BP Style Events

Find out about the history of the BP Rallies and similar events

Summary

 A particular genre of event that appears throughout Victoria’s rally history is a form of road rally that is generally conducted over multiple days and often in reasonably remote country. Such events are epitomised by the BP Rally of South-eastern Australia which ran from 1958 to 1973 inclusive. Arguably the BP style of event was not much different from other events of that era in terms of navigational difficulty and driver challenges, but most events, from the club to state championship level, were generally one night affairs, and consequently did not venture to the more distant and remote areas of the state, let alone into neighbouring states.

The BP, on the other hand, frequently took crews to the far corners of the state and well into NSW and SA. These events could also use a lot of daytime running on notionally “open” roads because of the remoteness of the areas visited. The BP was conceived by Donald Thomson, who is an inductee of the Australian Rally Hall of Fame and was Secretary of CAMS from its inception in 1953 to his retirement in 1973. DKT, as he was often known, believed that these events should be both challenging and fun, taking crews to places they had not previously been, both literally and figuratively. He directed the first ten BP Rallies and three earlier Sun Trials, with the later editions of the BP Rally directed by Tony Theiler, Graham Hoinville, Mike Osborne and Frank Kilfoyle. BP’s John Pryce was a constant presence in the organisation of all sixteen editions. Ross Runnalls compiled an extensive history of the BP Rallies which has been incorporated in rallypedia. Don Ellis wrote a history of the BP Rally in 2004 and updated it in 2008 – it is available here.

For competitor interviews during four of the BP Rallies from 1959 to 1963, visit our page with the Lox McGrath collection.

Sadly, after the last of the original BP Rallies in 1973, the concept receded somewhat in the collective consciousness of Victoria’s rallying fraternity. But a few years later, brothers Noel and Ian Richards developed CCRMIT’s George Derrick Memorial Trial into a two-night event and borrowed some of the concepts of the BP. The 1976 Derrick ventured into SA and was a joint VRC/SARC round. But with the VRC events expected to be much less navigational, the Richards brothers and many other helpers from CCRMIT rekindled the BP spirit in the form of the 1977 Riverland Rally, and the 1978 Ready Plan Rally, both of which ran generally in the north-west of Victoria, but ventured into both NSW and SA.

Such multi-day events that were not part of a championship series sometimes struggled to attract good fields of competitors. Nevertheless, several such events were conducted over the following two decades, at least one of which was part of the Victorian Trials Series which was (re-)introduced in 1981.

The original BP rallies often had quite tricky navigation, in part because the maps of the day were poor, and a lot of the original BPs used the Broadbents maps that were often inaccurate or difficult to interpret. This style of navigation was revisited by later BP reruns, the first of which was the 1979 Ye Olde BP Rally directed by Peter Haas, with two more in 1984 and 1989. A number of other BP “reruns” have been conducted since then. The last of these was in 2013.

All the BP style events are listed below.

BP Style Events and winners

YearEventClubWinning driverWinning navigatorCarDirecting team
1953Sun RallyVSCCLex DavisonPeter WardHoldenDonald Thomson/ Maurie Monk
1954Sun RallyVSCCHarry FirthGraham HoinvilleSunbeam AlpineMaurie Monk/ Donald Thomson/ Colin Harvey
1955Sun RallyVSCC/ LCCA/ VADCBruce HallTom FawcettMG “TF”Donald Thomson
1958BP All Victoria RallyLCCABernie TaylorTom Smith/ Ian MacDonaldVolkswagenDonald Thomson/ John Pryce
1959BP RallyLCCAArthur TheilRD Seidel/ Gary ChapmanStandard Vanguard SpacemasterDonald Thomson/ John Pryce/ Graham Hoinville
1960BP RallyLCCAKevin LottFrank KilfoyleVolkswagenDonald Thomson/ John Pryce/ Graham Hoinville
1961BP RallyLCCABob ForemanBill Hartigan/ Martin HartiganVolkswagenDonald Thomson/ John Pryce/ Graham Hoinville
1962BP RallyLCCAHarry FirthFrank KilfoyleFord AngliaDonald Thomson/ John Pryce/ Graham Hoinville
1963BP RallyLCCAHarry FirthFrank Kilfoyle/ Geoff ThomasFord FalconDonald Thomson/ John Pryce/ Graham Hoinville
1964BP RallyLCCARay ChristieJoe DunlopVolkswagenDonald Thomson/ John Pryce/ Graham Hoinville
1965BP RallyLCCAReg LunnGeoff ThomasFord Cortina GTDonald Thomson/ John Pryce/ Graham Hoinville
1966BP RallyLCCATony RobertsPeter HaasHolden HD X2Donald Thomson/ John Pryce/ Graham Hoinville
1967BP RallyLCCAMal McPhersonRobin SharpleyRenault R8 GordiniDonald Thomson/ John Pryce/ Graham Hoinville
1968BP RallyLCCAStewart McLeodJack LockAlfa Romeo GuiliaTony Theiler/ John Pryce/ Graham Hoinville
1969BP RallyLCCAIan VaughanBob ForsythFord FalconTony Theiler/ John Pryce/ Graham Hoinville
1970BP RallyLCCATony RobertsMike OsborneHolden Torana GTRFrank Kilfoyle/ John Pryce/ Graham Hoinville
1971BP RallyLCCAStewart McLeodJack LockHolden Torana GTRFrank Kilfoyle/ John Pryce/ Mike Osborne
1972BP RallyLCCABob WatsonGeoff ThomasPeugeot 504Mike Osborne / John Pryce/ Frank Kilfoyle
1973BP RallyLCCAAndy ChapmanLaurie ComerfordDatsun 1600Mike Osborne / John Pryce/ Frank Kilfoyle
1977Datsun Riverland RallyCCRMITGeoff PortmanRoss RunnallsDatsun 1600Noel Richards/ Ian Richards/ Mike Baxter/ Garry Spence/ Rex Leitch/ Ross Turner/ Noel Kelly
1978Ready Plan RallyCCRMITGeoff PortmanRoss RunnallsDatsun 1600Ian Richards/ Steve Hollowood/ Rick Thorpe/ Dick Gill
1979Ye Olde BP RallyLCCAGeoff PortmanRoss RunnallsDatsun StanzaPeter Haas/ Bob Watson
1981George Derrick Memorial TrialCCRMITMick EllisJim MaudeDatsun 1600Ross Runnalls
1984Ye Olde BP RallyeLCCAGeoff PortmanRoss RunnallsDatsun StanzaPeter Haas/ Bob Watson
1984George Derrick Memorial TrialCCRMITChris WallTrevor BoydDatsun 1600Ross Runnalls
1987High Country TrialNECCDavid OfficerDavid McKenzie/ Kate OfficerMitsubishi GalantRoss Runnalls
1989John Pryce Memorial Old BP RallyLCCAGraham WallisPhil Nicholas/ Mike KrauthPeugeot 504Peter Haas/ Bob Watson/ Mike Osborne
1994Snowy River TrialMUCCDavid OfficerDavid McKenzieMitsubishi GalantRoss Runnalls
1996All Victoria RallyBCC / PCCVTerry NaishRoss RunnallsDatsun 1600Geoff Byron/ Nick Wright
1998Olde BP RallyHRATerry NaishRoss RunnallsDatsun 1600Bob Watson/ Ray Daniel/ Rob Knight
2004Olde BP RallyHRATerry NaishRoss RunnallsDatsun 1600Rob Knight/ Bob Watson
2008BP Ultimate RallyHRAJohn RawsonSimon BrownDatsun 180B SSSRoss Runnalls
2010BP Ultimate RallyHRADerrick WhiteDave SmithPeugeot 504Ross Runnalls/ Geoff Boyd/ Ian Ellis
2013Old BP RallyHRAAlan UptonMark LaidlayDatsun 1600Ross Runnalls/ Geoff Boyd/ Ian Ellis

List of BP Competitors

A full but still not quite complete list of 663 competitors can be viewed here.

Unfortunately in 1958 only the entrant or driver was recorded on the entry list or results. Some other crew names were derived from the Director’s summary report and media reports. For 1962 only the results have been located, which show only entrant or driver and do not include the ten crews that must not have finished. Anyone who competed in 1961 and 1963 has been assumed to have competed in 1962. No competitor did all 16 BPs. Ian Inglis came closest doing all but the first, while Bob Forsyth did all but the first and last, and Mal McPherson also did 14 BPs.

The most prolific BP competitor, Ian Inglis, pictured here on the right with driver Peter Janson in 1970, who was prolific in other arenas. The footwear was apparently a necessary back up when the obligatory navigator footwear of the time, fur lined flying boots became waterlogged.

There is currently no consolidated list of competitors in the post 1973 events. Attempts were made to have starter medallions in 1998 and 2004. For 2008 Stuart Lister found someone overseas who could replicate the original medallions, and so these were restored for the remaining 2008, 2010 and 2013 events.

Peter Janson and Ian Inglis (Renault Gordini) on the 1970 BP Rally

Reunions

BP Reruns have been an opportunity for past directors, winners and participants to gather socially to reminisce about past exploits. Below is a collection of photos from some of these. 

A gathering of past BP winners at the 1989 John Pryce Memorial Old BP Rally. L to R: Ian Vaughan, Peter Haas, Reg Lunn, Geoff Thomas, Harry Firth, Martin Hartigan, Bill Hartigan, Frank Kilfoyle, Robin Sharpley, Mike Osborne, Bob Watson
A gathering of past BP Winners and Directors at the 1998 Olde BP Rally. L to R: Bill Hartigan, Peter Haas (front), maybe Ian MacDonald (back), Mike Osborne, Ross Runnalls, Frank Kilfoyle, Mal McPherson, Bob Watson, Geoff Thomas, Reg Lunn Phil Nicholas (back), Graham Hoinville (front), Graham Wallis, Martin Hartigan
Past BP Winners and Directors at Horsham on the 2004 Olde BP Rally. L to R: Reg Lunn, Bob Watson, Frank Kilfoyle, Graham Hoinville, Mike Osborne, Robin Sharpley
Past BP Winners at the 2008 BP Ultimate Rally. L to R: Mike Osborne, Graham Wallis (obscured), Simon Brown, Geoff Thomas, Phil Nicholas, Bob Watson, Geoff Portman John Rawson, Martin Hartigan, Ross Runnalls, Andy Chapman

Lunch with the Legends

Ross Runnalls came up with the idea, Bob Watson ran with it, and Harry Firth kindly hosted a special reunion lunch at his Hastings home in April 2010 for winners and organizers of the original BP Rallies which ran from 1958 to 1973. All were interviewed by John Emery on their BP memories and proceedings were filmed by Darryl Reid, an original BP competitor from Tasmania. The Historic Rally Association funded the video production.

The following winners were there: Harry Firth (winning driver 1962 and 1963), Ray Christie, wining driver 1964, Ian Vaughan winning driver 1969, Bob Watson winning driver 1972 and Andy Chapman, winning driver 1973. Winning navigators present were Geoff Thomas (1963, 1965, 1972), Robin Sharpley (1967), and Mike Osborne (1970). Unfortunately triple winning navigator Frank Kilfoyle (1960, 1962, 1963) could not attend.

Past BP Winners at the 2010 Reunion. L to R: Ross Runnalls. Dave Smith, Simon Brown, Derrick White, Graham Wallis, Phil Nicholas, John Rawson, Laurie Comerford, Andy Chapman, Mike Osborne, Geoff Thomas, Bob Watson

On the organizing side the surviving member (Graham Hoinville) of the original BP Rally organizing team of Donald Thomson, John Pryce of BP and Graham Hoinville was there together with 1968 and 1969 event Director Tony Theiler and Mike Osborne who as well as being a winning navigator was event co-director in 1971 and 1972, and event Director in 1973. Don Ellis and Ian Home who helped the core team for many years attended, and Ross Runnalls, director of the HRA Old BP Rallies of 2008, 2010 and 2013 tagged along, given it was his idea! A distinguished gathering indeed.

Harry Firth showed he could organise a feed as well as he could a race and rally team, and a few wines allowed the chat and stories to flow, as can be heard by the constant background hum on the Lunch with the Legends Video, which can be viewed here.