It was a dominant performance by Mike Reeves and Robin Smalley on the first three rounds of five on this year’s Victorian Rally Championship. Two wins and a second gave them an almost insurmountable points lead. Their closest challengers were Cody Crocker with Greg Foletta, and Graeme Wise with Ron Beekman. Wise’s hopes were dashed with an exclusion from the North Eastern. In the end, two new round winners emerged on the final two rounds, Ashlea James with Brendan Clough, and Phil Messer with Ian Fulton.
The Novice Award was closely fought with four different winners across the five rounds. Martin Grigg won the drivers award with a win and three seconds. His co-driver, Chris Tait, won the co-drivers award despite not entering the final round.
To see what else happened during 1997 in Victorian rallying, go to the 1997 year page.
To see other years of the Victorian Rally Championship, go to the VRC page.