1994 Victorian Rally Championship

The 1994 VRC saw the reigning champions, Graeme Wise and Helen Wylie, victors again in their Ford Sierra XR4. It was an unusual year with two rounds being cancelled. With two wins, a third and a fourth on the first four rounds, Wise and Wylie ultimately could not be overtaken on the final round, although that outcome would not have been known until the Rally of the Rising Sun was cancelled. Other round winners were Ian Douglas (Galant VR4), David and Kate Officer (Lancer) and Rowan Quill (Galant VR4).

It was a tied finish for the Novice Drivers championship between Mark Fawcett (Volvo) and Cody Crocker (Mazda RX5), with Cody’s co-driver Greg Foletta taking out the Novice Co-driver’s award. Fawcett would go on to win the VRC more than a decade later while Crocker would go on to join the Subaru team and win three national titles.

To see what else happened during 1994 in Victorian rallying, go to the 1994 year page.

To see other years of the Victorian Rally Championship, go to the VRC page.

Series Regulations

These were specified in the VRC Standing Regulations.

The VRC was made up exclusively of Special Stage events.

Eligible vehicles were PRC and Group N.

Awards were made for outright champions and Novice. There were also car class awards as follows: PRC 2WD up to 1300cc, PRC 2WD 1301-1600cc, PRC 2WD 1601-2000cc, PRC 2WD over 2000cc, PRC 4WD, Group N 2WD under 1600cc, Group N 2WD over 1600cc, Group N 4WD. Additionally, Formula Commodore (a sub-class of PRC) was included (it appears to have been introduced in 1993 but there were hardly any entrants).

Outright points were allocated 20-15-12-10-8-6-4-3-2-1 for first to  tenth. Novice and class points were allocated 9-6-4-3-2-1. With five events, competitors counted their best four results (although this does not appear in the Standing Regs). In 1994 Series Registration was re-introduced and only registered competitors were eligible for points. However, to avoid the confusion that ensued in 1992, bona fide Victorian competitors were automatically recognised as registered!

Events

The VRC  comprised five events. The Akademos was cancelled due to financial and manpower constraints and in fact was not run again until 2002. The Rising Sun Rally was also cancelled, citing financial concerns and reduced VRC field sizes. This resulted in a very disjointed series with four rounds in February, March and April then a long gap to the final round at the end of October.

Click on each event to see further details, including results. Some Novice placings are uncertain.

  1. Begonia Rally (BLCC)
  2. Rally of Melbourne (VRS P/L, also ARC)
  3. Alpine Rally (AWDCC)
  4. Rally in the Valley (FFCC)
  5. North Eastern Rally (NECC)

Outright Pointscores

Outright Drivers Pointscores

PlaceDriverR1R2R3R4R5Total
1Graeme Wise2010201262
2Phil Messer1561536
3David Officer152035
4Greg Plumridge31061231
5Peter Evans8121030
6Steve Ashton121022
7=Ian Douglas2020
7=Rowan Quill2020
9=Mark Rodgers12315
9=Simon Evans1515
9=Richard McNay43815
9=David Greig1515
13Tim Sullivan28414
14Gary Kendrick4812
15Alan Friend1010
16Brendan McCashney88
17=Jamie Sargaent66
17=Ivan Regester426
17=Barry Collins66
20=Cody Crocker134
20=Terry Naish44
22David McDonough33
23=Tony Cooper112
23=Mohan Perera22
23=Rob Devenish22
23=Ian Boyd22
27=Andrew Murdoch11
27=David Draper11
27=Mark Fawcett11

Outright Co-Drivers Pointscores

PlaceCo-driverR1R2R3R4R5Total
1Helen Wylie2012201264
2Kate Officer202040
3Ian Fulton1561536
4Paul Humm31061231
5Sue Brick1521027
6=Steve Young101020
6=Rob Beekman81220
6=Rowan Quill Jr2020
9=Ro Nixon1515
9=Paul Tirant1515
11Tony Borg28414
12=Craig Rodgers1212
12=Ron Gottschalk4812
14Stella Plenderleith1010
15Rachel Bruty819
16Marty Watkins88
17=Gary Cook167
17=Andrew McNay437
19=Joe Brick66
19=Angela Murray426
19=John MacDonald66
22Tom Kaitler44
23=Craig Beard33
23=Paul Mahoney33
23=Greg Foletta33
26=Robert Hunter22
26=Graham Legg-Stoker22
28=Ahmet Uzunoglu11
28=Malcolm Hobrough11
28=Tony Boyd11

Novice Pointscores

Some Novice points are uncertain, but the top few should be correct.

Novice Drivers Pointscores

PlaceDriverR1R2R3R4R5Total
1=Mark Fawcett966627
1=Cody Crocker99927
3Will Orders44412
4David Schneiders322411
5Mohan Perera9110
6=D. Wright2619
6=Adam Wilson3339
8Mark Roberts66
9Greg Taylor44
10=Richard Gay33
10=Ross Stapleton123
12Matthew Clarkson22
13Craig Eeles11

Novice Co-Drivers Pointscores

PlaceCo-driverR1R2R3R4R5Total
1Greg Foletta99927
2Tony Boyd96621
3=Simon Ellis6612
3=Scott Pedder44412
5Janine Schneiders322411
6Robert Hunter9110
7=Matt deVaus3339
7=G. Graham2619
9Andrew McMaster44
10Jonathon Leoncini33
11=D. Haddon22
11=Stephen Foyle22
13=Mark Seward11
13=Ian Macknamara11

Class Awards

PRC 2WD under 1300cc: Tim Sullivan / Tony Borg, Suzuki Swift GTi

PRC 2WD 1300-1600cc: Greg Plumridge / Paul Humm, Toyota Corlla GT

PRC 2WD 1600-2000cc: Bill Orders / Scott Pedder, Ford Escort RS2000

PRC 2WD over 2000cc: Gary Kendrick / Ron Gottschalk, Holden Commodore VP V8

PRC 4WD: Graeme Wise / Helen Wylie, Ford Sierra XR4 V6

Group N 2WD under 1600cc: David Draper / Malcolm Hobrough, Suzuki Swift GTi

Group N 2WD over 1600cc: Richard McNay / Andrew McNay, Toyota Celca ST162

Group N 4WD: Ian Boyd / Graham Legg-Stoker, Subaru RX Turbo

Formula Commodore: Tony Cooper / Gary Cook