but they were destined to retired early on the second night with a blown engine. Graham Thompson was doing well in the Gerry Ball Datsun 1600 to be fourteenth, but they would retire on the second night with a broken gearbox. Next on 133 was Bruce Collier in the Mazda on 141¼, then Dunkerton on 141¾, the last of those to complete the full route. Next were Bill Evans in the Datsun 1200 and James Laing-Peach in the Honda, both having short-cut the final stage and dropped a route check. There were 62 cars classified as finishing the night, but many with numerous missed controls.

Day Two

The second night began with a 38 km run through Collombatti and out Western Range Road. It was along here that Fury’s engine expired and they went no further. Surprisingly, this and the next section actually had some dust! We don’t have a time for Fall, but Chivas was quickest on 1 from Cowan, Ferguson, Kilfoyle and Mehta on 2.

Next was the run up the “main” Kempsey to Armidale Road for 67 km and it was a similar story with Chivas clean from Cowan and Ferguson on 1, with no score for Fall. Watson found a big puddle that momentarily blinded him then hooked the wheel on a rocky cliff face, resulting in considerable suspension damage. They limped through dropping over an hour on this and the next section before reaching service at Ebor.

Cars went immediately into a 25 km stage through the slippery Styx River Forest. About 6 km into the stage, Cowan spun at a tricky bridge and both Chivas and Ferguson reportedly had moments in the same spot. But Fall rolled off a bridge and into a ditch with considerable damage, Halloran had minor abrasions but the crew were otherwise OK. With Fury and Fall out, Watson significantly delayed, and Mehta out of contention, Datsun’s campaign was now almost entirely up to Kilfoyle. Nevertheless Mehta did match Cowan and Ferguson on the stage, a minute ahead of Chivas, McLeod, Takaoka, Kilfoyle, Singh and Riley.

After the Ebor service, a long and rugged 88 km stage through rarely used forests took crews northwards to Nymboida, where the rain and fog made conditions treacherous. Cowan showed the toughness of the little Lancer dropping only 1 with the next best being Mehta 5, Ferguson 6 and Bond on 7. Laing-Peach had the Subaru stuck on mud for 30 minutes while McLeod broke the rear suspension but limped through dropping 22. A quick 15 km run up Glen Creek Road was welcome respite, with Chivas and Ferguson clean ahead of most the other leaders on 1. By the Grafton mealbreak and service, Cowan had extended his lead over Ferguson by 4 and over Chivas and Bond by 6.

Heading south from Grafton came the tortuous run over Black Mountain then up Coldwater Creek to Nana Glen. Cowan dropped 6 on the 53 km stage but was equalled by Mehta and Bond, with Ferguson and Kilfoyle on 7. A 25 km slippery run through Bucca Forest saw Chivas best on 4 from Cowan, Ferguson and Bond on 5. A service in Coffs Harbour provided some respite. McLeod had time to weld the broken rear suspension having struggled through the previous two stages dropping 15 and 9.

After Coffs came a 30 km stage across from the Pacific Highway through Gleniffer and across the fast flowing Gordonville ford. The leaders generally made it through unassisted with Cowan, Chivas, Mehta and Bond quickest on 2. Then it was half way around Horseshoe Road and down Bellbucca Road for a 58 km stage where Mehta was quickest down 2 from Cowan and Ferguson on 3, then Chivas and Singh on 4. Bond punctured and dropped 8,

As dawn was breaking there was a short quarter minute timed special in the Way Way Forest south of Macksville before crews returned to Port Macquarie. Ferguson and Chivas were fighting for second and were quickest on 1¼ from Mehta, Cowan, Singh, Kilfoyle and Riley on 1½, then Bond 1¾.

The division had been clearly won by Cowan who had lost only 24½ from Mehta who dropped 31½ but was out of contention. Ferguson dropped 30¼ to slightly pull clear of Chivas who dropped 33¼, just ahead of the storming Bond on 35¾. So the outright placing had the first four places locked out by Lancers – Cowan on 77½, Ferguson 102¼, Chivas 112¼ and Singh 127½. The Lancers were all running well although Chivas’ gearbox was replaced during the one hour service period. Bond was closing in on Singh on 129, then Kilfoyle in the first Datsun on 139¾. Riley was up to seventh om 151¼ then West on 164¾. McLeod’s problems had dropped him to ninth on 171½. Watson had a troubled division and had dropped to twelfth on 213¾, just behind Lund and Collier on 212¼ and 213 respectively. Dunkerton had had a great run to climb to thirteenth on 226¼, and still the last of the runners to have done the entire course. The results indicate that 51 cars were classified as finishing the second night.

Day Three

The third night began with a run through Cairncross but a collapsed bridge caused the section to be deleted. Reportedly Chris Murray crashed the 180B on this section, which must have been stopped after the field had passed partly through.

A 51 km section headed north through Ballengarra and Kalateenee to a service in Kempsey. The three leading Lancer of Cowana, Chivas and Ferguson all dropped 7 with Singh on 9, then the two 240Zs of Mehta and Watson on 10. Bond had another puncture and dropped 13. He reportedly passed Singh four times only to puncture and be re-passed! Kilfoyle had a drama and dropped 20. McLeod’s XU1 developed engine problems and was eventually forced to retire.

The events organisation had a hiccup at the end of the 34 km run northwards through Tan Ban. Seemingly Cowan aught the setup car and perhaps the official didn’t front, but in any case the control was left unmanned so the competitive was effectively combined with the next transport through Bowraville. Consequently, none of the leaders lost any points.

The event’s longest stage was next, a rugged 141 km meander initially along Horseshoe Road, then down the treacherous Boulder Road (the Toboggan Run), across into the Thumb Creek Forest, then all the way back down through Collombatti. Cowan was best on 25 from Ferguson on 29, then Chivas and Singh on 30. Kilfoyle and Riley were next on 35. Reportedly Kilfoyle passed West going down the Toboggan Run, which must have been quite hair raising.

So at the Kempsey service Cowan had again taken time off his team-mates while further down the field there were cars getting stuck and many short-cutting just to stay in the event.
After Kempsey came another long stage, 115 km through Tuckybunyabah, Kippara and Bellangry, with further heavy points losses for most. Ferguson was quickest on 14, then Chivas and Watson on 15, Singh 16, Cowan equal with Kilfoyle on 17, Bond 18 and Riley 19. It may have been on this section that Cowan clobbered a log and bent a strut, which was subsequently replaced on the way back to Port Macquarie. Many other became stuck and had to short-cut, including Laing-Peach, who dropped a route check.

What was to be the night’s final section was an 80 km section through Broken Bago and Kerewong, including Rollover Road, all the way to Comboyne. Chivas was on time from Cowan on 1, Ferguson and Singh on 2, then Kilfoyle, Watson, Riley and Bond all on 4. Collier’s great run came to a sudden end when he rolled the Mazda on a slippery downhill right hander. The final short stage down Thumbs Creek Road was cancelled resulting in a slightly shorter transport back to Port.

The division had again been dominated by Cowan, despite slowing on the final couple of sections. He dropped 50 to Chivas 53, Ferguson 54 and Singh 58. Next best was Bond on 67, Riley on 70 then Watson on 71. Overall, Cowan had extended his lead, now on 127½, Ferguson 156¼, Chivas 161¼ and Singh 185½. Bond’s punctures had prevented him from making any ground on Singh but was still fifth on 196, then Kilfoyle 215¾, Riley 221¼, West on 258¾ and Watson 284¾. Lund continued his steady run to be tenth on 341¼ Dunkerton had struggled through but had climbed to eleventh on 379½ after McLeod’s and Collier’s demises. Like Dunkerton, Evans had completed the full course of the division and was up to twelfth. Laing-Peach had short-cut and Lawson had taken a wrong direction on the final section to stay in late time but were thirteenth and fourteenth respectively. The results show 41 cars still in the event at the end of the third night.

Day Four

The final night began with torrential rain and a lengthy transport out to Yarras, then the 80 km Cockerawombeeba stage through the Mount Boss area. It didn’t go well with only about ten cars making it up a muddy hill on Logans Road. Many lost heaps of time, including Riley who lost over an hour as well as breaking an oil pump drive. Lund got through but lost more than an hour. Many had to cut and run to stay in the event and both Lund and Riley had to book in early on transports later to remain in late time. Bond charged through to drop 16, with Singh 18, Chivas 19, Ferguson 20 and Cowan equalled by Kilfoyle on 21. Among those forced to short-cut were West, Dunkerton and Evans, as well as Mehta running towards the back of the field.

It was a challenging start to the night but there was more to come. A further 101 km stage looped up through Kippara and back through Ballengarra to end on the Pacific Highway at Cooperabung. Chivas passed Ferguson and Cowan on the road to drop 20 then Ferguson 22, Singh 26 followed by Cowan, Kilfoyle and Watson on 27, then Bond and Riley on 28.

After a mealbreak at Wauchope, two shorter sections took the field southwards through Middle Brother and Lansdowne Forests where only a minute separated all the leaders. Cowan was quickest on the first but then had an incident with a film crew car on the following transport, losing a minute and a sustaining a little panel damage.

Two sections of 31 and 45 km then took crews northwards from Wherrol Flat through the Dingo Tops to the Oxley Highway. The route was split at a control to be visited later but subsequently the later two sections were deleted as the conditions deteriorated. Chivas was quickest on the first but dropped 10 on the second with a puncture. The other leaders were only a minute or two adrift on both sections with Kilfoyle and Bond sharing the honours on the second section.

A 26 km section north of the Oxley Highway at Seaview appears to have been shortened but was cleaned by Chivas, Singh, Ferguson and Riley, as well as Brian Bell.

With the next two Dingo Tops sections cancelled, all that remained were two daylight quarter minute timed stages in Middle Brother and in Broken Bago (the final section in Cairncross was deleted). Chivas was quickest on both, dropping ¼ and 4¼. Ferguson was not far behind but did collect a tree in Middle Brother without significant damage, while Bond had another puncture on the Bago section, his eighth for the event. Chivas won the division on 59½ from Singh on 61¾, Ferguson 62¾, Kilfoyle 65¾, Cowan 66¾, Bond 68 and Watson 87½. Riley on 144¾ and Lund on 229¼ were the only others to complete the full course, albeit with lots of early penalties on transports to stay in late time. Overall the top seven had not changed but West’s delays in the mud dropped him to twelfth behind Dunkerton, allowing Evans into the top ten behind Watson and Lund.

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