WORLD'S TOUGHEST CAR TRIAL

e [Music] la w for nearly half the 1953 6500 M redex reliability trial the roads are simply improved bulock tracks a compass is still needed in many areas lack of water can still kill the stranded motorists when the trial was first moted the organizers the Australian sporting car club expected a total of not more than 20 entries they couldn't foresee that the idea would pass the imagination of 192 Australian motorists it took the night hours of a whole week to scrutinize the entries on the largest service station Flor in Sydney HR Smith of West Australia typifies the enthusiasm he traveled 2 and a 12,000 miles to the starting point this rear engined fast German car a Porsche is one of 33 different makes to be entered 63-year-old granny Conway is one of women to enter an English Sunbeam Talbert has the only allom crew dor mclin's custom Line Drew number six of the barrier the kangaroo guard in front is almost standard fitting as the animals will be a menace the back seat is removed and between it and the boot is a spare petrol tank total fuel space 600 mil experienced Frank kleinig of Hudson Fame chose a Morris Miner for the journey here he justifies the kitchen steel sump cover at the scrutineering point there were seven vanguards among the standard products to salute the scrutineers differential gearboxes cylinder blocks wheels and radiators were stamped to ensure no replacement without loss of points two of the 11 persos driven by Jeff and Crouch two New South Wales favorites Victorian favorite Lex Davidson chats to Dan mcfarling sporting car club president Daredevil Jack Murray another hot tip driving a Plymouth he's been over the course already Radio Star Jack Davy entered the trial of a joke but he is now grimly determined to see it through cars old and new 1928 to 1953 because of past performances Peter anel is the outright favorite his knowledge and skill are a byword in the Motorsport of Australia his car itself is unique in its preparation all standard seat fittings changed to allow perfect sleeping accommodation in driving rain our camera crew gets ahead of the field with no intent of photographing until the cars arrive in Brisbane 650 M away on the end of the first Lake but we leave a crew behind to cover the start the atmosphere's electric excitement Keen away goes number one a pre-war prizer driven by eh Hoy of Victoria it's 2:50 p.m. and he is due in prisman at 9:32 tomorrow morning poy lost 30 points at the start for being 30 minutes late reporting starting at 3-minute intervals there goes Keith Thon of Queensland in a Maris Miner it PS to remember at this stage that this is a reliability trial not a race whired Red shepher Red X manager is sponsor and official starter next Victorian Bill wagger and aord custom yes the trial is intended to prove a searching test of reliability and endurance a qu million people see them go a petrol driven Mercedes was forth and here is the first Holden Australia's own car driven by pum Kipling South Australian favorite only Parts listed in the Maker's current official spare parts manual were permitted they could not strengthen the chassis when [Music] welding the starters carried on well into the night there were only six cancellations from the original 192 when the last competitor left at 11:33 p.m. by the time we reached the Queensland border 600 M away Dawn was breaking and the Front Runners pretty close on their tail [Music] brisban capital city of Queensland the first man in was Bill mcclin number six custom line nearly 3 hours ahead of his time as no repair maintenance or refueling could be done while cars were in control drivers tried to get the garages ahead of time right on time 9:32 a.m. number one enters the control point the Queensland sporting car club were in charge and the organization was meticulous it had to be every minute early or late into control with one point lost number two signs on with no loss of points in fact nearly every car was a Clean Skin at this point there had been no call yet for the compulsory emergencies in every car 1 gallon of water for every crew member food rations for a week 50ft tow rope D ditching gear first aid kit and fuel for 400 mil this citen typifies the large entry from Continental manufacturers Australia Britain Germany USA Italy and Czechoslovakia are all represented estimated total value £250,000 as in every control Jack Davy star of the airwaves was the center of Interest he looks tired a shower is a luxury on this type of trip one not to be enjoyed at every control Point 12 hours rest are allowed in Brisbane and with nerves on edge it's not easy to pass out although Grandma managers and others seem to be doing all right we're off again number 150 D Williams New South Wales mg 9 Minutes 4 in the morning Peter Anto 160 half an hour later the car started away at 9:32 the night before it was an all night Journey 7 hours to buber where the rum comes from again Bill mcclin going great guns was first into control we were there to meet him in an eerie Empty Street below the airzone redex welcome sign an hour and a half before anyone was EXP expected number one failed to arrive but the control opened on time 4:32 a.m. was only a 2-minute time check and the cars are soon away again we join In The Stream just after Dawn for the 232 M run to rockampton and we're required to average 40 m per hour the first time we pass a breakdown it was by no means the last can't stop first call sugar cane fuels what have we got standard Vanguard no points left and going like a rocket the quiet atmosphere of the Queensland Outback the slow but Relentless progress of the cane cutting is Shattered by Roar after Roar as cars hurtle through work won't wait so the trial cars must and do as the sugar train goes by every Homestead every passing truck or car was A procession of waving hands and shouted messages of [Music] Goodwill the navig his eyes study the map wherever a fork occurs his is the decision to abide by right or wrong this wreck was number 32 a Ford B8 from Victoria driven by John patience and John Binks they were following the dust of another car of 50 mph and didn't see the bend the Ford turned over three times the crew escaped with one fractured collone and severe shock but the trial goes on here comes a Holden Lloyd Davis 64 doing 50 at the same Bend of above the W Ford the kangaroo guard on this Plymouth is not an ornament kleinig 83 hit a kangaroo on this leg of the trial and smashed a headlight near Sunset outside rockampton right on the Tropic of Capricorn romantic spot but no time to appreciate it night time big crowd rockampton control the showr 11 cars have dropped out by the time this 12h hour stop was reached a short sleep for the competitors if not for us and away we go again Bound for maai 244 mil away John Crouch 53 takes a dawn bend in a hurry the hidden unmarked trap was typical of this stage to Mai up in Sun must be a fire somewhere we're in the bush now straight stretches few and far between under the blanket I tell you there's Jack Murray approaching the town of Serena with plenty of time up his sleeve the kids are enjoying every minute of it particularly as they've been LED out of school to watch it Nat buan in a hum super snipe driving well and so into control Point number five maai 1397 miles from Sydney old hand at this game Liz Barrow driving Vanguard space Master number 74 gets the official signal to carry on after the two-minute time check and there goes grandma doing extraordinarily well and loving every minute of [Music] it this bridge just outside maai spans the now Drive Pioneer River ahead of us 273 Mi to Townsville watch the West Australian HR Smith we're doing 50 so what's he doing this road had some pretty long straight stretches and we jumped out to shoot a few going past at speed the gears were frozen on this Jaguar they'd sent for help and were turning around for Sydney at all times if parked you had to keep a weary eye open the northern run up the coast is nearly over 1700 mil from home by the time they reach Townville everyone badly needed sleep there was a 24-hour break here and every minute of it was gratefully accepted after the strain of the last 3 days we camped at the sports ground and no one stirred before sunup even then reluctantly a girl newspaper reporter joins granny for a wash and brush up if you have to shave a car window makes a good mirror and so we're off again this time on what was called the Calamity Trail 609 Mi to mount eer in a scheduled 16 hours the locals said it was impossible that the record was 19 hours for the tortuous winding track with skids and swerves the Order of the day City Slickers Bome Kipling lights out in front and is really burning up the miles mclin's hard on his heels hurling his custom Ry forward in an effort to get ahead of time it's a twisting unfamiliar Road and I'm hopping out of it if one of those guys don't make it I'm kangaroo tail soup but Lex Davidson 41 knows what he's doing watch him set out after Kipling this stretch became a personal battle between these two Front Runners so far the road's been fairly good but now it's getting dark and the roughest part's still ahead it's pretty isolated here but at Homestead about 60 people came from miles around lit a fire and cheered the cars on into the night a tree across the road indicated a swamp just ahead The Detour sign was probably painted by a bob Dian we found a Holden number 11 driven by our Johnson of Victoria stuck in a cattle D the front wheels were down between two missing poles they were grateful for our offer of a pull out using the small winch in front of the perso a magnesium flare died down before the rescue was complete but number 11 was soon on his way again Dawn found the scenery changed we're right on the tale of Jack Jeff Persia really hiking and here's more real speed Jack Davey being chased by Peter anel who made a record-breaking run Nanny Conway fans there's very little wrong with this part of the track but it would have been a nightmare had rain Fallen what was extraordinary was the sudden change of scenery the Green Bush gone and in his place only a sea of yellow grass and a oal patches of [Music] MGA look out cattle ahead one M stake and their stake no use crying over spilled milk look out again the wildlife around here is really wild and this will show you how fast aru can hop we're doing [Music] 50 hu the citan hit a Creek Post and is out of action but no one is hurt the local Constable gets it off the road Julia Creek a refueling stop only and typical of the hospitality provided at all points by the country women's Association is the very welcome copper as the petrol goes in we don't know what the modern generation's coming to we listen to detailed road instructions you see can't you're wrong I hope away again citen leading and an Austin not far behind and here's another natural freak we're surrounded by thousands of an Hills none of them related to [Music] Peter to keep two schedule you have to hit pretty high speeds on the good stretches because creek beds like this slow you down driver struck more than 40 of them all with hazards of hidden potholes one of the vanguards struck something really hard we couldn't help so carried on the road looks innocent enough wide and straight just made for speed it' say but ask Jack Murray his Plymouth turned over three times it says a lot for the turret top construction for Jack was unhe hurt and Bill Murray okay after a few stitches up to now the mares had been going well and their Plymouth was one of the favorites we asked Jack what he thought about the crash and he said oh Mr Murray police back on that innocent looking road but study this closely you'll see why shock absorbers and springs were the main casualties throughout the trip why mufflers and filters fell off and radiators were holed but we're nearing the end of the mount iser Trail a rough trail and a tough one the organizers had set what seemed an impossible task 38 M an hour for 16 hours impossible first man ended it in 13 22 45 others lost no points but nearly 30 cars had to drop out hold everything we're going down at manizer Control Officers checked in car after car right on schedule and in Sydney master control the sporting car club rooms there was consternation all entrance were supposed to have lost points so that there would be no Dead Heat on the giant scoreboard officials chalked up nil against 46 entries and the organization went on smoothly efficient the drivers and cars were better than expected from Mount Isa to Darwin 1,98 Mi over a perfect bitchman Highway a wartime Road built under the threat of Japanese invasion from the redex control plane we could appreciate that the driver's only worries were fatigue through boredom the capabilities of engines to stand 25 bars of continual strain in tropical heat and at night time wandering animals but over Darwin control it's obvious that not many cars did strike trouble just in case there's a drought we brought a few bottles of Sydney flag we wav the flag in front of the locals but secretary Norm Pleasant publicity King Frank shennon and flight liutenant Whitman didn't let it wave too [Music] long Lex Davidson's hold Holdem was first into control after 1100 mil in 17 hours 3 still had lost no points that bitchman hadn't been plain sailing though flying birds and Pebbles broke wind schemes Eric Nelson in a standard is one of those who lost no [Music] points Continental cars are showing that they can take the worst road conditions in their stride there's a 36-hour stop over in Darwin first everyone sleeps and sleeps and then a swim of course there are other ways of spending a few Leisure Hours not far out a few local aboriginals give John Crouch and co-driver John darling a glimpse of a native delicacy a worthy rival to the finest caviar now what would you poke around like that for there you are Imagine luscious toris Stakes toris on the shell or toris mouret well not for my morning thanks the Outback has its draw too though watch your step this is one place where you're either the quick or the dead of course if you handle them right they're just like pits poisonous [Music] pits back in town local hospitality is working overtime and there's ample proof that there is no drought what makes it better there's another night's rest still to go the whiskers belong to Keith Alon Norm Pleasant Center chats with Peter anel who's still the favorite after his record run to mount iser the food we're glad to say does not include toris or witchery grubs and Gran is right in the thick of it not missing a bite but the 36 hours are up okay fellas it's time we moved on the next leg is another th000 mies of bitchman virtually trouble-free after 36 hours rest it's not expected to worry the drivers although cars could find the strain beginning to [Music] tell we hit tenant Creek a copper and gold mining town in the middle of the night practically every competitor is ahead of time and garages work overtime giving service a wire mesh is necessary over a windscreen broken by a gar bird of course there's time only to replace tires change oil and examine shock absorbers and springs feverish preparation for the tough run south from Alis Springs for the drivers the tennis Street stop means time out for coffee as black as you like to make [Music] it but the Jack davs out of the automobile into the autograph book local teenagers combin a square dance with a welcome to the [Music] drivers but there's no need for music to sooth The Savage breast when a man's dog tired hey ja daylight and we're off again 300 M to the Alice not a long run but full of Interest especially the devil's marbles there they are now fantastic Boulders which exist only in this spot eroded blocks of granite known to be over 500 million years old we decide that it's an ideal spot to linger for a bite of food and this is a good time to say thank you on behalf of all the competitors for the edel food hamper a gift to every trial driver and crew but we've lagged a little the Alice awaits Alice Springs almost in the center of Australia a flourishing modern town no time to stay though the next legs ahead stand by for ruts rocks stumps Creek bed washway and that all penetrating everpresent dust we have to average 42 mph for the next 800 mil this is country with more Aborigines than white people but the modern Aborigines have shortwave radio not smoke signals to tell them we're [Music] coming now we approach the bank of the Fink River halfway across the world's biggest island continent Lloyd Davis in his holding in a hurry [Music] again the sporting car club had set a schedule they thought was impossible and in this schedule they thought they'd allowed for the spirit of the drivers for the modern Motorcar for just how much driver car and tires could take the hidden traps long dark nights on unknown and treacherous roads and the thrashing cars received were supposed to hold the drivers back but these drivers took a lot of stopping an inquisitive camel looks down his nose at us this racket is enough to give any self-respecting ship of the desert the h a group of aborigin who can live where a white man can't unless he likes a diet of Lizardo natural fancy driving through this country with a lizard in your gizard 60 70 80 mph suddenly you float your wheels lose their grip the engine races you have to slow down dust dust that covers everything fills everything including your lungs [Music] some drivers use a vacuum cleaner and try to pressurize the car cabin but all windows have to be closed to do it so you stifle whatever you do we're through it plain smooth sailing from now on there's David McKai driving Austin 115 doing well and no sign of trouble but after hour sleep was imperative not that it was comfortable night and pretty lonely out here more important you can't see what's ahead speed and darkness just don't go together Frank kinic will tell you that he was doing 60 when he hit a 6ft wash away bursting both front tires and flattening the rims when we arrived he was semiconscious but working like a navi to make a double change Frank thought this stop would cost him a win in the under 1100 CC section but it didn't [Music] 30 mil out of kooper pedi the open mining town we entered the security area controlling the WRA rocket range all cars have been issued with passes Reed the okay and passed on by the following Dawn we were well back in the field but still plotting on we're near the end of this tough section of the route King on any map is just a spot don't let the large type fool you it's really no more than a village for Railway fettlers but it is a control point and it has the first PB for 1,000 miles all cars are fighting time sleepy Kinga startled by screaming tires on the Square as zepha 136 races into the control and the control bless the organizers is Right opposite that Pub we're off again that zep's picking up time fast [Music] at Kinga we learned that three cars had overturned one was wrecked several turned back possum Kipling averaged 48 mph which shows that pums like flora and FAA there can really move when they need [Music] to Over The Impossible section Davidson Holden Perkins Rover and Salman super snipe were all two as ahead of schedule and they weren't the only ones the Sydney sporting car club control had another headache 11 cars still had lost no points so Sydney control abandoned impossible sections they decided to add a secret route the horror section so bad so tough that even these drivers would have to lose points so we drove on wondering where and what the horror stretch would be it wasn't exactly easy after Kinga but by the time we passed the Salt Lake heart the worst was over except for horror itself Adelaide South Australia's Capital still 11 clean skins among them pum Kipling and he receives a right Royal welcome in his home state he's earned it too no news of the horror stretch yet and after 24 hours rest Tommy solman one of the 11 leaders takes off for Melbourne his teammate K Robinson also super snipe has lost no points either number 48 still going well the public enthusiasm staggered the drivers they had not read a newspaper for days how could they know that half the world was following the gurn and the infamous horror stretch 117 miles of mystery an almost unused Road where every bump every Creek might be worse than it looked cars had to average 36 mph they'd lose one point for every quarter of a minute late at the other end no room to pass little room to maneuver a dangerous nightmare Journey it was like a CrossCountry Fox Hunt without a horse testing drivers down to the last filling in their last tooth and cars to the first minor rattlin built in ASR this was a section that broke so many hearts it was designed too but the hard luck stories were Legion wet brake lining swamp Distributors wrong turning stalled engines even the lowly humble puncture [Applause] right here let's pay a tribute to Telegraph reporter Tom Farrell in this custom line he drove reported the trial and still finished [Music] well and to our own Evangeline not the cameraman the car had she broken down there have been no film so many stalled in the Deep Creeks that 40 of the drivers could have formed a choir to sing One More River to Cross the horror section did decide the winner but no one knew exactly who had won until the cars reached City for more than 100 miles the road to the city was lined with cheering [Music] [Applause] crowds Journey's End back to the point from which they started for a few Victory but for the many no trophy no prize just the warm mental satisfaction of a achievement creeping to the Finishing Line because he's ahead of time and must arrive on it is Kipling usually first into control the crowd thought he'd won but he knew otherwise he started the horror section without loss of points and so had another Holden driver Lex Davidson they finished ninth and fourth respectively Peter anel was up against it maneuvering the big Plymouth among the horror stretch trees and bends but he still finished Third only half a minute behind the winner Tommy Salman was only 10 points behind his Humber teammate K Robinson was second only a point away from the winner mclin custom line unfortunately lost all chance when he and others took a wrong turnoff near Mount iser citen number 60 was delayed in the center he typifies so many fixed the trouble and almost flew home to be in at the Finish David maai Austin 115 was only nine points behind the [Music] winner standard was second in the teams prize and Nelson equal Fifth and here come the winners Ken Tubman and co-driver John Marshall in their perso they took only four and 3/4 minutes longer than the schedule on the horror section and even then they' taken a wrong turning it's a splendid achievement and begrudged by a single rival [Music] prizegiving nights they've caught up with a lot of lost sleep the room ripples with a flood of trial memories Tales of close shaves Lonely Nights in the desert kangaroos that bounded up unexpectedly roads that suddenly fell away it's all there and the big crowd is generous in its Applause saluting not only skill and courage but the fact that drivers as well as the cars they drove could take it and I mean take it 141 cars finished the course out of the original 18 6 that started then the big moment red Shepard managing director of Red X Australia prepares to hand the trophies and the 1,000 check to the Winns I have great pleasure in presenting the £1,000 to Mr Tubman Mr [Music] [Applause] Marshall yes that's the story of the 1953 redex trial the story of courage heartbreaks and success and next year the trial will go on again over a different route longer than the last one much longer another trial of endurance for drivers and cars another probing search for any weakness in manufacturer a quarter of the way around the world the longest toughest car trial ever well goodbye now see you next year the