The North Eastern was held on November 9. Jeff Beaumont tells the story:
VRC Round 7 – 1974 NECC North Eastern Rally
George Fury and Rex Muldoon steered their Datsun 180B SSS to a convincing victory in the North Eastern Rally, the penultimate round of this year’s VRC.
However the competition was fierce for the minor placings, with just two points separating the next four cars.
Having already wrapped up the 1974 Championship, Garry Harrowfield and Geoff Boyd did not contest this event. Similarly other notable absentees were Bird/Smith, Coleman/Pearsley, and Davis/Haas.
Having their best success to date, Ken Stone and Mike Rebbechi finished in an excellent second place in their 2000cc Cortina. And continuing their consistent recent performances in the VRC were Graham Horsfield and Bruce Norton in the Capri V6, finishing in third place.
The North Eastern Rally was run over 375 kilometres of fast forestry roads, most of which was route charted.
The action started around Barrambogie and Mount Pilot on the “ball bearing” roads, and contained a substantial water splash which slowed quite a few cars.
The first service point was at the Beechworth Cemetery, followed by an interesting run down the now-dismantled Yackandandah railway.
At the stage break at Myrtleford, Fury’s 180B was out in front, from the Capri V6, and Anderson’s little Datsun.
The roads became a little rougher and dustier in the second Division in the Ovens Plantation, where cars were opened up to three minute intervals due to visibility problems.
Then onto the Stanley Planation, where local crew Alan Heaphy and Alan Fleming in the Galant joined Fury with a clean score on the first short, sharp section in the final Division.
