In 2019 the NSW Rally Panel created an award for long and/or special service to rallying in NSW.
The award, to be called the NSW Rally Legends Award, will recognise cases where the contribution, achievement or dedication to rallying in NSW by an individual or organisation has over time, has been considered special.
This is aimed at the clubs and club members who have been supporting rallying in NSW over the years in a variety of ways and where they have “gone the extra distance” in their participation.
It is the extra dedication to rallying that we wish to recognise.
The selection panel will comprise the NSW members of the Australian Rally Hall of Fame:
Coral Taylor, Colin Bond, Neal Bates, Barry Ferguson, Wayne Bell and Dave Johnson (Chair).
| 2019 NSW Rally Legends Award Recipients | ||
| Australian Sporting Car Club | The experience of the Australian Sporting Car Club when it launched its now nationally renowned Redex Trials of 1953, 1954 and 1955 gave the perfect platform for the start of NSW rallying in the mid 50s. Originally formed as the Light Car Club of NSW in 1931 under the auspices of the Royal Automobile Club of Australia, it merged with the Sydney Amateur Drivers Club in 1943 to form the Australian Sporting Car Club Ltd. The club’s initiation of the Ampol Trials, the Southern Mountains Trial, Peter Antill Trial and the Snowy Rally culminated in the International Southern Cross Rally from 1966 to 1980. The Southern Cross was truly the pride of NSW, supported by the complete rallying community of the state and it’s ending closed the historic period of Australian rallying the club had started almost 3 decades earlier. |  |
| Fred Logan | Fred was there at the start, joining the Hills District Car Club in 1956 and launching into two decades of exceptional initiatives while holding most positions within the Club. He devised and organised the historic KLG 300, Total Rally which became the International Rally of the Hills. Fred was the leader of the Australian participation in the New Caledonian Safaris which had used the Total Rally as its model. He was instrumental in the formation of the New Caledonian Automobile Club. When endeavouring to get a group of cars from Noumea to the International Rally of the Hills and the Southern Cross Rally he mortgaged his home to put up the necessary security bond with Australian Customs to get them into Australia. At the sharp end of the push to set up Hampton Motorsport Park for the HDCC, the title deeds were initially in his name while the club converted to a limited company and could legally own property. While all this was happening “Fearless Fred” was still a formidable rally driver, gaining many podiums over the years, many in his well remembered black and yellow Austin A90. |  |
| Hal Moloney | Starting in the 1960’s, Hal has driven in most of the iconic events in Australia’s rallying history with a special passion for marathon rallies. He also has contributed by organising many events for the AHRG, assuring that both driver and navigator experience our great back roads and byways. A noted historian Hal has published a book, ‘Long Distance Trials in Australia by Car, Plane and Motor Cycle’, a bible covering events from 1936 till 1998. It is considered the definitive record when accurate, historical information is required. His knowledge is encyclopaedic! |  |
| Tiki Friezer | The Hills District Car Club offered Tiki a job in a rally in 1967 and she didn’t go away after the rally. She had already had a taste of motorsport with the Eastern Suburbs Car Club, Advanced Drivers Car Club and CAMS but settled on the HDCC and stayed there 25 years. She was always ready to put her hand up for any job and had many roles in the HDCC before becoming a Life Member and Patron of the club. Her contribution to rallying lay not only with the HDCC. She became a CAMS Steward and was highly sought after in that role by organisers throughout NSW and was Secretary of the NSW Rally Panel from 1978 for several years providing continuity for the sport through changes in panel members. She was a regular official at AMSAG rallies strongly supporting their role in NSW rallying. She enjoyed the wonderful camaraderie, fun and laughter in the sport and even the disagreements that bonded the sport together. She was a friend to all and touched the lives of many. |  |
| Mike Batten | Mikes greatest achievement of his 50 years in rallying was winning the NSW State Drivers Rally Championship 3 times in 1978, 1980 and 1982. As a competitor he has run successfully at all levels of rallying — both gravel and tarmac – from Club level to Australian rally Championship and Targa Tasmania. His other successes include the NSW Clubman Championship, the Group 9 Championship and the Classic Handicap at Targa Tasmania. As a successful navigator and administrator of Navigation Assemblies he is still contributing to the progress of the sport. Over the last 50 years, Mike has made a huge contribution to rallying in NSW. |  |
| 2020 NSW Rally Legends Award Recipients | ||
| Arthur Evans | Arthur caught the rally “bug” from following the London to Sydney Marathon in 1968. He then volunteered for almost every organisational job that existed for the conduct of rallies. His skill and love of map reading also fitted him straight into the left hand seat of a rally car. He was a member of the Bellett Car Club, Thornleigh Auto Club, MG Car Club (Newcastle), Australian Historic Rally Group and Datsun Drivers Club always trying to improve the rallies for the better enjoyment of the members. Arthur’s memorable competitive years were 1976 to 1984 with the last of the Southern Cross Rallies and multiple rounds of the NSW State Championship including Bega Rallies and the 2GO on his busy schedule. Arthur directs the renowned Night Owl Road Rally, which incorporates the knowledge he has gained over five decades of rallying. This rally reflects his relentless pursuit to bring back the trials of the Golden Era of Australian rallying to the enthusiast of today. |  |
| Arthur Jackson | Arthur is recognised for his three wins in the NSW Rally Championships (Drivers) and for his involvement in getting the very successful Gemini Series up and running. Arthur had three decades of high-end involvement in NSW rallying. His wins in the championship were 1974, 1978 and 1989 and the Gemini Series ran from 1998 to 2001. He was active in the Campbelltown District Car Club from the late 1960s. As a driver, his empathy with the car was outstanding, as was his vehicle preparation. But Arthur had another side to him that was not publicly visible and which makes him very worthy of this award. He spent many of these years sharing his knowledge of car preparation, driving and rallying with others and mentoring a large group of younger enthusiasts so that they would enjoy the sport to the fullest and have the best chances of success. |  |
| Dave Boddy | Dave has excelled in his performances as a rally navigator for the Holden Dealer Team, Hyundai and Connection Toyota. Significant among these was the 2nd place gained in the Repco Trial of 1979 with Barry Ferguson and Wayne Bell in the Commodore and later 1st place with Wayne Bell in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship for Hyundai. He has developed computer models while scoring for long distance charity drives that he has shared with others and improved the organisation for other events throughout the state. Dave started his rallying with Westlakes Auto Club and MG (Newcastle) Car Club driving a Ford Cortina and later a Falcon before moving to the left-hand seat of the rally car. He also won the 2016 Peking to Paris with Mark Pickering in the 240Z, competed in the 2012 London to Capetown (Datsun P510) and COT in 09, 12, 14 & 16. |  |
| Ken Britton | Ken’s original love of the Datsuns and his discovery of rallying brought him to the Hills District Car Club in the mid 1960s where he joined the leadership ranks and helped steer the club during the pre-eminent years of the 1960s and 1970s. Ken served the club in numerous executive positions and was part of the team with the foresight to acquire the Hampton Motorsport Park which has been a magnificent asset for the HDCC and for NSW rallying. Ken’s CV includes the roles of Director and Assistant Director of the International Rally of the Hills and KLG Rallies during the Golden Era of rallying. |  |
| North Shore Sporting Car Club | The NSSCC has been at the forefront of rallying in NSW since the 1950s. It ran an event in the first NSW Championship in 1960 and has continued that tradition in all years that the Championship was conducted. The NSSCC has been the initiator of improvements to the sport and has also lead the necessary changes imposed on rallying over many years. In the early years of special stage rallies the club developed the concept of public viewing areas in the short course rally sections. This is of course now accepted practice throughout Australian rallying. Their events are regarded as the Gold Standard not only in NSW but throughout Australia. The continuity they have provided for NSW rallying has been exceptional. |  |
| 2021 NSW Rally Legends Award Recipients | ||
| Gerry Crown | Gerry started rallying in the 1960s and soon caught the eye of Renault Australia. He joined the NSW based Colliers Renault Rally Team, where he enjoyed multiple successes. After a retirement from the rally world, to build his now famous ‘Board Game’ business, Crown & Andrews, he was attracted to a planned re-run of the first ultimate motoring expedition across the world, the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge. This was to change his life. He competed in the inaugural event in 1997 and from then, became a regular competitor in long distance endurance events ever since. They took him on the Silk Road, the Himalayas, the Middle East, South East Asia, Japan and the United States and he always featured high in the results. He won Peking to Paris in 2010, 2013 and 2019. Gerry was always fiercely competitive and a fantastic sportsman. With his successes, personality and charm, he made his mark in the international historic rally community and as a result, he became a marvellous ambassador for Australian rallying. |  |
| Allan Denney | Allan started his motorsport with the Goulburn Automobile Club and quickly found success, becoming an inaugural member of the Gerry Ball Rally Team in the early 1970s. He was part of the group that developed the Castrol International Rally and through his strong involvement in the Cootamundra Car Club, helped create the strong state-wide support for the Castrol and Southern Cross International Rallies. Allan was heavily involved in the organisation of the last of the famous Southern Cross Rallies in 1980. In more recent years, he has been very active as a steward for all forms of motorsport in NSW, an interest that followed in the wake of his father, who had introduced him to the role. Allan was Chairman of the NSW Stewards Panel for many years. The significance of his consistent impartiality of judicial interpretation and assistance to both competitor and organiser alike, particularly in his role as a steward in rallying, has allowed the sport to flourish over many years. The respect that the sport has generated for Allan in this regard has seen him officiating at most major NSW and National rallies over several decades. |  |
| Peter Houghton | Peter started rallying in the 1960s at the Central North Coast Car Club. He won the NSW State Championship in 1979 at the age of 42 years, after placing 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the preceding years. Other than a co-drive with Bruce Hodgson for Ford in the 1979 Repco Round Australia Trial, he has rallied for his entire career as a privateer in the truest sense of the word. He has campaigned two MGBs, two Mitsubishis, two Datsuns, a Ford Capri and three Peugeots, of which two Peugeots and a Datsun are still used today. He was regularly the first private entrant home behind the works cars. The Snowy Rallies in 1970 and 1971, when rounds of the Australian Rally Championship, found Peter finishing in 5th and 6th positions outright. In the International Southern Cross Rallies, Peter was placed 10th in 1968, 15th in 1969 and 7th in 1971, only being beaten by the sponsored crews…and all this without a service crew. At the age of 57, Peter won the 1994 NSW Rallysprint Series, following up with another win in 2012. He continues to compete and at the age of 84 and is still recording top ten placings in the closed forest rallies. Peter is a very modest man and is a marvellous role model for the aspiring rally drivers of the Hunter Valley and of the state. |  |
| Stewart Wilkins | Stewart’s competition career gave him wins in the 1979 Clubman Series and over 20 years later, the 1998 Gemini Series. It was in the 1980s that he mentored and sponsored a number of up and coming stars, lending them his cars to compete and sharing his knowledge for the general betterment of the sport. Stewart was part of a small team of three who worked tirelessly and with great determination for about eight years with the then Roads and Traffic Authority to establish the Rally Registration Scheme we enjoy in NSW today. Stewart’s contribution was significant in achieving this result. For more than 40 years, Stewart has been one of the Australian faces in international rallies. He has sometimes been a competitor, often |  |
| Hills District Car Club | The Hills District Car Club has been a pre-eminent contributor to rallying in NSW for over sixty years. The club ran a round of the initial NSW Trials Championship in 1960. In the Golden Era of Rallying, the Hills District Car Club conducted the International Rally of the Hills in tandem with the International Southern Cross Rally to make NSW “the place to be” in the latter part of the year for rally teams from interstate and overseas. The club’s purchase of the property at Hampton and it’s development into Hills Motor Park for many forms of rallying that we see today, has been important for NSW rallying and provides national standard rally sections as well as a basic training ground for the sport’s development. |  |
| 2022 NSW Rally Legends Award Recipients | ||
| Miles Sandy | Miles has the honour of being a multiple winner of the NSW Rally Championship (Drivers). He won the Championship in 1997 and 1998 in a Subaru WRX and in 2000 in a Lancer Evo. Behind Barry Ferguson (8 wins), he sits sharing 2nd place on the NSW Rally Champions table with Arthur Jackson, Mike Batten, Chris Giddins and Michael Boaden all on 3 wins each. |  |
| Mick and Helen Nicholls | The joint nomination is made as they shared almost all aspects of rallying together and we are sure Mick didn’t do it without Helen’s assistance. Mick was Secretary of the North Shore Sporting Car Club for many years and both him and Helen threw their hearts into making the club one of the greatest in that era. He became Secretary of the Stewards Panel, a position he actively embraced for 19 years ensuring high level continuity of stewarding for the rallies in NSW. Mick was a Gold level Steward and is active to this day. |  |
| Peter Berriman | Peter has had a great career in rallying. He joined the University Car Club and became their delegate to the Group 9 Rally Group and the NSW Rally Panel in 1970. He was the Chairman of the NSW Rally Panel from 1975-1979. He navigated for podium and top ten placings in the country’s major events achieving 3rd in the 1976 Alpine Rally and 8th in the 1977 Southern Cross Rally. He won the NSW Clubman Series in 1984 as a navigator. He has competed with some of the best drivers that NSW has produced over the years for a comprehensive rally career. The significant experience that Peter had gained fitted him admirably when he directed the Bega Rally and the 1978 and 1979 Southern Cross Rallies. |  |
| Phil Morley | Phil was the Chair of the NSW Rally Panel from 1983 to 1985 having joined it in 1978 and returning again as a member for 1988-90. During this time the Panel were successful in having the timing for rallies changed from increments of 1 minute, to ¼ minute and then to single second. All this as the style of events changed to be on closed roads in the forests. He was responsible for the very successful Price Check Series being introduced into NSW. This was essentially a low cost series copied from the UK, which limited cams, capacity, number of gears and the differential. Phil also introduced the system of Area Co-ordinators into NSW which used local personnel to give far greater protection to the continued use of forests and local assets. From sponsorship obtained, a program was developed during Phil’s time in the Chair for the filming of the Championship and airing the resultant clips on SBS TV on a regular basis. The system of registration for the state series had been introduced and 1983 and 1984 had in excess of 500 competitors registered for competition. |  |
| Bathurst Light Car Club | The Bathurst Light Car Club (BLCC) was founded in 1953 in the workshop of the legendary Barry Gurdon. BLCC’s first event was a rally (car trial) and the club has continued to run events ever since, conducting rounds of the Australian Rally Championship, NSW Rally Championship and NSW Clubman Series regularly over the years. In 1970 the BLCC ran one of the first closed road special stage rallies to be conducted in Australia, the Shell 150 Rally. The records of the club are incomplete but information on close to 60 rallies, covering most years since the start, have been uncovered at this time. The BLCC has fostered some excellent rally crews who have participated in and had major successes in NSW, national and international events. The Bathurst Light Car Club’s dedication to rallying is recognised with this award. |  |
| 2023 NSW Rally Legends Award Recipients | ||
| Peter Godden | Multiple winner of the Navigators NSW Rally Championship. (More to come) | |
| Graham Roser | Long time Club Rally Official. (More to come) | |
| Michelle Murphy | Multiple Winner of NSW Co-Drivers Championship. (More to come) | |
| Carol and John Sparkes | Long time Rally competitors and officials. (More to come) |  |
| Thornleigh Car Club | Long time rally club. (More to come) |  |