Frustrated that you can’t watch Rally Finland without a Foxtel account and want to get your WRC fix? Here’s some footage from 35 years ago that will remind you what rallying is all about. It’s from the 1979 Castrol International Rally, held in the forests around Canberra.
This is the home territory of your AUSmotive editor and while I usually stick to the tarmac when heading for the forests this is an area I know well.
Clearly, this was a simpler time when all you needed was a Ford Escort or a Datto 1600 (a Stanza if you were really fancy pants) and the balls to have a crack. T-shirts were the only attire needed behind the wheel and long sleeves only ever came out if it was raining. Even the pacenotes are low key.
Familiar names such as Greg Carr, George Fury, Kevin Bartlett and Colin Bond all feature and long-time motorsport fans from Australia will notice a relatively slim Will Hagon behind the mic on the victory dais.
A quick shoutout, too, for the Southern District Motorsport Association who played a key role in hosting the event and is still active today.
The clip runs for 50 minutes and if you set aside the time you should enjoy this.
[Thanks to Tim for the tip]
