The questionable accuracy of the results

There were many errors and omissions in the final published results, most strikingly a 29 minute error in Dunkerton’s final score but there were many other such errors! For example, the Loader/Hill/Neale Lancer which finished 7th has no scores for Division T, and were orginally classified 8th behind Herrmann, but after the event their score was reduced by 17 minutes. The addition of stage scores even for the 13 cars that visited all controls is often incorrect, and for those that did not visit all controls, there are many instances where the number of missed controls is not tallied correctly.

We have generally shown the results as published but have tried to show the corrections where possible. In a few cases the errors are obvious typos and we have corrected these but in other cases it is difficult to discern whether the error is in the original stage times or in the summation. We have focussed greatest attention on the results of the 13 cars that completed the entire route and have not tried to resolve discrepancies in the actual total times of cars that missed stages. Beside, this was always a pointless exercise that sought to compare apples with oranges (unless they happened to miss exactly the same controls, which didn’t happen!).

This was before we had computers and spreadsheets to tally scores and it is remarkably difficult to add up hours, minutes and seconds, especially for well over 100 cars across 134 stages! However, given that the results were published almost a month after the event one might have expected the organisers to have done a few rudimentary checks at least on the first 13 cars, but in fact much of the results read like complete fiction!

These errors are separate from the timing and clock errors within the event, which in many cases were down to clock readings errors by individual officials, or more likely, to misread figures on road cards. Again, there appears to have been no attempt to resolve some odd scores by reference to control cards or road position.

Some examples spring to mind, the first being the clean sheet by the Davis 180B on Stage W10 despite the fact that they were passed by another car that dropped 8 minutes (the difference would probably have reversed their outright position with Watson/Harrowfield). Another example was Portman’s 22.03 loss on the Brisbane Special Stage despite the fact that he was not passed by anyone and maintained road position, clearly impossible, so it was probably 2.03 instead. Late in the event the Loader/Hill/Neale Lancer was supposedly 8 minutes slower than the car following them 2 minutes behind yet they were not passed! There were no doubt many other such discrepancies.

Alternative Results

In the table below are the division scores and totals of the top 13 cars based on adding up the actual stage scores as published in the results. The Division T scores of Loader/Hill/Neale are derived from their final score so could easily be incorrect. Some differences are minor but Dunkerton’s score was 30 minutes short, Barth’s overstated by 20 minutes and the differences in Watson’s and Davis’ score would have made them near enough to equal. Jackson’s score is way out with many discrepancies but no-one was anywhere near them anyway (notwithstanding that the results actually suggested that they missed Control Q4!)

The Remaining 79 Finishers