The BP Alpine Rally, organised by the Light Car Club of Australia and directed by Simon Brown, with assistance from Ron Harper, was held on April 26-28.
Australian Rally Championship Round 2
Victorian Rally Championship Round 2
With a start and subsequent base in Albury, this year’s Alpine started with stages on Friday afternoon around Chiltern and Mount Pilot. Saturdays stages were in Stanley, Ovens and Merriang before heading to Bright for the speedway and mealbreak. Some night stages took crews back through Tawonga, Mitta Mitta, Old Tallangatta and Bethanga to Albury. Sunday headed for a finish in Melebourne with stages in Stanley, Ovens, Hurdle Creek, Reef Hills and Porsche Park (one stage was not contested by VRC “only” crews or at least did not count towards the VRC results).
It was a long and arduous event although the weather was kind. Murray Coote with Coral Tylor in the Mazda 323 Familia convincingly won the ARC round by more than 5 minutes from George Kahler and Lofty Drew. Rob Herridge and Steve Vanderbyl were third in the Subaru Legacy, but would go on to win the ARC that year.
The VRC round was won by Graham Alexander and David Stewart in a Galant VR4, also placing seventh in the ARC classification.
