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Commonwealth Bank Rally of the West - ARC round 2
From Chequered Flag May 1977
In years past, the West Australian round of the Australian rally championship has not been without its problems. A general shortage of topline Eastern State crews, uncompetitive stages and last year in particular, problems with course set up and clearing.
Over the Easter weekend the Western Australia round was run for the fourth time and it went off well enough to suggest that their problems may be virtually overcome. Autosport West, the organising body, laid on a well planned and well executed event. They were rewarded with a strong entry from the East and an event full of interest and drama from start to finish.
The rally must have also been satisfying for reigning Australian champion Ross Dunkerton of Western Australia and Jeff Beaumont, now living in Tasmania. After hastily rebuilding the privately entered Datsun 260Z after its serious roll in the Castrol International, the title-holders stepped out against a top class field and led virtually from the start to record a comfortable 12 minute win.
Following his closest of second places in the opening round of the series this win puts Dunkerton back where he is now accustomed - on top of the points score and looking good for his third title in a row. Under these circumstances it is increasingly difficult to understand why Nissan Australia remains unable to support his efforts, particularly in view of their own problems so far this year.
In fact things did brighten up a little for the Nissan team with George Fury and Monty Suffern getting the works 710 coupe to the finishing line for the first time this season, taking second spot, but well beaten.
Despite the presence of a number of Australia's best crews it was a good event for local drivers who took first, third and sixth outright. Rapidly improving Corolla driver Clive Slater, with Any Van Kann navigating, did a great job to finish just behind Fury. Slater is contesting the whole ARC series at his own expense and was unlucky not to pick up championship points in the opening round when his differential failed on the last stage. He is obviously a driver of some ability having finished second outright to Dunkerton in the 1975 Western Australia ARC Round.
The third Western Australian crew to finish well up were Smallwood/Thorpe in a Lancer, taking sixth place, although well down on the leaders.
The other ARC point scoring positions went to visiting crews. South Australians Dean Rainsford and Adrian Mortimer in the new SAAB 99 EMS finally got it all together for a whole event to take out fourth place, which must go part way to erasing the memory of their Castrol pole smiting incident.
New South Wales representative amongst the place getters was Doug Stewart in the works Mitsubishi Lancer. With Western Australian navigator Rod Van Der Straaten he took fifth place to keep in the title race.
The drivers? table now reads Dunkerton 15, Morrow 9, Fury 6, Stewart 5, Portman and Slater 4, Rainsford 3. With only three rounds remaining, Dunkerton must be a slight favourite but one non finish will change his position drastically.
Perth may be a long way from the Castrol, Alpine and Southern Cross, but its organisers have taken good note of those rallies. Pre-event publicity was well organised, with a special filing and interviewing session on the Thursday night. An excellent programme for spectators was available, with details of numerous viewing points throughout the rally plus the details of leading crews. Event sponsors, the Commonwealth Bank, appear most enthusiastic and there is every likelihood of increased support for 1978.
As usual the round was a marathon affair. Total distance was 1300km, with an 11 o'clock start on Easter Friday morning, finishing at mid-day on Sunday. Of this, just under 50 per cent was termed either semi-competitive or ultra-competitive, with 243 km in 13 stages on Friday and 380 km in 16 stages on Saturday. As with last year the route ran south of Perth in the forests around Nannup and Manjimup where the overnight break was taken.
Roads were generally fast and smooth but very dry and experienced competitors reckoned the dust to be the worst ever encountered. The organisers were aware of the problem and had 4 minute gaps between the cars, but even so the following car was often brought to a stop until the dust cleared.
Route instructions were first class; well laid out and accurate, along the lines of those used in the TOTAL OIL Southern Cross.
A number of very short spectator stages were included with special awards. These were timed to the second but scored to the minute. Spectator interest was high throughout the event but at least one experienced driver commented on the need for better crowd control in future.
The rally did not attract a large entry by Eastern State standards, with a total of 38 cars entered. Of these, eight were visitors. From New South Wales there was, as well as Stewart, The Marlboro HDT Gemini for Dave Morrow and George Shepherd, a previous winner of the rally with Canberra's Peter Lang in 1974. As well, Bruce Hodgson turned up in his brand new RS 2000, again navigated by Chris Heaney of Canberra.
Also from Canberra were Greg Carr and Fred Gocentas in the Ford Team's Castrol winning RS 2000.
Queensland was represented by the flying Honda Civic of Adrian Taylor, while from Victoria came Fury/Suffern and David Jones and Ian Pearson, this year running a Lancer from Chadstone Chrysler, in place of their usual Galant.
Sole South Australian representatives were Rainsford/Mortimer, with the Chateau Moteur Saab repaired after its Castrol incident.
Top local crews included Slater/Van Kann, rapid Datsun 240Z pedlars Danny Bignell/Bob Bousefield and Frank Johnson/Ben Williams (Mazda RX2).
Dunkerton/Beaumont, despite using a car thrown together at the last moment, had a largely trouble-free run aided by getting to car one on the road early in the rally. Their only moment was when they found themselves short of oil and without a service crew at one point towards the end of the rally. Dunkerton?s only other complaint was that the second special stage, which he had practised early in the week based on information in the spectator instructions, was run in the other direction during the event!
Fury/Suffern had a far from happy event. They suffered broken gear box mountings on the third special stage after hitting a large rock in the track. They later left the road and got stuck on a dead tree branch, losing some ten minutes winching the back off. As a result, they were in sixth place at the end of night one but drove well in heavy dust to get into second and keep their title hopes alive.
Danny Bignell (the "flying farmer") began well from Number 11 and at the end of night one shared the lead with Dunkerton, the second year in a row he has led the rally early on. On Saturday he damaged a front strut, elected not to change it and retired soon after when it collapsed completely. Nevertheless, another top-class drive from this promising crew.
Current Western Australian State champion, Tim Corr, was one of a number of cars to hit the same rock as Fury in stage 3. His Datsun 1600 was severely damaged and he retired on the spot, sportingly digging the offending boulder out of the road.
The Ford camp faired badly in the event. Carr was one of a number of crews to become bogged in loose sand on stage 1 on Friday, then fell foul of "that" rock, holing the sump (which is cast rather than pressed) and bending the cross member. Result: instant retirement.
Hodgson and Heaney did better with a good run through Friday to be in fourth place at the re-start. They later clipped a log and rolled, severely damaging the new RS 2000.
Doug Stewart had a troubled run in the Lancer, with Rod Van Der Straaten having an off weekend, the resultant time losses dropping then from second to fifth and keeping them dust bound throughout the rally.
Jones and Pearson were worse off, with alternator failure keeping them out of the placings.
First round winners Morrow/Shepherd were in fifth at the end of night one as a result of a puncture which cost them their leading position on the road. On Saturday the fan knocked a hole in the radiator and the resultant damage to the Gemini?s 2.2 litre experimental block was sufficient to put them right out of the running.
Dean Rainsford, who has had little opportunity to come to grips with his new Saab, had a good run and improved rapidly during the event, setting fast times towards the finish.
All in all the 1977 Rally of the West was a top quality event. Well run and sufficiently competitive to warrant its ARC status. Last year we commented that the event needed improving and it is good to see that the right steps have been taken to do just that.
From Racing Car News, May 1976
DUNKERTON DOWNS FURY IN ARC "BANK" RALLY
Story by DAVE MANNERS
DRIVING his privately entered Datsun 260Z, WA's Ross Dunkerton, with Tasmanian navigator Jeff Beaumont, had a comfortable, though not uneventful, win in the second round of the ARC, the "Commonwealth Bank Rally of the West", held over Easter. Dunkerton now leads the ARC with a first and a second from two starts and, if his form at Easter is any indication, he will take a lot of knocking off for this year's National Rally Title.
Second place went to George Fury / Monty Suffern in the works Datsun 710 SSS, who were unlucky in dropping 12 on a stage they should have cleaned when they stuck firmly on a bank.
A creditable third went to WA crew, Clive Slater / Andy Van Kann (Corolla 1600) who mixed it with the big guns despite a deficit of over 100 bhp.
Withdrawals before the start included top contenders Ed Mulligan and John Armitage, while scrutineering proved frustrating for several interstate crews when State laws regarding headlight configuration were enforced. Greg Carr's Escort was finally legalised on the start line after a threat of exclusion by the Stewards.
Then the event promoters, Autosport West, received a bombshell only 12 hours before the start, when a Forest Dept. Officer told the Director that the Nannup Pine Plantations were closed as of then due to fire risks. Mild panic raged for several hours before the Conservator of Forests gave permission for the event, but with a heap of special conditions like no smoking, no spectators in the plantation, etc.
Start day turned out sunny and hot at the Morley City Shopping Centre where the 35 starters were flagged away before a sizeable crowd. Dave Morrow / George Shepheard (HDT Gemini) had drawn No 1, followed by Greg Carr / Fred Gocentas (Escort RS2000), with Dunkerton and Fury at 3 and 4 respectively.
No 5 was WA's rally champ Tim Corr (Datsun 1600) and with navigator Peter MacNeall, exercising his right to be ballotted with the National Classified in his home state. Adrian Taylor / Syd Smith (Honda Civic) had drawn 6, Dave Jones / Ian Perason (Lancer) 7, Doug Stewart / Rod van der Straaten (Lancer GSR) 8 and bringing up the rear of the National Classified crews were Dean Rainsford / Adrian Mortimer (Saab 99 EMS), last year's winner.
Besides Dunkerton, WA crews expected to keep the interstate visitors honest included Danny Bignell / Bob Bousefield (Datsun 240Z), Rolly Waters / Steve Vanderbyl (Escort TC), Brian Smallwood / Glen Thorp (Lancer 1600) plus Slater / Van Kann and Corr / MacNeall.
Money to Bignell, Carr
A 3-minute sand scramble at Rockingham, south of Perth, gave the competitors their first workout and allowed Dunkerton to pass Carr when the latter bogged down on a sandy hard right. Bignell set fastest time by 9 seconds from Smallwood and collected the $50 cash prize for the stage.
The event headed south for a one minute dash through a rubbish tip. Carr made amends for his earlier loss and set fastest time, collecting the second $50 and beating Bignell by 2 seconds.
Carr, Corr Out
Further south came the Lake Clifton stage, 14km in 11 minutes. Dunkerton's low slung Datsun unearthed a large limestone rock, leaving it smack in the middle of the track, perfectly placed to smash the sump of Carr's Escort and demolish the steering of Corr's Datsun. Both cars were out of the event and Ford's hopes rested on the other Escort RS2000 of Bruce Hodgson / Chris Heaney, back in the field at No 16.
On to Bunbury for a three kilometre bitumen spectator stage around an industrial complex, plenty of action with Dunkerton passing through the timing markers backwards after a monumental lose, and Bignell spinning right off the road. It was Fury's turn to pick up the $50, clocking 2:56 and being the only one to clean. At lunch Bignell and Fury were both on 3, Dunkerton and Stewart 4 and most of the others on 5 or 6.
The night run started at Busselton with three semi-competitive stages through the coastal die-back belt, a region where very few roads can be used due to forest diseases. Unexpected points losses were incurred by Morrow, who blew a tyre, letting Dunkerton into the pole position, and Slater, Rainsford and Stewart, all of whom took wrong turns.
Thick dust and perfectly windless conditions were a problem as the crews reached the first of the Nannup pine plantation stages, 22km in 17 minutes. Dunkerton, Fury and Waters all dropped three to the fours of Morrow, Slater, Bignell and Smallwood, putting Fury in the lead by one point.
The second pine stage took competitors 36km into Nannup for a service break. Morrow was first in after Dunkerton was sidelined with a flat tyre, and all the top crews cleaned, with the exception of Dunkerton who dropped 3. Fury was still in the lead on six, from Bignell on seven, Dunkerton and Morrow both on 10 and Waters on 11. After a crowded refuel stop, the third plantation stage was contested, with all the crews dropping one to leave the order unchanged.
Tyre Problems
The first forest stage was a 49km jaunt down the Donelly River to One Tree Bridge. Once again, Morrow had tyre problems and allowed Dunkerton and Fury to pass, both cleaning the stage. Bignell dropped one, Stewart, Rainsford and Slater 3 each and Morrow a disastrous 11.
Fury was now a clear leader, having pulled out by 2 minutes from Bignell, with Dunkerton a further two points back in third. But the situation was soon to change.
Fury Stuck
One section remained before the end of the first night and Dunkerton barrelled through the stage without loss. Fury set off after him, but ran up a bank in the dusty conditions being passed by Morrow, Stewart and Slater before he resumed, dropping 12 for the stage.
At Manjimup, the overnight stop, Bignell led on 10, an incredible performance from No. 11 considering the diabolical dust. Dunkerton was second on 11, with a big gap to Slater on 18, Fury and Stewart on 20 and Hodgson on 21, the latter going well from No. 16.
Cars in trouble included the Waters / Vanderbyl Escort (broken engine earth strap resulting in a melted throttle cable!) Adrian Taylor (blown piston at Nannup and withdrawn) and the Dave Jones Lancer (reasons unknown). Down the field, Smallwood was leading Grade 2 on 24 points from the John Macara / Ken Jaffey Peugeot 504 on 27, with Grade 3 honours held by the husband and wife team of John and Yvonne Goetze (Datsun 1600), down 44.
Day Two
Easter Saturday afternoon saw 24 cars start the second division with three daylight special stages in Manjimup, each carrying a $50 prize. Spectators were again out in force and they saw Morrow clean up the first stage by 1 sec from Smallwood, Fury take the second by 5 secs from Bignell, and Morrow and Bignell share the third. All crews lost 1 point on each, so positions remained unchanged.
Lost Wheel
Starting the second night at a 38km / 30 min stage north of Manjimup - Dunkerton, first on the road, blew a tyre halfway through. He recovered in time to stay in front, but dropped a hefty 8 for the section. Fury lost 6, Slater 7 and Stewart, Rainsford and Macara all dropped 8. Bignell never made it - the 240Z shed a wheel only 3km from the end and the flying farmer was out.
Unbeknown to him, Dunkerton took over the lead and, with a dust free run, set fastest time on the next two stages, the latter over the now famous Wilgarup River Crossing where an estimated 1000 people had gathered to watch the competitors tackle the water hazard. Back at Manjimup for the first service break, Dunkerton had opened up a big lead with 28 to Slater's 36. Fury was on 39, Stewart 48, Rainsford 49, Macara 51 and Smallwood 54. Morrow / Shepheard had retired with a cooked motor shortly after crossing the Wilgarup River, the official reason being that the fan had gone through the radiator.
Stewart Bogged
Out of Manjimup came a twisty 24km stage, in which Dunkerton was quickest, dropping only 1 to Fury's 3 and Slater and Rainsford 4 each. Stewart took a wrong turn mid-way through the stage and, in the process of reversing out, bogged the Lancer in loose sand. Fury pushed him out and passed him on the road, Stewart finally dropping 11 for the section and falling back to 7th outright.
Meanwhile, out in front, Dunkerton was flying through the Grand Grot stage, 75km in 65 minutes, and dropped 4 to take his total to 33. Slater, e (total 45) before Fury arrived only 2 down (total 44) taking over second place. Next best was Rainsford 60, Stewart 65 and Smallwood and Macara battling out sixth place, both on 71.
The Grand Grot stage finished any hopes of a Ford placing when Ron Hodgson rolled his Escort, landing so far off the road that no one knew where he had disappeared to until much later in the event!
After a second service in Manjimup, competitors began the run to the finish via Nannup. Dunkerton continued to hold his lead, while Fury, unable to peg back the leader, gradually pulled away from the lesser-powered Corolla of Slater. The final five stages back through the Nannup pine plantations was a bit of a procession, with the first five places unchanged and Smallwood finally getting the better of Macara to take out sixth.
After a colourful finish back in Perth and a highly enjoyable trophy presentation on the Easter Sunday evening, competitors were unanimous in their praise for the event, undoubtedly the best ARC round ever held in WA and shaping up to be one of the best throughout Australia.
Results (from LCC Club Torque)
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1st
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Ross Dunkerton
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Jeff Beaumont
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Datsun 260Z
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41 points
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2nd
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George Fury
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Monty Suffern
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Datsun 710SSS
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52
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3rd
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Clive Slater
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Andy Van Kann
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Toyota Corolla TE27
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58
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4th
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Dean Rainsford
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Adrian Mortimer
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Saab 99 EMS
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71
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5th
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Doug Stewart
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Rod Van Der Straaten
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Lancer GSR
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82
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6th
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Brian Smallwood
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Glen Thorp
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Lancer 1600
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95
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7th
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John Macara
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Ken Jaffey
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Peugeot 504
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98
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=8th
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Murray Buchan
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Graham Hart
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Toyota Celica
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114
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=8th
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John Goetze
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Yvonne Goetze
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Datsun 1600
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114
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10th
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Steve McKimmie
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B. Rogers
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Datsun 1600
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131
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11th
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Mark Anderson
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Hopkins
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Torana GTR
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134
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12th
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Terry O'Sullivan
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Ron Rigby
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Fiat 128 3P
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139
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13th
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Rolly Waters
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Steve Vanderbyl
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Ford Escort TC
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141
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14th
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A. Ryan
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I. Genn
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Torana hatchback
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165
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15th
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B.James
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S. Redgewell
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Datsun 1600
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214
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16th
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Stuart Beechen
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Roger Polak
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Galant
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250
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17th
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Geoff White
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Owen Cork
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Saab 99 EMS
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654
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