• Adelaide provides a wonderful setting
• How does it work?
• The Parade
• The Tour
• The Competition
• Maserati Club members participating

Question: What’s the best fun you can have semi reclining (in a race-car that is)?
Answer: The Classic Adelaide Rally, held in and around the beautiful hill and wine country of South Australia all within 100kms of wonderful Adelaide.

As we all know Adelaide got a bit cheesed off when Jeff pinched the Grand Prix, back in ‘95/96. Well! Their answer was to organize the best rally in the Southern Hemisphere if not the world. A lot of overseas visitors are very strong in their praise of the rally, which I was assured had no equal in Europe.

Adelaide provides a wonderful setting

The great thing in the rally’s favour, is the country and city through and around which it is staged. Adelaide must be one of the worlds most beautiful cities, with it’s green belt surrounding the city, it’s proximity to the hills and wonderful windy roads, it’s beautiful old stone buildings, it’s lack of serious traffic and the welcoming people. You do really feel invited and very special.

The rally is managed by seven hundred volunteers over the five days alone, how many hours would have preceded this is any one’s guess, and it ran like clockwork, with very few delays, just one great stage after another.

It seems as if most of the SA people are "petrol heads". We were told at the briefing out of around sixteen hundred homes affected by the closed roads, less than ten objections were received. Not bad, hey? Try doing that in Victoria and see what response would be forthcoming. All the Shires and local Councils get right behind it, with each of them bidding against each other, to host morning tea and lunch breaks and then turn it into a carnival atmosphere at most stops. We really did feel very privileged to be involved.

How does it work?

The rally is divided into three entry levels, namely:

• Parade,
• Tour and
• Competition.

The Parade

The Parade is by invitation only and comprised around thirty cars, which included some very rare, classic cars. For example from the Mercedes Benz Museum in Germany a 1955 Mercedes 300SLS, accompanied by a 1957 190SL-R, driven, respectively, by Wolfgang Rolli and Dieter Ritter no less. Paul Vesty (UK) enters each year in a priceless Ferrari’s, this year again in a 1959 California Spyder.

There were two Austin Healy 100S’, light weight, factory specials, currently valued at well over $100k and both live in South Australia. Both were magnificent.

Other interesting cars included two original 1964 AC Shelby Cobra’s, one entered and driven by John Blanden a famous racing name and latterly of Grand Prix rally fame, various Porches, a 1972 Lancia Stratos Replica, looking immaculate, a 1999 Ferrari 360 Modena (UK), a 2001 Porsche 911Turbo(SA). These later model vehicles were allowed in the parade and tour section this year for the first time. Regularly competitors in their magnificent 1933 Alfa Romeo Short Chassis, a famous racing car from another era, were Matt & Dianna Spitzley (UK), who were here for the third or fourth time.

This Parade group, drive at competition speeds if they wish, but are not officially timed.

The Tour

The next category is the Touring section made up of around fifty-five vehicles. This consists of entrants who may not have competed in rallies in the past or might value their cars a little too much to risk them at competition speeds, or just want to be in the fun. Either way it is still a very enjoyable way of being involved in the rally. The section was split into groups of three and they followed and were followed by "Zero" cars and each other at a "maximum" speed of 110kph, so we’re told. This group, normally cause the most grief, by passing each other, and in some instances passing the Zero car and generally hooning. Why not? You might ask, what’s a rally for if not to hoon?

The make of cars in this section was just as remarkable with every body’s favourite being represented: Try a 1955 Mercedes 300 SL "Gullwing" Coupe (UK), priceless in silver. Another Ferrari, this one a 1962, 250 California Spyder, driven by Viscount Cawdrey (UK).

There were Jaguars of every description: 120’s, 140’s, 150’s, a 1934 SS100 and E Types, all looking resplendent and quite a few of these from overseas.

Other notables were: an original 1962 Lotus Super 7 Cosworth looking wonderful in British Racing Green. Thunderbirds, Mustangs, a Corvette, Mini Coopers, Healey’s, a Falcon GTHO and so on, a vast array of beautiful, well and preserved or restored classic cars.

A very popular car, particularly with we admirers of Italian cars was a magnificent 1971 Ferrari Daytona Group 4 (UK). This thing was painted a glorious yellow and had a noise you would kill for. Even at 3000rpm, the V12 sounded awesome with megaphones protruding from each side. We saw him take off on one section, and I don’t think he was game to rev it over 5000rpm, (redline at eight(?)) but even so it disappeared very rapidly and sounded magnificent. Apparently he thought it was a bit fluffy under 3000rpm and rang home, their advice was it needed more, quote, "Wellie", it chokes at 3000, fires at 5000 and boogies at 7000. Does this sound familiar?

All of the cars from overseas arrive free of charge, courtesy of PO, who are a sponsor of the event, and considering the parity of the $A the cost for overseas entrants would be very reasonable.

A lot of the overseas people were also participating in a tour around Tasmania in the wake of Targa Tas when this rally finished. Organised by John Fitzpatrick

Talking sponsors: Doug Lehman of Peter Lehman Wines is a major sponsor and the welcoming drinks, lunch at Lehman’s Vineyard on day one and the street party refreshments are all courtesy of Lehman. Thanks go to Doug too for showing off his prowess in the Zero car, the ex Jeff Beaumont Evo IV, which apparently took seconds off the fastest time on a couple, if not all, sections they ran (unofficially of course).

The Competition

The Competitive section, with seventy-six vehicles entered, also consisted of some very desirable cars. There were 12 Datsun 240Z’s, most very nicely prepared, three Alfa 105’s, Escorts in Lotus, Twin Cam, Mexico and RS1600 guise, Porsches of course, Jaguars, Mustangs, try 400bhp, Ford Capri Perana, also 400bhp, Torana’s, Mini Cooper’s, Healey’s, MG’s, and a magnificent Porsche Spyder 550 Replica, of James Dean fame, looking absolutely beautiful, built in America and reasonably quick.

Andrew Cavalli won the event in his 1973 Ford Escort RS1600 Replica. This is the car that also won last year but was protested out (talk to Peter Kyriakidis) because it had a later automatic body. They got over that problem this year by calling it a "replica".

The Ford Capri Perana came second after having many rebuilds during the night, and Peter Landan third by forty two seconds behind the Perana, in his magnificent 1965 Lotus Elan. This car is so well prepared you could eat lunch off any part of it. He also won the East Coast Classic earlier this year. Landan finished one second ahead of the Torana XU-1 of John Beasley, which at one stage was running second but mechanical problems forced them down the field. It is indicative of what a light-weight good handling vehicle is capable of, in the case of the Escort and Elan mixing it with the 400bhp of the Perana.

Mind you none of these cars are anywhere near standard, with AP Racing calipers and huge ventilated discs, special gearboxes, diffs, coil over suspension, some lightweight panels, high performance engines and state of the art everything. Peter Landon sourced the Lotus from the USA and finished the development here. The Cavalli Escort was built by Cavalli and his co-driver and business partner Mike Dale and is obviously a very fast competitive car.

The Perana is an interesting car. It’s a Ford Capri body as we new them in the late sixties and early seventies but they were built in South Africa for racing and rallying. It has a Ford 302 V8 now putting out around 400bhp, and fitted with lightweight panels (weighing less than 1000kg), fully adjustable suspension, AP Racing brake calipers, you name it, it’s got it. I would imagine it would be quite a handful, but McDonough obviously drives it very well, they probably missed out on first place due to mechanical problems on the first day. The clutch packed up and the valve gear on one cylinder was not working, slowing his times. Needless to say they were repaired overnight.

Amazingly the car that cleaned them all up last year was a Datsun 1600 SSS Replica with an 1800 motor. They put this car on the road for a reasonable figure, so rumour has it,proving that it can be won for less dollars with the right driver and co-driver. This is the same car that had problems at Targa in 1999, due to compliance matters.

The secret is to have a reliable, well prepared, fast car, with good handling and good brakes and drive it like crazy. I feel I must be missing some vital ingredient.

The rally is staged over five days with the first day taken up with scrutineering, safety lecture and briefing. The scrutineering is very thorough but very friendly affair conducted at the local Taffe automotive school in impeccable surrounds. Most cars are beautifully prepared and our contingent from the SMA, (Ballarat), consisting of our president Jim Stephen navigating for Bruce Sheppard, in Bruce’s magnificently prepared Datsun 240Z and myself with son Stephen navigating in the Alfa Romeo 105, also in pretty good nick, if I may say so, passing scrutineering with flying colours.

The rally for us really stared a few days earlier, as we were able to use Pace, or Safety Notes, as they preferred to call them, for the first time this year, so we had a few days out on the special stages punting around in the tow vehicles checking the pace notes, and trying to test their accuracy. This is not so easy in four-wheel drive’s so the Range Rover and the Discovery got heaps, they were really put through their paces and all under 100 kph.

We thought we had the notes sorted until the first special stage on the rally proper when we found the difference in speed in the rally car and the rapidity with which we arrived at the corners was very different, to say the least. Our pace note calling had to go up a peg or two to keep "pace". Needless to say we were all at sea for the first couple of sections but managed to cover them in pretty good time nevertheless.

The rally is staged over some of the most magnificent driver’s roads in existence. They wind up wooded hills over ridges with magnificent views and down again into green leafy valleys, peppered with vineyards and gardens, then climbing again to another ridge and so on it goes. The stages vary in length with the longest being around fifteen kilometers and the shortest three. There were twenty seven stages spread over the four days, interspersed with transport stages which themselves are bloody good fun, even at the legal limit.

During the three days we were feted and fed at various little villages whose people lined the roads and cheered and waved, kids made horn-blowing requests or asked for wheel spins. Bottles of wine and stubbies were in abundance along with BBQ’s, chairs and lots of waving and horn blowing by ourselves. South Aussies really get behind their events, they seem to enjoy it as much as we did.

This is a true classic rally, as I have stated with some very rare and truly exotic motor cars taking part. One of the things we found difficult being a competitor is finding the time to look and marvel at these cars and to actually see them performing. We got so involved in our own vehicle due to a bit of accident damage and being part of the rally that we didn’t get much time to do otherwise.

It is a great spectator event. The organizers estimated last year that sixty thousand people watched the various stages or lined the transport routes over the four days and the street parties of Friday night and the Sunday finish, they put in the thirty thousand people bracket. We were even asked for our autograph by some uninformed kids.

Fourteen Maserati Club members participated as follows:

• Jeff Beaumont and Jim Caudle in Jeff’s Porsche 911 who came a creditable 5^th ,only 2.37 off the pace, and as Jeff commented he drove faster than last year but still the winning pace is elusive.
• Peter Kyriakidis and Will Logan, who had mechanical problems the first day and so were out of contention for a top placing. Peter still managed to put in some excellent stage times.
• Ian and Val Swan in the thundering Mustang, a creditable result at fifteenth. Unfortunately they lost about seven or eight places due to mechanical problems. Ian drives this car like crazy and the spectators love it; big V8 grunt and wheel spins everywhere.
• Peter Eames and Chris Spiteri in a beautiful 1964 Jaguar E-type Lightweight Replica, coming 21^st, which was a good effort considering ligfhtweight still means around 1300kg.
• Barrie and Guy Edmunds were there in Barrie’s much travelled 1969 Ford Mustang coming 24^th.
• The Porsche 911s of Bob Watson and Ian Vaughan came in 29^th, with Bob being pursued by a couple of Alfa’s one driven by myself and the other by Nick Rahimtulla from WA, and Bruce Shepherd in the Datsun 240z. We had a good tussle with similar times. This equates to "sensible" driving or that’s my excuse, anyway.
• Il Presidente, Jim Reark and Il Presidente Posto (Past?), John Aust in the yet-to-be-given-the-treatment MGC GT suffering from a little bit of overweight problems, not you Jim, but still going great guns 43^rd.
• As mentioned previously as part of the SMA team Bruce Shepherd and Jim Stephen entering for the first time, drove Bruce’s Datsun 240Z to come 36^th and had a wonderful time. They were full of praise for the rally and had a trouble free run. As well they would with Bruce being the Proprietor of Bob Watson Service Centre and commendably making sure his car was perfect.
• Peter Strauss and Phillip West, 1972 Ferrari Dino 2465GT, drove in the Tour.

And not to be discounted, Parade entrants were:

• John Rundell and Vic Spiteri, 1979 Jaguar XJS, who if I’m not mistaken re-arranged the front of the car (you are mistaken Brian, it was another Jaguar)
• Reg Kenny and Chris Wilson 1960 Jaguar Mk11 who very sportingly chased this poor little deer all over the road, so the story goes, till they finally caught it and hit it with the front of the Jag. No damage to the Jag, but a couple of Bikies lurking close by, apparently, produced a rifle and put the deer out of it’s misery. The Jag was seen taking off very rapidly away from the scene: a deer is one thing armed Bikies are quite another.
• David Edwards drove his 1956 Jaguar XKD Replica with a variety of co-drivers
• and last but not least; John Fitzpatrick and Gillian Weinberger in the Delage.

As I mentioned, Stephen and I drove the Alfa which we had going fairly well until a bit of bad luck on the last corner of the last stage of day one, when a tree jumped out onto the road and ran into us, but we repaired the damage that night with the help of the local MTA Apprentices, who are on hand all through out the rally to lend assistance where necessary. Even to the extent of replacing heads, gearboxes or repairing panel damage etc, on various cars, they are very obliging and helpful. We got back on track the next day and finished without further problems, well down the field as a result of our accident but we still had a ball doing it.