The Great Southern Classic 2000
Like vintage champagne!
October 31 to November 5, 2000

Popular Port Melbourne publican John Fitzpatrick of Swallows fame repeated Classic Adelaide this year and then added a new event which gave those internationals (and locals) participating in Classic Adelaide a taste of Victoria they had never experienced before.  Here is Johns account. 

• Classic Adelaide

• The Great Southern Classic

• What's next?

The Len Evans theory of wine consumption holds that you've only got a certain number of glasses of wine left to drink in your allotted span, so why waste any of them on cheap, boring wine.  I agree.  You can apply this theory to all sorts of things, including motoring.  Gillian and I have just returned from 12 days of absolutely Vintage Champagne motoring - The Adelaide Classic, followed by The Great Southern Classic. It just doesn't get any better if you love driving (and drinking good wine !). 

THE ADELAIDE CLASSIC. 

If you enjoy tarmac rallying (and you have a suitable pre-1970 car) this is the one for you. Superb organisation, superb roads, friendly and helpful staff and officials and a refreshing lack of bullshit.  It's held over 4 days and is some 2000 kilometres. About a quarter of this is special stages on closed roads.  We all stay at the Hilton (included in the entry fee) and the rally hubs out and back each day in a different direction.  The cars are safely and conveniently stored about a two minute stroll from the hotel.  There is wonderful Community involvement and assistance -- peoples' cars have been virtually rebuilt overnight by the Trade School staff and students at no charge. 

Last year I had a bad accident on this rally and wound up, (as keen readers of this Newsletter will know), with the Delage resting on my head and on John Allison's shoulder, my first serious prang in 40 years of competition. Discretion being the better part of valour, this year we and the organisers agreed that we should go in the "Parade" which is non-competitive and un-timed, but run at rally speeds just in front of the "Competition".   This year's Parade comprised about 20 cars , mainly exotics and many from overseas , sponsored by the S,A. Government.  Cars this year included Paul Vesty's Works Ferrari California Spyder, Matt Spitzley's 1934  2.9 straight 8 supercharged Le Mans Alfa, Nigel Dawes' 275 quad cam Ferrari, a competition Lusso Ferrari, Don Law in a real (and real quick!)Cobra, and Jack Brabham in Scott Shearman's lovely DB4 Aston Martin. Win Percy was there again this year in a Robnell, owned and co-driven by Stephen Coffey.  Reg. Kenny's 3.8 Jag. wasn't quite ready after its Lactos shunt so he drove David Edwards' Daytona.  David (co-founder and a director of the rally) was everywhere in his beautiful D- Type Jaguar rep. 

There were about 80 cars in the Competition proper and another 30 or so in the totally non-competitive" Tour". 

We had lovely weather, beautiful roads, very spirited driving and great conviviality.  Competition was fierce in the Competition, the ultimate winners being John Spencer and Alan Bates in a Nissan something (actually a Datsun 510P ) or other from local hero Andrew Cavalli in an Escort (whose eligibility is the subject of a protest) and Geoff Beaumont in a 911. 

Peter Kyriakidis went hard early but broke an axle and had engine maladies. This is just a great event - something for everyone - don't miss it.  You've only got a certain number of motoring experiences left! 

THE GREAT SOUTHERN CLASSIC 

Last year, Gill and I were approached to co-organise what became the Melbourne Mille.  This year, David Edwards asked us if we would run a similar, but less restrictive event for the overseas crews and for interested locals.  So the Great Southern Classic was born - a non-competitive motoring tour of about 2000 km.   

The only restriction was that the car being entered be interesting.  The route was designed to be on good, little travelled roads, offering great driving and scenery and the best in food, wine and  accommodation - just like a Maserati Club event really! 

Our overnight stops were in Dunkeld (where there is a cellar of incredible size and quality at the lavishly refurbished Royal Mail Hotel), Queenscliff (at the Vue Grand), Lakes Entrance (at the Bellevue Motor Inn), Mt. Buffalo and at Cope-Williams Winery at Romsey. 

Melbourne entrants joined us in Dunkeld (Bruce and Tric. Thomas in their lovely 911RS rep.) and at Sorrento (Des. Dillon on Hisso. and John Ould in Des's 308 Ferrari).  Some highlights- 

• Crossing the Murray by punt and the drive down the Coorong.  Morning tea of Coorong mullet and chips.

• A superb lunch as guests of BRL Hardy at their new Stonehaven winery at Padthaway.

• Another water crossing - from Queenscliff to Sorrento - in perfect weather.

• The drive up Arthur's Seat with nothing in front of us!

• The little old lady with hair the colour of the rust in her Nissan, who bailed up Vesty and Nye at a service station and accused Nye of being "too old to drive like that " and other choice invective. P V. (Paul Vesty) just sat meekly at the steering wheel on the left hand side of the Ferrari, nodding wisely.

• The incredible drive from Lakes Entrance over Hotham and the views from the top of Victoria. Still some snow at Hotham.

• The leisurely lunch at Bogong Jack's in its beautiful gardens.  And the drive in and out of Bogong Village.

• Then the climb to that time-warp, the Mt. Buffalo Chalet. 

•  Stonie convulsing us with the stuttering duck shooter story - Balfang, Balfang!

• Our final, very relaxed lunch in the gardens of the Harvest Home Hotel at Avenel.

• The Spitzleys taking a wrong turn down a dirt road and having a close encounter with two koalas.

•  David Edwards' hilarious speech at the final dinner.

Paul Vesty had brake problems in the California Spyder, but these were quickly fixed by our travelling mechanics and luggage van crew-the Old Farts from Adelaide.  Paul and Doug used their waiting time to good effect, buying matching "Bugger" caps!  All the other cars performed well, the camaraderie was just marvellous and the letters and faxes of thanks embarrassingly complimentary! 

WHAT'S NEXT?

Next October were doing it again, this time in Tassie. Our plan is to limit it to 30 cars so we can keep the flavour and the standard. The only requirements are that you love cars and motoring and that your car is interesting. 

If you would like to be on the mailing list for a truly "vintage" motoring experience, give us a call at the Swallows. 

John Fitzpatrick. 

You can contact John concerning the Tassie Tour on (03) 9646 2746 or e-mail him at:  swallows@ozemail.com.au