Kerr/Cole maintained their consistency to stay in the hunt in a car that had previously won in the hands of Travis. Despite a scare and a trip through the scenery after a big moment through a water splash, the Travis’ survived, to lead the classic competition heading into day four.
DAY FOUR
The rally was thrown into turmoil when up to 15 cars got bogged on a sandy section approximately 30km into the day’s third stage, with some crews losing in excess of two hours. Amongst the chaos of the sandy section that beached so many, stories of camaraderie and sportsmanship shone. Stephen Riley, in his outrageous Holden Ute, was just one example of someone who elected to stop to help recover many of the stranded Classic and Modern competitors. A stage was later cancelled to avoid crews running into the darkness due to the excessive late running as a result. Cuthbert/Evans faced another setback when a fuel pressure problem cost them more valuable time and their chances of victory faded further.
DAY FIVE
The penultimate day of the rally opened with the longest of the event, with a 121km test along some of the best roads the Northern Territory has to offer. Described by Andrew Travis as “one of the best stages I’ve done in my life”, and Michael Ward as “Rally Finland in the desert”, the stage consisted of a series of crests and cambers to test even the bravest of crews. Former Australian Rally Champions, David and Kate Officer, showed they had lost none of their speed over the years with an impressive third fastest time behind Crane and Travis.
Day five would also be a game changer, with the Cuthbert/Evans challenge coming to an end with mechanical failure, and the strong run of Ian Reddiex/Mike Mitchell in a Celica halted. Prior to the beginning of the final stage there were ominous signs for the second placed Argentine Escort, with coolant leaking from the front end. A few kilometres later their outstanding debut run ended with engine failure.
DAY SIX
The COT that had produced so much drama had one more twist on the final day when the Officers, who started the day with a relatively comfortable fourth place, were stuck in a hole on stage, damaging the front end and breaking the exhaust. They eventually resumed, but dropped 32 minutes. Their downfall was Penny Swan and Tony Robinson’s gain as they would finish the event in a brilliant fourth place in their Volvo, despite a spectacular roll on the final stage. When the fat lady sang on the final stage, it was fitting the Travis’ were fastest as they cemented back-to-back victories. In the Modern competition, for much of the event it looked like local Ben Kittle would be hard to beat in his VR Commodore, but a blown differential on day five dropped him out of contention, elevating Peter Neal and Craig Whyburn (Subaru) to first, almost 14 minutes clear of Bill Monkhouse and Andrew Booker (Suzuki Vitara), with Evan and Caroline Vale taking the final step of the podium in the ex-MRT Subaru Forester. In Cross Country, Stephen Riley and John Doble (Holden VF Utility) took the honours by almost an hour from Reg Owen and Russell Cairns (Isuzu MU-
Above: Andy Crane’s Peugeot 504 and (below) Steve Riley’s Commodore Ute. (Photos: Ian Smith, Craig O’Brien)
X), and Murray Young/Paul McBean (Mitsubishi Pajero). The only all-female entry of locals Debra McCormack and Leonie Kerr, in a Mitsubishi Magna, won in regularity, ahead of the well-travelled Phil and Laurette Macwhirter in the most unlikely of vehicles to tackle the outback challenge, a British Morgan Plus 8 sports car.
Third placed Phil Kerr and Jenny Cole, Datsun 1600. (Photo: Craig O’Brien)
JULY 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 61