Repco Reliability Retrial 40th Anniversary Celebration Event

By: Unique Cars magazine

Date: 28.06.2018

Peter Brock rated his victory in the 1979 Repco Reliability Trial as the greatest of his life and now there is to be a 40th Anniversary celebration event, the Repco Reliability Retrial, in August 2019

The now-legendary ’79 Repco was a two-week hell trek of around 20,000km around Australia. Starting and finishing in Melbourne, the Trial went to Adelaide, the Flinders Ranges, Perth, Darwin, Cairns, Brisbane and Sydney. Testament to the toughness and unrelenting pace of the event was the fact that most of the 167 starters failed to finish: Just 13 cars completed the entire course correctly.

Peter Brock – at the height of his success as an Australian Touring Car Championship driver, but not really rated as a rally driver – silenced his doubters by winning. With crew Matthew Philip and Noel Richards, he was first across the line in an astonishing 1-2-3 clean sweep in Holden’s then-new and factory-backed VB Commodore.

Fourth place was rally ace Ross Dunkerton, with Peter McKay and Geoff Jones in a Volvo 244. The other car in the top five was the Ford Cortina of Greg Carr, Dave Morrow and Fred Gocentas.

Greg Walker and Mal McCann competed in the 1979 and will return for another go in a Renault

The 2019 celebration event will not – it cannot! – be a repeat of the blazing two-week 1979 event. Instead it will be a 28-day (24 days driving with a four rest days spread in Perth, Darwin and Cairns), with special stages, visiting many of the original destinations and over the same roads as the 1979 course.

The event is open to pre-1980 two-wheel-drive cars with unlimited modifications/preparation. Entry cost is around $6000 and more information can be found at the Repco Reliability Retrial 2019 Facebook page or email Todd Martin at repcoreliabilityretrial@bigpond.com

Check out the incredible original Repco Reliability Trial on YouTube.

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