Southern Cross Rally






Two time winners Barry Ferguson and Dave Johnson in the Holden Dealer Team Torana GTR XU-1 on their way to their win in the 1970 Southern Cross Rally.


The Southern Cross Rally was a major international rally mainly held in the Port Macquarie region of New South Wales, Australia, between 1966 and 1980. The rally attracted many of the world's leading rally drivers and factory teams.


The inaugural Southern Cross Rally was won by Harry Firth in a works Ford Cortina. Scotsman Andrew Cowan dominated the event in the 1970s winning the rally five years in a row for the Mitsubishi works team from 1972 to 1976. The last four wins were in a Mitsubishi Lancer 1600 GSR and Cowan had also earlier won the 1969 'Cross in an Austin 1800 making a total of six victories.


Some other notable Southern Cross winners were Colin Bond in a Holden Dealer Team Torana GTR XU-1 in 1971, the 'flying Finn' Rauno Aaltonen in a Datsun Violet 710 in 1977, Talmalmo farmer George Fury in 1978 and 1979 in the Datsun Stanza and Ross Dunkerton who won the 1980 rally driving a Stanza.


There were many famous international rally drivers who contested the rally without winning it, including world champions Swedes Björn Waldegård and Stig Blomqvist, and Finns Ari Vatanen and Hannu Mikkola. Some other notable international rally drivers who competed include Edgar Herrmann, Timo Mäkinen, Shekhar Mehta and Paddy Hopkirk.


The final Southern Cross Rally in 1980 was a hard-fought battle between the Datsun Stanzas of Dunkerton, Fury and Geoff Portman and the Ford Escort BDA's driven by Greg Carr and Ari Vatanen. Dunkerton held off the Escorts to win. A combination of lack of sponsorship money and 'burn-out' of the rally organisers led to the demise of what was still a very competitive event.



Winners



































































































Year
Driver
Navigator
Vehicle
1966

Harry Firth
Graham Hoinville

Ford Cortina GT
1967
Barry Ferguson
Dave Johnson

Volkswagen Beetle
1968
John Keran
Peter Meyer

Volvo 142S
1969

Andrew Cowan
Dave Johnson

Austin 1800
1970
Barry Ferguson
Dave Johnson

Holden Torana GTR XU-1
1971

Colin Bond
George Shepheard
Holden Torana GTR XU-1
1972
Andrew Cowan
John Bryson

Mitsubishi Galant
1973
Andrew Cowan
John Bryson

Mitsubishi Lancer 1600 GSR
1974
Andrew Cowan
John Bryson
Mitsubishi Lancer 1600 GSR
1975
Andrew Cowan
Fred Gocentas
Mitsubishi Lancer 1600 GSR
1976
Andrew Cowan
Fred Gocentas
Mitsubishi Lancer 1600 GSR
1977

Rauno Aaltonen
Jeff Beaumont

Datsun 710
1978

George Fury
Monty Suffern

Datsun Stanza
1979
George Fury
Monty Suffern
Datsun Stanza
1980

Ross Dunkerton
Jeff Beaumont
Datsun Stanza


References



  • AMSAG - History of the Southern Cross Rally

  • Australian Competition Yearbook 1977



External links


  • Southern Cross Rally Roll of Honour



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