The Australian Rally Championship (ARC) commenced in 1968. The history has been provided by Tom Snooks, Chevron Publishing and Dallas Dogger. This  page is a work in progress and will added to as time permits.

1968

Rounds:
Classic (VIC)
Snowy (NSW)
Walkerville 500 (SA)
Canberra 500 (ACT)
Warana (Qld)
Alpine (VIC)

Drivers:
1: Harry Firth (VIC)
2: Frank Kilfoyle (VIC )
3: John Keran (NSW)
4: Bob Watson (VIC)
5: Ian Vaughan (VIC)
6: Barry Ferguson (NSW)

Navigators:
1: Graham Hoinville  (VIC)
2: Peter Meyer (NSW)

1969

Rounds:
Classic (VIC)
Snowy (NSW)
John Martin 500 (SA)
Warana (Qld)
Alpine (VIC)

Drivers:
1: Frank Kilfoyle (VIC )
2: John Keran (NSW)
3: Tony Roberts (VIC)
4: Ian Vaughan (VIC)
5: Evan Green (NSW)
6: Adrian Callary (SA)

Navigators:
1: Doug Rutherford (VIC)
2: Peter Meyer (NSW)
3: Brian Hope (NSW)
4: Bob Forsythe (VIC)
5: Roy Denny (NSW)
6: Garry Chapman (SA)

The early seventies saw the dominance of the Holden Torana XU’Is of Colin Bond and Peter Lang, taking over from the Renaults, by convincingly winning the BVR in 1971, 1972 and 1973 by taking out first and second in all years. By the end of 1973 the rally fraternity wondered if the XUI could be beaten.

In the years 1974 to 1976 however, the Datsun 240Z/260Z started to take on and eventually beat the XUI, with a win in the BVR in 1974 by Stewart McLeod; then Ross Dunkerton started to dominate with the with the marquee in’75, ’76, and early ’77. He turned to the Datsun 710 later in ’77.

The mid-to-late seventies saw great tussles in the Australian Rally Championship, with the BVR notoriously providing much contention between competitors for the winners’ title.

Thus began the famous annual battles between Datsun (710s then Stanzas) and Ford Escorts RS1800 and 2000) (Ross Dunkerton and George Fury versus Colin Bond and Greg Carr). Those who experienced those years consider them to be the unforgettable ‘Golden Era’ of rallying.

Ross Dunkerton won the Bega event in 1976, Greg Carr in 1977 and 1978 and Colin Bond in 1979, with one or the other finishing second or third each year.

The era ended when both Datsun and Ford withdraw from the sport in 1980, as well as Holden with its Gemini project.

The seventies was also a technical nightmare which wasn’t finally resolved until the end of the eighties! But this is a subject all of its own and will be tackled under the Group A v Group G document to be produced in the Eighties Era.

Through much of the seventies the eligibility regulations were for virtually standard vehicles with no engine modifications or strengthening of body or suspensions. Nor did it allow for cars with specially homologated rally components such as the Mitsubishi Galant, Mitsubishi Lancer GSR, or Datsun 180B Coupe which appeared in the Southern Cross International Rally.

In fact some of these cars did contest some rounds of the ARC, but the crews were not eligible to score championship points. Hence, some events list a different winner to that of the officials ARC records!!

For example, in 1976 George Fury, driving a Datsun 710, won three rounds ahead of the ultimate ARC Champion, Ross Dunkerton. The 710 was used to prepare it for the Southern Cross Rally, which Fury led for the first three legs until the car had differential failure on the last leg, thus letting Andrew Cowan driving the Mitsubishi Lance through for this sixth win.

For 1977 the vehicle eligibility changed. There were few restrictions as Group G was introduced, thus allowing leading privateer entries to take it up to the factory-based teams. But it also meant that the latter could make modifications too, and thus the scene was set for the ding-dong battle between Datsun and Ford, which simply didn’t let the privateers in for a look.

The Manufacturer’s Championship was cancelled for the period 1978 to 1987, and the winning marquee was not recognised. So the Group G battle began!! More later!!!!

1970

Rounds:
Eureka (VIC)
Blue Ribbon (VIC)
Snowy (NSW)
Cambridge Toyota (SA)
Warana (Qld)

Drivers:
1: Bob Watson (VIC)
2: Colin Bond (NSW)
3: Mal McPherson (VIC)
4: Tony Roberts (VIC)
5: Stewart McLeod (SA)
6: Peter Robertson

Navigators:
1: Jim McAuliffe (VIC)
2: Brian Hope (NSW)
3: Robin Sharpley (VIC)
4: Mike Osborne (VIC)
5: John Lock (SA)
6: Roger Bonhomme (VIC)

1971 Australian Rally Championship

Rounds:
Classic (VIC),
Bunbury-Curran (NSW)
Snowy (NSW)
Uniroyal Southern (SA)
Warana (Qld)

Drivers:
1: Colin Bond (NSW)
2: Bob Watson (VIC)
3: Frank Kilfoyle (VIC)
4: Stewart McLeod (SA)
5: Mal McPherson (VIC)

Navigators:
1: George Shepheard (NSW)
2: Andy Chapman (VIC)
3: Mike Osborne (VIC)
4: Jack Lock (SA)

This was the year of the introduction of the Torana GTR XUI to the championship, following Barry Ferguson’s win in the 1970 Southern Cross Rally driving a Torana GTR. Bond/Shepheard won three rounds, starting a long chain of great success for the car. The previous champion, Renault Gordini, took off the other two events in the series and this was the last year of any dominance by the French made car.

The Southern Cross Rally Galants were little more than private entries, under Doug Stewart’s direction. Chrsyler had taken over Mitsubishi but did not actively participate in any form of motor sport at this time, with the Galants basically loaned to the drivers, and backed by only minor financial and technical services – the Southern Cross Rally entries were, of course, full blown Mitsubishi Japan entries. The cars were beset by numerous minor mechanical difficulties and, when they looked like giving the Holdens a good run for their money (Holden’s!!) so often than not, they fell by the wayside.

But the Holden’s, with Harry Firth leading the Holden Dealer Team, were really simply too fast, too reliable, too well driven, too well navigated and too well organised to give anyone else a chance in these years.

1972 Australian Rally Championship:

Rounds:
Bunbury Curran (NSW)
Snowy (NSW),
Akademos (VIC)
Warana (Qld)
Walkerville 500 (SA)
Alpine (VIC)

Drivers:
1: Colin Bond (NSW)
2: Frank Kilfoyle (Vic)
3: Doug Stewart (NSW)
4: John Taylor (SA)
5: Stewart McLeod (SA)
6: Richard Harris (NSW)

Navigators:
1: George Shepheard (NSW)
2: Dave Johnson (NSW)
3: Roger Bonhomme (Vic)
4: Graham West (SA)
=5: Rob Hunt (SA)
=5: Peter Meyer (NSW)

Colin Bond/George Shepheard took out their second successive championship win with the Torana XUI and they won five of the six rounds – Bond won three and Kilfoyle two.

They were chased by a pack of Mitsubishi Galants, the car which have gave the XUI such a chase in the 1971 Southern Cross rally and which, with its cousin the Lancer, would dominate that event from 1971 to 1976. Much was expected of the Galants but they seemed to suffer from the lack of servicing by their Japanese service crews throughout the year – but which was rectified thereafter!!