The Experts Trial has always been considered to be Victoria’s toughest event, presenting car and crew with challenging terrain and difficult navigation. Obstacles such as flooded roads, snow or deep bogs would in most events be cause for abandonment, but in an Experts would be considered “fair game”.
The first Experts Trial was conducted in 1947 by the Light Car Club of Australia, which organised all Experts Trials until the club ceased to exist in 1992. The Bendigo Car Club conducted the Experts Trial in 1992 and 1993, while the Historic Rally Association subsequently conducted an historic Experts Trial.
The Experts Trial was almost always a round of the Victorian Trials/Rally Championship from its inception in 1961 until 1978 after which the VRC became almost exclusively driver oriented. The Experts was subsequently a round of the Victorian Trials Series for several years.
For more on the history of the Experts Trial, see this post on the HRA website, published as part of the promotion of the Experts Navigational Tour conducted by the HRA in July 2022.
