The Blue Ribbon Trial was one of the earliest post-war open events to be conducted in Victoria with the first edition being run in 1952. Conducted by the Victorian Sporting Car Club, the Blue Ribbon Trail ran annually until 1973 at which time the VSCC was incorporated into the Light Car Club. The Blue Ribbon had been a round of the Victorian Trial/Rally Championship on several occasions and was an Australian Rally Championship round in 1971, reverting to a round of the Victorian Clubman Series in 1972, and a non-championship open event in 1973.

The Light Car resurrected the Blue Ribbon Rally in 1977 and it ran for two years as a round of the Victorian Clubman Series before being elevated to a Victorian Rally Championship round from 1979 and a full special stage event, a status that it retained until the demise of the Light Car Club in 1992. In order to secure sponsorship the event was known as the Sandi Surf Jeans Rally in 1984. Due to organisational challenges, in 1988 the Blue Ribbon incorporated te George Derrick Memorial Rally while in 1989 the favour was returned with the Blue Ribbon incorporated into the George Derrick Memorial Rally.

In 1992 and 1993 the Blue Ribbon was briefly resurrected by the Benalla Auto Club but both editions were cancelled due to wet weather. Sadly, that was mostly the end of the Blue Ribbon.

But in 2007 the HRA resurrected the Blue Ribbon as a non-Special Stage event and later in 2014 and 2015 it was run as a Touring Road Event.