Special Report: The Very First AMSAG rally held in 1992
I had the privilege of competing in what was probably the very first AMSAG rally. In very late 1992 just after the Esanda rally, Alan Lawson, former director of several Southern Cross Rallies, organized a laid back vintage style 2 day event which was to be based in the Mount Seaview Resort up near Wachope. Alan made the promise that we would be using several stages that he had used personally during some of the crosses. The event was to be known as the Southern Cross Masters Rally.
The Event attracted a star studded field, topped by the famous Falcon KAG-002 driven by no one else but Ian Vaughan (pictured here), third place getter in the 68 London Sydney Marathon, and a stunning 2nd in 93 in the very same car that was here. In fact he and co-driver Barry Lake used the rally as a shakedown test for the 93, and were probably glad that they did! Andrew Meidekie's white weapon Escort was there as was Dave Darby in his super quick RX-3 and Ian McPhee and yours truly in the fitting LA 2door with webers, with a small field of pretty much bash cars and 4WD's other than that. I'm sorry if I have offended anyone by saying that, but one crew, with a Toyota Crown complete with automatic transmission were asked to remove the hay bails from the back seat before they started!
The night before the rally was a little different from what we were used to having competed in CAMS rallies in the past. Alan held a prologue stage on a very fast bit of road out of Port to be run in both directions, so he pretty much delivered his promise before the rally had started! This was about a 10K blast at night and was to determine the running order of the rally. This was probably the most fun I have had in the silly seat! Dave "Mad Dog" Darby was really giving the little Maz heaps, dumping the clutch at about 8 grand off the stage start, a fantastic sound eminating from the bridgeport. It ended up Meidekie's Escort first on the road, Dave Darby's RX-3 closely followed by Dad in the Lancer pipping out Ian Vaughan in 4th. With the lancer out of the old PRC mode and breathing through webers, it was a different car, and Dad was really enjoying it! Ian and Barry in KAG-002 came in 4th.
The next morning on the first stage Dave Darby had an expensive blown engine when the oil sender was left untightened on his newly built 13B, and proceeded to unseat itself within the stage with catastrophic results. He was telling me he had carbon apex seals in it, which are not cheap. Anyway, that was that, and he was left to spectate. Ian Vaughan was really giving KAG-002 a good going over, and actually managed to break it during the first day. A branch from a close call tree speared through the driving light of the Falcon, going through the inner guard, through the tyre and damaging the brakes.
The first days action was excellent on mostly southern cross stages, but a mistake in the road book put pay to quite a few crew's chances. This was to be a bit of a talking point, but thankfully AMSAG roadbooks were to improve over the years. The rally itself kind of fizzled out a little on the second day as we had some problems with a farmer who would not allow the rally cars to pass through his property to get to one of the stages. That stage was cancelled and we ended up running stages on the tracks that were within the confines of the Mount Seaview Resort. I will never forget this day, as it was the first day my Dad allowed me to have a go in his beloved rally car.
Driving back from the cancelled stage, I remembered him saying to me out of the blue, "The number one rule is not to break in a corner...". I had a smile on my face straight after he said that as I knew that he has finally going to let me have a crack at it! We went down the back of the resort, and into a grass paddock. I then climbed into the drivers seat for the first time to get a feel for the car on the paddock. Dad said "Just turn in hard here and see how easy the car can spin around....". I did as he asked, but instead of letting it spin I instantly applied full opposite lock and booted it, going on a full power oversteering slide. I think i scared him a little!
After a little mucking around, we proceed up the rest of the transport to the start of the next stage, a very small 3k driveway blast. When Dad didn't get out of the silly seat to get back in to drive I almost fell out out of the car! I kept up Dads average in there, only bettered by Ian in the big Falcon, and Andrews Escort. But what a buzz! My first taste! I don't think I have every been that pumped in my life! With Webers on the Lancer you could actually throttle steer the little car now, something you couldn't really do before with twin Solex's!
I think the Meidekie Escort finished first, Ian Vaughan second and Dad and I third, our best ever result in a rally! Although a little rough around the edges in the beginning, the concept was brilliant, the seed had been planted. When we were all standing around at the drivers briefing before the start at Port, with Alan up there telling jokes and all the old rally cars behind us, I finally got a sense of what the Southern Cross Rally would of been like to go in, having spent most my childhood following 'The Cross' through the forests of NSW during school holidays. I could only imagine then.
Drew McPhee