1975 Cams Australian Rally Championship

1975 CAMS AUSTRALIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

THE EVENTS The 1975 CAMS Australian Rally Championship: 1 Mazda House 1000 New South Wales Fury/Bonhomme 2 Toms Tyres 1600 West Australia West Australian Car Club Dunkerton/Large 3 Akademos Rally Victoria Melbourne University Car Club Dunkerton/Large 4 Bega Valley Rally New South Wales Australian Sporting Car Club Bond/Shepheard 5 Warana Rally Queensland Brisbane Sporting Car Club Dunkerton/Large 6 Walker Trophy Rally South Australia Rainsford/West 7 Alpine Rally Victoria Light Car Club of Australia McLeod/Mortimer

FINAL POINTS 1 Ross Dunkerton WA 37.5 1 John Large WA 37.5 2 Stewart McLeod SA 30.5 2 Adrian Mortimer SA 30.5 3 George Fury Vic 13 3 George Shepheard NSW 15 4 Colin Bond NSW 12 =4 Graham West SA 10 =5 Ed Mulligan NSW 10 =4 Fred Gocentas ACT 10 =5 Dean Rainsford SA 10 6 Roger Bonhomme Vic 9 7 Robert Jackson NSW 9 7 Ian Richards Vic 7

Manufacturers Award Nissan Motor Co Australia (Datsun)

1975 Australian Rally Champions – Ross Dunkerton/John Large/Datsun 240Z Image from Racing Car News December 1975

SUMMARY

If ever proof was needed that competition improves the breed, then the CAMS Australian Rally Champions for 1975, Ross Dunkerton and John large, both from Western Australia, were living proof.

Two years previously, despite being West Australian Champions, they were largely unknown on the East Coast and, while obviously competent, they did not stack up against the top Australian combinations. At the end of 1973 the pair ran in the Southern Cross Rally and came home 11th outright without over-impressing. During 1974 they contested most of the Australian championship rounds and as a result improved rapidly and a number of good placings saw them take third place in the series. Finally, in 1975 they put it all together and took their Datsun 260Z to a resounding and well-deserved title win. On the way they won two of the seven rounds and shared victory in a third.

Second overall place-getters were South Australian champions Stewart McLeod and Adrian Mortimer in their Datsun 260Z. This crew were national runner-ups for the third time and seemed destined never to quite get to the number one spot.

The championship was a worthwhile series run over seven events in five states and at one time or another attracted most of the country’s top rally crews.

Among the more competitive of the regular crews was Ed Mulligan (Holden Torana L34) who ran in six rounds and took three minor placings but found the L34 not quite reliable enough. Doug Stewart ran in four rounds in the Mitsubishi Lancer with mixed success. 1974 Champions Colin Bond and George Shepheard did not debut the new L34 until the third round and dropped out of the series after the car had gearbox problems in the Queensland round and this put them out of contention for another title. Dean Rainsford and Graham West had a mixed year, winning the South Australian round but otherwise only picking up one point in their Porsche.

Ford Motor Company imported a works Ford Escort Mk 1 BDA for Bob Watson/Jeff Beaumont. Dust entered the engine during the car’s first ARC event (the Akademos) necessitating an engine rebuild after which the car was well down on power and not as competitive as expected.

Very successful appearances were put in by various Datsun variants. George Fury won the opening round in the works 710 but then only competed in two further rounds, including the Bega Valley Rally where he retired with suspension failure when heading the field comfortably on the second night. Fury’s bad luck was Dave Morrow’s good luck as he inherited the lead in his much-modified Datsun 180B SSS with its 2.4 litre motor but was not eligible for championship points. Greg Carr, also not eligible, had a comfortable win in the Alpine Rally in his Datsun 180B SSS.

As in 1974 all rounds were competitive and well organised. Promotors of the series made strenuous efforts to raise prizemoney and gain increased spectator involvement and media interest.

Vehicle Eligibility Vehicle eligibility was based on CAMS Group C – Australian Touring Cars

Championship Point-scoring 1st = 9, 2nd = 6, 3rd = 4, 4th = 3, 5th = 2, 6th = 1

ROUND ONE: MAZDA HOUSE 1000 – New South Wales 1

A field of 44 entries, of which 16 were contesting the championship, gathered for the first round which started and finished at Forster, near Taree. Following some daylight spectator stages the course moved to the mountains north of Taree.

The event presented George Fury of Victoria with his first major rally success as he and navigator Roger Bonhomme booted their works Datsun 710 to a convincing win. Equal second place went to West Australia’s Ross Dunkerton and John Large in their Datsun 260Z, and Mitsubishi team captain Doug Stewart, with Brian Hope, (both from New South Wales) in their Mitsubishi Lancer. Queenslanders who impressed in 1974, Adrian Taylor/John Suominen took their Honda Civic to fourth place and South Australians took out fifth and sixth places – Stewart McLeod/Adrian Mortimer(Datsun 260Z) and Dean Rainsford/Graham West (Porsche 911S). So five states were represented in the first six placings.

At the halfway mark Fury held the lead, on 25 points from Stewart and Dunkerton on 26, Rainsford 28 and Taylor and Wayne Bell 29. McLeod (on 37) was slowed by carburetion problems and Ed Mulligan/Neil Faulkner found the Torana L34 needed more development.

Immediately after the restart Dunkerton forged into the lead by taking fastest time on several stages but Fury was not to be outdone however, and as the rally wound its way south towards the Forster finish he strung together an impressive list of times to regain the lead. In the meantime, Rainsford ran off the road and then suffered a broken throttle cable to drop back through the field. Dunkerton, slowing, managed to keep Stewart at bay and the pair finished equal second on 39 points, five behind Fury. Mulligan ran off the road on a transport section and drove into a swamp. In the Open category Ross Jackson put in a fine performance to win and also finish fifth outright. Other Open crews were Greg Carr/Wayne Gregson, Ross Jackson, Ossie Jackson and Gary Bevan/John MacDonald – all in Datsun 1600s. 59

George Fury/Roger Bonhomme roll into control in the Datsun 710

Dean Rainsford/Graham West had some problems with their glamourous Porsche and finished sixth

The Mazda House 1000 was an event well up to championship standard and the level of competition gave warning of better things to come during the year. 21 crews finished, 19 completing the full course. As is often the case at the start of a season, mechanical problems caused most downfalls.

1 George Fury Roger Bonhomme Datsun 710 34 pts =2 Ross Dunkerton John Large Datsun 260Z 39 =2 Doug Stewart Brian Hope Mitsubishi Lancer GSR 39 4 Adrian Taylor John Suominen Honda Civic 48 5 Stewart McLeod Adrian Mortimer Datsun 260Z 51 6 Dean Rainsford Graham West Porsche 911S 64

ROUND TWO: TOMS TYRES 1600 – Western Australia

Ross Dunkerton and John Large, revelling in their own territory in West Australia took the lead of the Tom Tyres Rally right from the start and never relinquished it, and proved they were of a crew of national standing. Their win was the first in an Australian Rally Championship series by a Western Australian crew.

Ross Dunkerton/John Large took their Datsun 260Z to the first win in an ARC event by West Australians 60

Conditions were perfect for rallying as it had rained for two days just before it was conducted, bringing to an end a record dry spell of over two months, so there was no dust or water or mud, just firm moist gravel roads.

The rally, with 36 entries of which 20 were contesting the championship, was run over two long nights in the forests south of Perth and the principal drama on the first night was Ed Mulligan, with George Shepheard, in the Holden Torana L34, colliding with a tree across the road, after he unwittingly passed the course setting crew. This dropped him well down the field and virtually out of contention for a win.

Ed Mulligan/George Shepheard in the Holden Torana L34

Scores after the first night were Dunkerton 19, Doug Stewart/Rod van der Straaten (Mitsubishi Lancer) 22, Adrian Taylor/John Suominen (Honda Civic) 25, John Edwards/Bill Philip (Datsun 260Z) and Clive Slater/Andy van Kann (Toyota Corolla) 26 and Mulligan on 30.

There was more drama on the second night when Taylor retired when the little Honda caught fire and burnt to the ground and was completely gutted. Next in trouble was Stewart when the Lancer broke a steering arm and he lost over an hour. Stewart McLeod/Adrian Mortimer (Datsun 260Z) were putting in a valiant effort after losing time with a clutch failure which cost him time and steadily moved back up the field to get within one second of second place. However, over the last few stages Edwards was his match and grimly held on to his highly creditable second place.

Stewart McLeod/Adrian Mortimer came third in the Datsun 260Z

Dunkerton/Large (44 points) cruised home to their first major win and found themselves with a handy lead in the championship. Edwards finished second on 63, McLeod third with 64, and Mulligan recovered from his crash to be fourth (67). Locals John Neal/Dave Manners (Holden Torana XU-1) and Alan Stean/Lyn Mathews (Datsun 240Z) took fifth and sixth placings with 92 and 104 points respectively.

Colin Bond did not compete as his new Holden Torana L34 was not fully prepared, and Bob Watson, George Fury and Dean Rainsford did not make the journey to the West.

1 Ross Dunkerton John Large Datsun 260Z 44 pts 2 John Edwards Bill Philip Datsun 260Z 63 3 Stewart McLeod Adrian Mortimer Datsun 260Z 64 4 Ed Mulligan George Shepheard Holden Torana L34 67 5 John Leal Dave Manners Holden Torana XU-1 92 6 Alan Stean Lyn Mathews Datsun 240Z 104

ROUND THREE: AKADEMOS RALLY – Victoria 1

Despite it being late May, the extremely dusty conditions in the rugged forest ranges added an extra ingredient to the highly competitive field to make the Akademos one of THE events of the championship. It saw yet another Datsun triumph with the marque taking out the first three placings in the championship. Highlight of the event was the tremendous struggle between the Datsuns of Ross Dunkerton/John Large (260Z), Stewart McLeod/Adrian Mortimer (260Z), George Fury/Monty Suffern (710) and Frank Kilfoyle/Geoff Boyd (Datsun 180B SSS). At one point these four held the first four placings hotly pursued by a large group of other top crews.

Frank Kilfoyle/David Bond were leading into the last stage in the Datsun 180 BBBWhen they speared off the road into a tree and DNF

Fury was the first of the top group to drop back after taking a wrong road. Bonhomme then slid off the road and lost considerable time so at the halfway break Kilfoyle and McLeod led on 26 points from Dunkerton 27, Stewart and Colin Bond/George Shepheard (Holden Torana L34) 32, Fury 34 and Watson/Beaumont 35. By now Ed Mulligan/Fred Gocentas (L34) retired with differential problems, leaving his tyres available for Bond.

The furious dice between the top three Datsuns continued so that going into the final stage Kilfoyle led by a bare minute to the two 260Zs. Victory was not to be his however as a tricky right hand bend just two kilometres from the finish caught him out, crashing into a tree and he failed to finish. In the final result Dunkerton and McLeod could not be separated and so shared the win. Fury made a great fight back to take third while Bond took fourth and his first championship points of the year. Doug Stewart, with Lindsay Adcock in the Mitsubishi Lancer were fifth while Dean Rainsford/Bernie Peasley took the Porsche 911S into sixth.

Colin Bond/George Shepheard in a first run with t he new Holden Torana L34 finished fourth

David Bond/Ian Richards in the Mitsubishi Lancer 1600

Greg Carr/Wayne Gregson, having just won the first of what would be six successive wins in the Don Capasco/Castrol Rally events conducted in Canberra, and Bob Watson contested the Open category.

=1 Ross Dunkerton John Large Datsun 260Z 48 pts =1 Stewart McLeod Adrian Mortimer Datsun 260Z 48 3 George Fury Monty Suffern Datsun 710 55 4 Colin Bond George Shepheard Holden Torana L34 61 5 Doug Stewart Lindsay Adcock Mitsubishi Lancer GSR 64 6 Dean Rainsford Bernie Peasley Porsche 911S 77

ROUND FOUR: BEGA VALLEY RALLY – New South Wales 2

The Bega Valley Rally not only maintained its reputation as one of the major rallies in the Australian championship, but also again showed up as one of the most controversial rallies of the year, as regards the results depending on the CAMS legal system. As with the 1974 event the rally featured a top class field, an extremely close battle for the lead and a fierce legal battle at the end of the event. 52 entries were nominated but the actual number of starters ended up as 39, with 10 contesting the championship.

The Holden Torana L34 of Colin Bond/George Shepheard won in its second ARC outing.

As usual the event was based at Bega on the New South Wales south coast over the June long weekend. Run over two nights it consisted of a loop to the north towards Bateman Bay on the Saturday night followed by a loop to the south on Sunday night, travelling as far as the border with Victoria.

The drama which was to lead to the protests occurred early on the first night when Ross Dunkerton/John Large (Datsun 260Z) drove (slowly) straight through a passage control without stopping, as did several other crews. The actual control area was crowded by people.

By the end of the first night, conducted over a relatively short distance of 400 kilometres close to Bega, Victorians George Fury/Monty Suffern (Datsun 710) were down 27 points, ahead of Colin Bond/George Shepheard (Holden Torana L34) on 34, Rob and Ross Jackson (Holden Torana XU-1) 40. Stewart McLeod/Adrian Mortimer (Datsun 260Z) followed on 42 after having had two punctures during the night. Doug Stewart/John Dawson-Damer (Mitsubishi Lancer) was on 45 points but had only two gears left and did not restart the second night. Ed Mulligan/Fred Gocentas (Torana L34) was on 48 points were also having problems losing gears but pressed on. Dunkerton was on 63, including 30 points for not stopping at the passage control and, if the 30 were removed, would have been leading the field.

The second night was considerably harder with plenty of muddy tracks and these took their toll as cars broke or fell off the road. Fury was amongst one of the first to retire when the 710’s rear end fell to bits and McLeod’s 260Z suffered a blown head gasket and he had to shortcut to the finish and take the penalties for missing stages. At the head of the field Dunkerton was going quickest but Bond was retaining his lead, and the Jacksons staying in front of Dunkerton.

At the finish Dunkerton/Large lodged a protest on the missing passage control penalty of 30 minutes and won, but were then penalised 11 points on another technicality (1 point for failing to stop at the control and 10 points for an incorrect entry on the road card). They then of course protested this penalty. To add to the confusion the Holden Dealer Team appealed against the Steward’s decision to rescind the 30 minutes.

So, when the dust and bulldust settled Bond was the winner on 65 points followed by Rob Jackson with 77, Dunkerton 87, Mulligan 88 and then fifth went to Victorians David Jones/Ian Baldock (Mitsubishi Galant) with 97 points, and sixth to the New South Wales crew of Barry Dyer/Brian McGuirk (Subaru) on 145.

Rob and Ross Jackson (no relationship) take their Holden Torana XU1 to a fine second place

In the Open category Dave Morrow/Robbie Wilson (2.4 litre Datsun 180B SSS) finished one point ahead of Bond and another well placed crew was Wayne Bell/Brian Mepham (Mitsubishi Galant). Bob Watson/Jeff Beaumont (Ford Escort RS 1600) retired with overheating problems on the first night.

1 Colin Bond George Shepheard Holden Torana L34 65 pts 2 Rob Jackson Ross Jackson Holden Torana XU-1 77 3 Ross Dunkerton John Large Datsun 260Z 87 4 Ed Mulligan Fred Gocentas Holden Torana L34 88 5 David Jones Ian Baldock Mitsubishi Galant 97 6 Barry Dyer Brian McQuirk Subaru 145

ROUND FIVE: WARANA RALLY - Queensland

Those who made their way north to Brisbane for the fifth round of the championship included Ross Dunkerton/John Large (Datsun 260Z), Stewart McLeod/Adrian Mortimer (Datsun 260Z), Colin Bond/George Shepheard (Holden Torana L34), Ed Mulligan/Fred Gocentas (L34) and Bob Watson Jeff Beaumont (Ford Escort RS). Leading locals Adrian Taylor/John Suominen fronted with their Honda Civic.

The Warana Rally attracted 52 starters and featured many tough and competitive stages, including short daylight ones for spectators, and one in excess of 100 kilometres which really sorted the field out, with Watson being fastest to prove he was still amongst the top group of drivers. There were 23 finishers.

Ross Dunkerton/John Large climb their Datsun 240Z up out of a deep gutter They clinched the ARC with their win in the Warana Rally

For the first time in five years Bond did not win the event – in fact he was forced out with gearbox troubles after taking an early lead, and with him out of the way it was left to Dunkerton and McLeod to fight out the event – which they did in earnest and there was only one point between them at the end!

The event was run over 24 hours and 1000 kilometres in three divisions. By the end of the first division Bond had a narrow lead over Dunkerton, then came McLeod. The scores were 10, 11 and 11. Taylor had dropped out due to fuel pump problems.

The second division saw the demise of Bond’s L34, while local Allan Lawson (Mazda RX3) dropped out of the running after losing 48 minutes on a wrong road. Divisional scores had Dunkerton and McLeod together on 24, with David Jones/Ian Balcock (Mitsubishi Galant) on 43, followed by Alan Hall/Bruce Mallett (Mazda RX3) on 44.

Halfway through the last division Dunkerton took a minute off McLeod and held on to give him the win by just that minute – 49 to 50! Both McLeod and Mulligan had lucky breaks right at the end of the rally with the former running off the road and the latter breaking an axle but managing to get to the finish line for third, on 52 points. Locals Alan Hall and Peter Wickham/Darryl Kelly (XU-1) took off fourth and sixth places with 83 and 100 points whilst fifth went to Victorians David Jones/Ian Balcock on 86 points.

Ed Mulligan, with Fred Gocentas, took the Holden Torana L34 to third place.

The Dunkerton/Large win virtually tied up the championship series while by coming second McLeod kept his very faint hopes of championship victory flickering. With Dunkerton/Large on 32 points to McLeod/Mortimer on 19 and with two rounds to go the former would need a non-start/did not finish to give the latter a real chance of a win.

Bob Watson/Jeff Beaumont in the Ford Escort RS 1800 They finish third overall but were not eligible for the ARC

Open category honors went to Bob Watson/Jeff Beaumont (Ford Escort RS 2000), well clear of Hank Kabel/Ced Reinhardt (Mazda RX3) who tied with Phil McLoughlin/Graham Clark (Datsun 1600).

1 Ross Dunkerton John Large Datsun 260Z 49 pts 2 Stewart McLeod Adrian Mortimer Datsun 260Z 50 3 Ed Mulligan Fred Gocentas Holden Torana L34 52 4 Allan Hall Bruce Mallett Mazda RX3 83 5 David Jones Ian Baldock Mitsubishi Galant 86 6 Peter Wickham Darryl Kelly Holden Torana XU-1 100

ROUND SIX: WALKER TROPHY RALLY – South Australia

The South Australian round was the least supported rally in the series with only four visiting championship crews making the journey to Adelaide for the penultimate round – including Ross Dunkerton/John Large (Datsun 260Z), Ed Mulligan/Fred Gocentas (Holden Torana L34), David Jones/Ian Balcock (Mitsubishi Galant).

The event was conducted over 650 kilometres and consisted of three divisions, largely east and south of Adelaide and included a run up the Collingrove hillclimb, a highlight of the first division, with Rainsford fastest from McLeod. Dunkerton’s second to McLeod’s third well and truly put the seal on his first championship and ended any hope of McLeod taking his place.

During the second division McLeod took the narrowest of leads from Dean Rainsford/Graham West (Porsche Carrera RS) and Dunkerton with the scores at 23.25, 23.75 and 24.25! A casualty of the second division was Mulligan’s L34 which squatted on a large tree root and he lost considerable time getting all four wheels back on the ground.

The third division saw the crews south of Adelaide and Rainsford took the lead and held it to the finish. McLeod dropped back to third place while Bob Pike/Graham Middleton (Datsun 260Z) took fourth, with locals Jim Conaghty/Kevin Attwood (Mazda RX3) was fifth and Dieter Thumm/Barry Walmsley (Ford Escort) sixth. Both Dunkerton and McLeod spoilt their chances of winning by running off the road, and Dunkerton had a lucky retrieve after running out of fuel at one point.

The Rainsford/West win was their first in the championship and was regarded by all as a just reward for their effort they put into rallying over many years.

The second place cemented the 1975 Australian Rally Championship of Dunkerton and Large.

1 Dean Rainsford Graham West Porsche Carrera RS 45 pts 2 Ross Dunkerton John Large Datsun 260Z 45.25 3 Stewart McLeod Adrian Mortimer Datsun 260Z 50.25 4 Bob Pike Graham Middleton Datsun 260Z 59.5 5 Jim Conaghty Kevin Attwood Mazda RX3 72.25 6 Dieter Thumm Barry Walmsley Ford Escort 72.5

Dean Rainsford/Graham West take the Porsche Carrera RS to Rainsford’s forest ARC win

ROUND SEVEN: ALPINE RALLY – Victoria 2

Unlike the 1973 and 1974 Alpine Rallies the outcome of the championship did not hang on the event in 1975, with Dunkerton/Large sealing the championship in the sixth round in South Australia – and just as well they did as they rolled their Datsun 260Z on its side on a long slippery right-hand turn, right in front of this ARC history author Tom Snooks!!

The Alpine was traditionally the toughest event in the series and 1975 was no exception. The 1000 kilometres was conducted in three divisions and in daytime heat of 36 degrees. The first division started in Albury and ran during the afternoon to Bright; the second was run in darkness from Bright to Mitta Mitta, Omeo and back to Bright whilst the final division was conducted during Sunday in the magnificent softwood forests around Bright. With over 30 stages and the oppressive heat having much effect on crews only 12 completed the whole route, and these were from both Championship and Open categories.

By the end of the first division McLeod was in front of a group that included Ross Jackson/Alan Brady (Datsun 1600) and David Bond/Ian Richards (Mitsubishi Lancer). Several favoured crews succumbed in this division, including Dunkerton and Bob Watson/Jeff Beaumont (Ford Escort RS 2000) who had several problems including being bogged for a period; another was Dean Rainsford/Graham West (Porsche Carrera RS) after dropping back with a fuel blockage.

David Bond/Ian Richards took off a fine second place in the Mitsubishi Lancer 1600

The battle continued into the night division with times fairly evenly matched, but McLeod asserting his authority by being consistently faster. Bruce Hodgson/Chris Heaney (Ford Escort RS 1600) were forced to retire with a blown head gasket late in the division after putting in some respectable times and challenging for second place.

The pressure continued during the third division daylight stages with McLeod easing off to win with 121 points, followed by Bond on 143. Just behind in third place on 148 points was the Queensland crew of Murray Coote/Rod Browning (Datsun 1200), with Rob Jackson/Fred Gocentas (XU-1) fourth on 159. Fifth went to the Datsun 1600 of Garry Harrowfield/Geoff Boyd, and sixth to David Jones.

Greg Carr, in the Open category, with navigator Wayne Gregson in the Datsun 180B SSS was the outright winner and their winning margin over McLeod was 20 minutes and this was one of the most significant winning margins in major events for a number of years and clearly showed Carr as a member of the very top group of Australian rally drivers – as he was to prove in the next five or so years. Dave Morrow/Graham Roser (Datsun 180B SSS) were second in the Open group, finishing just behind McLeod in the overall placings. This followed his outright win in the Bega Valley Rally.

Greg Carr/Wayne Gregson in the Datsun 180B SSS They won overall but were not eligible for the ARC

1 Stewart McLeod Adrian Mortimer Datsun 260Z 121 pts 2 David Bond Ian Richards Mitsubishi Lancer 143 3 Murray Coote Rod Browning Datsun 1200 148 4 Rob Jackson Fred Gocentas Holden Torana XU-1 159 5 Garry Harrowfield Geoff Boyd Datsun 1600 147 6 David Jones Ian Baldock Mitsubishi Galant 215