The Arco Alpine, organised by the Light Car Club of Australia and directed by Stuart Lister, was held on 20 and 21 November.
Australian Rally Championship Round 5
The 1982 Alpine Rally attracted an impressive field with 90 starters. Many fancied entrants encountered mechanical issues. Bob Watson debited the Renault R5 Turbo while five-time Alpine winner, Greg Carr, could potentially take this year’s ARC with a sixth win in the Fiat Abarth. Both the Renault and Fiat suffered diff failure although Carr persevered to finish fourth. Interstate hopefuls Ian Hill (Escort) and John Atkinson (Stanza) both retired, the Escort with a blown head gasket and the Stanza with diff problems. George Fury was in the formidable Jamie Drummond prepared 120Y but navigator Simon Brown became ill and they were forced to retire. Local VRC champion, Chris Brown, nudged a bank in his 180B and then had engine problems.
Geoff Portman and Ross Runnalls came through the mayhem unscathed to win the event by a massive 14 minutes, and with it the Australian title. Locals Doug Thompson with Ron Lugg and Steve Ashton with Ro Nixon filled the podium places ahead of Carr and Gocentas.
To view an excellent selection of photos from the 1982 Alpine, visit the 1982 gallery in the Alpine website.
