The Oberon region turned on perfect weather on April 8 for the Singleton Automotive Centre Caves Classic Rally, run in Hampton and Jenolan State Forests. Forty-eight cars started the event and 36 were classed as finishers.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The event was run in eight stages - four stages run twice during the day.
Stage 1/5 was a short loop in the northern part of Hampton State Forest, just off the road between Hampton and Rydal. There were some rough patches in this stage but they were all well marked in the instructions all drivers received.
A wise man who had won a lot of rallies and several State Championships once told me “there are no rough roads, only rough drivers”. Together with “to win, you first have to finish”, this advice has remained true over the years.
Stage 2/6 ran in the lower part of Hampton Forest, starting and finishing on Duckmaloi Road. This stage had about 400 metres of heavily rutted and eroded road, but again this was clearly marked in the instructions and shouldn’t have been a problem.
The next stage (3/7) ran in the western part of Jenolan Forest around Boggy Creek Road and was the longest in the event at 27km. It included a spectator point where cars had to zig-zag through left and right hand corners. There was a round of applause for the Number 15 Commodore driver who turned right instead of left – he kept his foot down and spun the car until it was pointing in the right direction.
The final stage (4/8) was in the Mini Mini area east of Jenolan Caves Road, and gave the drivers the chance to stretch out on some nice fast roads.
Organisers, North Shore Sporting Car Club, should be congratulated on running an excellent event and for their hospitality which saw officials and competitors enjoying the atmosphere at the Hampton Halfway House after the event.
Results: 1st Adrian Coppin/Erin Kelly (Lancer EVO9), 2nd Thomas Dermody/Eoin Moynihan (Escort RS1800), 3rd Tom Clarke/Ryan Preston (Lancer EVO9), 4th Jason Giddins/Katie Fletcher (Subaru WRX) and 5th Ron Moore/Lachlan Moor (Lancer EVO6).