Who Introduced You?

[afifield]

Hey Drew... It's possible that you and I knew each other in a former life given the car and windscreen sticker. Did your folks ever run the "Presidents series" back when RCCA organised about 30 events a year?

I was born into it. Mum and dad started competing in the 70s. Their first "competition" car was an R10, on which the inlet and exhaust would be changed from one weekend to the next (and sometimes overnight) to change it from circuit class spec to rally spec. They then upgraded to an R8, then downgraded to a 1600. After pretty much giving up rallying, Dad ran the first Safari, then did quite a few Bashes.

My first event was a motorkhana at 12 years and 6 days old. The motorkhana special was in pieces, so we used the Group G 1600.

Early memories include:
- Mum nagivating for Gnome in the Cross (which was the first event he finished). I think this was about 78 because I was "too young" to service, but my brother got to tag along.
- Servicing for Wayne Griffiths in a later Cross.
- Sitting in the back of the 1600 or the Cruiser setting quite a few "Regies".
- Spectating at several 2GOs, including at the corner in a number of the Motorsport Memories vids.
- "The Grot", which was a 1600 that was basically spares for the rally car with a set of Stanza flares. This would run most tar events as well as dirt circuits when the 1600 rally car became a bit specialised.

[baldrick250]

Off my own batt.

I live near Datrally, and can hear the dyno from my house. I got to know the people there at a young age. Andrew pannam had a engine built for his pulsar gti and noticed that I was interested and asked if wanted to service for him, the rest is history.

[Buerckner]

I moved to Canberra, and met this Ray Baker guy through work.
I helped out working on the car, met Russell Battison joined the BMSC started navigating and all continued from there.

Remind me never to talk to those two again.

[Woody]

Motorsport was in my blood with my real father competing in a Cooper S with Peter Brock when I was VERY little. But estrangement from my father and negative attitude from my mother meant it was do it alone and dont talk about it at home.

Bridgestone International Off Road was just around the corner from our farm in Kempsey so I officialed for many years, then competed in my 1600 once with minimal $ in '91. Didn't know or meet anyone that would or could help so bailed on the sport completely for some years as everyone told me the costs were just way too much for someone like me to handle.

Then later worked with the wife (Jeanine Hind) of then AMSAG president Ken Hind, went to one AMSAG event and met heaps of helpfull people, including Drew, AJ and Matt Hunter - and have owned the Escort pretty much ever since.

[flano]

Born into it.
Mum and Dad did Shell Rally's in late 50's early 60's in a Simca Aronde for gods sake, never know I could have been an unknowing passenger!
Met Ron McKinnon, Bridgy etc when I moved to Nowra in 1980 and they got me hooked.

[crowleyaj]

I'm sure I've written something about how I got into rallying in another thread. Will try to find it and copy/paste here later.

[raybak]

99 Rally of Canberra, they put a call out on the radio for officials. So went out and did a road closure on Sinclairs circuit, joined BMSC after talking to a few people such as Dougal.

Ray

[TK]

Born into it ... but only a very casual bystander these days (i.e. casually standing by the TV watching OneHD.)

Grandfather had an interest in motorsports in the UK (I recall seeing his photos of Trials events).

Dad was an active member of the NSW Car Club in the 70s until it shut up shop in the early 80s.
Spent many weekends as a kid at motorkhanas/lap dashes/dirt circuits etc at Amaroo, Oran Park, Catalina, Bungool Park, Pacific Park, St Andrews (Leppington) and at rallies at Jenolan/Hampton and Sunny Corner.

Earliest motorsport recollections are watching rallycross at Catalina (but that may have been on TV), being in Port Mac for the '74 Cross.

Fond memories include camping on the mountain at Bathurst 79 watching Brock win by 6 laps, at the Opera House to watch the finish of the London to Sydney, the Motathlons at Amaroo, 'helping' Dad (and others) route check many rallies in the Mountains (and actually competing in one as an 8 year old..sitting in the back seat looking out for passage markers). And spending many nights at the Hampton Halfway House ... including a night in the Dormitory!

Funny memories include staying up all night doing a control somewhere in the mountains (I think the Mullets may have been there in an early incarnation), picking up the car club trailer from Peter Berriman's house (where there were more car parts in the lounge room and kitchen than in the garage), and Dad borrowing Phil Boyd's (Daveee's dad) RX3 and going to the hospital to see the birth of David's older sister (the noise of the rotary at night outside the Mater would have woken all the babies).

[robert inall]

I was created by a higher power to inspire the masses to follow my lead and spend a lot of time in the forest (watching others go by)

[pinko]

[QUOTE=robert inall;236374]I was created by a higher power to inspire the masses to follow my lead and spend a lot of time in the forest (watching others go by)




Blessed are the Ari!!!!

[BEN]

Even though my Dad rallied a Corolla and Gemini's in the late 70's early 80's
and raced open wheelers after that, i would tag along all the time, for some reason i was never really interested in driving competitively until i left school, and moved out of home. I always liked watching motorsport particularly Rallying, so without any experience in anything really, purchased my old Sprinter from Daryl Owen after doing a quick search on the net for cars for sale way back in 2001. I stumbled about for a number of years with lack of funds and experience, but still enjoyed it never the less.

Ben.

[DaveTrees]

I had never heard of rallying until I started at the Victorian School of Forestry in 1976. There were a number of people there who were right into it, possibly due to the fact that two blokes by the name of Portman and Runnalls had graduated the year before ....

First rally I ever went to was doing a passage control on a club event that Ross directed for the LCCA (Ballarat) that year - I think he manned half the event with VSF students.

I had been fascinated by maps ever since I was a little kid .... and found an outlet for it as a navigator. As others have said, it's been a terminal illness ever since.

[hev]

Off my own bat...

Grew up in the country (near Coffs), drove around on dirt roads on people's farms, but had never heard about rallying locally (had perhaps seen it on TV?).

... 14 years pass ...

Bought a Subaru**, got on a mailing list. Got suckered into being an official at a rally and couldn't believe how "nice" everyone was.

Boy was I wrong. Haha!

But alas, I'm still here and loving it (still mostly due to the people), despite all the faults and foibles of the sport.



** See, Manufacturers aren't all bad!

[Brendan Mulhearn]

Off my own bat. Parents raced a Cooper S in the 60's and mum was secratary of the MG car club in Newcastle. But by the time I came into the world they had given it all up (too many kids..!!)

I was always intesrested in rallying but didn't know anyone at all who knew anything about it. Bought a book in late ninety's from Peter / Jeff Whitten called 'how to start rallying' and read it cover to cover many times over. Tried to find a rally at Awaba after reading small add in Newspaper but couldn't find the club grounds..!!

Fast foward to 2005 and finally went out and brought a car - the one I still have now. Been slowly learning ever since!! (and lovin it).

[travellinbob]

pete ewing!! did the first year of my fiting/machining apprenticeship with him at bhp and tagged along to south nowra and have always been a huge fan ever since.
mikey.