1954 Redex Around Australia Car Trial

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Redex Around Australia Car Trial - 1954


 
Please Note: The Melbourne to Sydney route remained a mystery even to the drivers until their arrival in Melbourne, whereupon they were provided with route cards. The route required the drivers to average different speeds, first via the Victorian High Country of Orbost, Adaminaby and Talabingo, then to Canberra, and finally down to the coast at Macquarie Pass and along the Princes Highway to Sydney.

The 1954 Redex Trial Begins



The 1954 Redex Trial cars were due to leave Sydney on Saturday, July 3 1954 - but contestants came under official control a week earlier, when A.S.C.C. scrutineers began to check cars and equipment. To avoid delays and put crews on their mettle, they were warned that points would be lost for late arrival at the checking station, where scrutineering teams went over everything with a fine-tooth comb. A number of modifications were disallowed because they departed from the standard specification of the particular make and model of car, and many crews were ordered to return for another cheek after loading up with the required amount of fuel and water, emergency gear, and tinned food rations for a week.

To prevent crews replacing certain parts of the car without detection these were sprayed with a special paint that changed colour under the light of a mercury vapour lamp. Rules stated that replacing an essential part (one whose failure would immobilise a car) during the trial would cost 500 points; 250 points would be deducted for replacing any part which, though non-essential, affects the general efficiency of the car (such as a spring or a shock absorber). A final briefing was called on Wednesday, June 30 1954. Here the crews were told that the Shell survey map of the route had been adopted by the club, but contestants could also use the Vacuum map; any discrepancies between the two would be taken into account by control officials. Experienced trial drivers tipped this would cause, trouble. How right they were!

Sydney to Brisbane



Distance, 667m. Average speed, 28 m.p.h. Cars started, 246; cars arrived, 246; cars without points lost, 203.

Most cars penalised here later had their points restored, due to a mix up with road maps at a secret control at Bidahdelah. The first car was flagged off from Sydney Showground at noon on July 3; the other 245 followed at 2-minute intervals. Although only 6000 paid 2/- each to watch the start from the stands, the streets of Sydney and of suburbs and towns along the route were lined with cheering, waving crowds. It was to be like that all the way around Australia.

Despite good roads and the low average speed set for the first section (22 m.p.h.), half-a-dozen contestants misjudged their timing and lost points at the first time-check control at Newcastle, 100 miles north of Sydney. Then came the debacle of the first secret control at Bulahdelah. Ill-briefed officials stuck rigidly to the Shell map and refused to accept the timing of those who used the Vacuum version. As the maps used different starting-points for their surveys, there was a discrepancy of 2.5 miles over the 60-mile distance. With an average speed of 31 m.p.h. set for the Newcastle-Taree section, the allowable leeway (either way) of 3 minutes per hour failed to save many of those who went by the Vacuum map. About 40 cars were penalised here; but when their drivers later protested direct to the A.S.C.C., the organisers realised what had happened and restored their points.

The rest of the run to Taree was uneventful, but once north the rain began to fall, turning the roads into quagmires that bogged many of the cars near Wauchope. Badly-marked roads were another hazard, particularly around Telegraph Point. Many drivers took a wrong turn and floundered in the wilds for anything up to half-an-hour before realising their error. However, few lost points over this. The First serious mishap of the trial occurred near Surfers' Paradise, south of Brisbane, when a short-circuit ignited petrol in the carburettor of New Zealander Bill Culver's Jaguar. Culver beat out the flames, burning his hands in the process, and got to Brisbane on time.

Brisbane to Rockhampton



Distance, 476 miles. Average speed, 34 m.p.h. Cars started, 246; cars arrived, 245; cars without points lost, 155.

Leaving Brisbane in the early hours of Monday morning (after a 12-hour rest) contestants enjoyed the peaceful run through wooded hills and fields of pineapple and cane- until they ran into another secret control south of Nambour. Here the muddle was even worse. Control officials, warned of discrepancies between the two maps, gave up using them and tried to check cars in on speedometer readings. This caused a royal wrangle.

The 46 contestants who were penalised here included the previous year's winner Ken Tubman, crack drivers Peter Antill and "Possum" Kipling, and Queensland senator Roy Kendall. All said they would protest. Nearing Gympie, Holden No. 23, driven by Sydneyite A. Holland, skidded and finished up in a ditch. No one was hurt; a truck towed the damaged car back onto the road and it was able to continue. There was also a collision in the same area between a Vanguard and a Volkswagen, but both carried on. Crews were due for another 12 hours' rest in Rockhampton, but many of them spent part of that time arguing with trial officials about the injustice of the secret controls. Navigators were the hardest-worked crew members at this stage; the task of keeping cars to average speeds, correct to a fraction of a mile-an-hour, was making nervous wrecks of them. The Trials first withdrawal occurred on this stretch. It was a Renault (car 50) driven by P. Bell and J. Fitzsimmons, of N.S.W.

1954 Redex Exhausted Driver
1954 Redex Exhausted Driver.

1954 Redex Holden in Outback
Holden 48/215 in the Outback.

1954 Redex Jack Davey Ford Customline
Jack Davey beside his Ford Customline. It would soon retire.

1954 Redex Sleeping At Madura
Drivers Sleeping At Madura.

1954 Redex Trial Burnt Out Citroen
O'Shea's Citroen Lays A Burnt Out Shell After Catching Fire Crossing The Nullabor.

1954 Redex Trial Collision Damage
1954 Redex Trial Collision Damage.

1954 Redex Trial Dodge
Worland and Malouf push westward in their Dodge.

1954 Redex Trial Outback Australia
Pushing hard through Outback Australia.

1954 Redex Trial Peter Antill Mercedes
1954 Redex Trial - Peter Antill Mercedes.

1954 Redex Trial Roll-Over
Dawson and Philip Roll-Over near Torrens Creek. They withdrew at Mount Isa.

Jack Murrays Ford Redex 1954 Winner
Jack Murrays Ford V8 Redex 1954 Winner.

Rockhampton to Townsville



Distance, 514 miles. Average speed, 30 m.p.h. Cars started, 245; cars arrived, 245; cars without points lost, 129.

After a 12-hour rest, the cars left Rockhampton early on July 6, on what proved to be the least eventful stretch of the trial. Tensely watching for flag-waving officials, drivers kept their cars down to the 30 m.p.h. average while normal traffic rushed past at far greater speeds. They did not know that the organisers, worried by the chaos at previous secret controls, had scrapped plans for stationing two of them on this run.

A couple of steep creek crossings were the only hazards of the course— but the hazard of mechanical trouble now began to make itself felt as the heat and humidity of the tropics searched out weaknesses in cooling systems, bearings and tyres. These were the troubles that caused the majority of point losses at this stage. On reaching Townsville crews got the welcome news that the A.S.C.C. had upheld most of the protests against irregularities at secret controls and had wiped the slate clean for many contestants.

Townsville to Mt. Isa



Distance, 613m. Average speed, 30 m.p.h. Cars started, 245; cars arrived, 216; cars without points lost, 3.

The toughest stretch of the trial lay before the crews as they turned inland for Mt. Isa. The road soon deteriorated to little more than a cleared strip of bushland, and sharp stones, tree stumps and massive pot-holes began to take their toll. In parts it was a real dust bowl, and visibility was so bad at times that tail-enders had to stop now and again to let the fine dust settle down.

The going proved too tough for many contestants, several of whom turned back to Townsville. There were a number of crashes including a collision with a cow, and two or three cars overturned. Rival crews helped put them back on the road. At least 30 cars got bogged at the difficult Pentland Creek crossing, 150 miles out, and had to be pushed out with the help of local residents. But all this was nothing to the hazards that faced drivers after Cloncurry.

This section, which, eliminated many during the 1953 Redex Trial, had deteriorated even more after big rains during February. Three hours had been allowed for the 84-mile drive from Cloncurry to Mt. Isa. The first 20 miles of this was on reasonably good gravel road: the. last 7 or 8 miles were also good gravel. But in the middle was a 56-mile section of incredibly rugged, winding bush track. Realising that it would be difficult to average 28 m.p.h. on that stretch many drivers took the risk of speeding over the first section - only to be caught by a secret control 28 miles out. Car after car was pulled up by officials who demanded route cards and stripped points off the drivers despite arguments. Every one of the three drivers who otherwise clean-sheeted around the course lost points here.

It was a punishing ride. The front suspension on nearly all the cars would bottom repeatedly, and the wishbones and apron would plough deep into the gravel. Surprisingly most cars stood up well to it all – but still there was more damage done on that stretch than on all the rest of the route. Shock absorbers broke off, sprints snapped, gearboxes packed up, petrol tanks were holed, and engines choked with dust. Flying stones shattered several windscreens. Steering systems were knocked out of alignment and softened springs allowed cars to bottom more frequently, crashing sumps and gearboxes on rocky ground. Tyres wore out as quickly as on a speedway.

More than 20 cars were forced out of the trial here by various kinds of damage: many others reached Mt. Isa barely able to move, and of the 129 cars that had left Townsville with a clean card, only 3 remained un-penalised. These were a Vanguard number 251 driven by Victorian D. Whiteford, a Ford Customline entry 159 driven by a M. L. Arentz from N.S.W., and of course Jack Murray's Ford V8.

Cars came in with mufflers and exhaust pipes missing or rattling along the ground, smashed mudguards and headlights, and coughing, spluttering engines. One arrived with a large hole in its windscreen. Hit by a flying stone, the curved glass had turned white with tiny cracks and the driver had no option but to punch a hole in it, so he could see through. Others discarded their windscreens altogether.

MT. Isa to Darwin



Distance, 105 miles. Average speed, 40 m.p.h. Cars started, 216; cars arrived, 207; cars without points lost, 2.

The long Mt. Isa-Darwin run was over a good bitumen surface on the Barkly and Stuart highways. Normally it would have been an easy drive - but the cars were weakened by the battering they had received, and the weaknesses were accentuated by the higher speeds of the run in the hot, humid climate of the Far North. Several cars were hampered by oil leaks from cracked sumps, differentials and gearboxes, and there were also many collisions with cattle and kangaroos. Some crews took the wise precaution of stopping every now and again to check over their cars and grease the suspension and shaft nipples; others were too tired to worry about this and paid for their neglect sooner or later.

Tyres also gave out quickly on this stretch; weakened by the hammering they took on the way to Mt. Isa, many blew out when pressure built up inside them through fast driving on the hot bitumen surfaces. With the need to make time for repairs, speeding was a risk almost everyone had to take, and a secret control could probably have penalised every car in the field. But the organisers by now were reluctant to use this weapon, and none was set up.

Among those who lost points through delays due to mechanical trouble on this run was one of the three leaders - M. L. Arentz. This left Jack Murray and Doug Whiteford as the only ones with a clean score. Another unlucky contestant was the 1953 Trial winner Ken Tubman, who pulled the tail-shaft out of his Peugeot and wrecked his differential within a few miles of Katherine. Unable to repair the car in time to reach the Darwin control before it closed. Tubman wired that he was retiring.

Darwin to Christmas Creek



Distance, 969m. Average speed, 35 m.p.h. Cars started, 200 (approximate only); cars arrived, 180.

Dust was the main enemy on this stretch. Drivers had been warned of the conditions they would meet after passing through Katherine again on their way south, and many tried to make up time while the good road lasted. This cost them points, for the A.S.C.C. had set up a secret control 20 miles north of Katherine. Swinging south-west after leaving the highway at Katherine, cars ran into the worst bog yet 12 miles out. Dust a foot deep, over a bed of sand, trapped 47 cars. Some of the bigger ones managed to get clear with the help of winches and matting, but others were stuck for hours and had to be rescued by bulldozers. At least ten dropped out and were towed back to Katherine.

As the remaining cars drove on. clouds of red dust rose 2000 feet into the air. Because cattle won't eat dust-covered grass, the management of Vestey stations, which occupy most of the area, had asked the A.S.C.C. to detour ears round the main paddocks: the detours, of course, were even worse than the main "road." Unable to call at station homesteads crews had to refuel by hand-pump from dumps of drums placed along the 743-mile run to Christmas Creek.

Potholes and rocky outcrops were added to the dust hazard after Wave Hill: in parts the road here was as bad as the Mt. Isa run. A crash on this stretch ruined Whiteford's chances and left Murray as sole leader. Whiteford smashed his Vanguard into the back of Andy Spanner's Chevrolet (car 228) when the latter jammed on his brakes on entering a blinding cloud of dust, Whiteford's crew repaired the damage in four hours and drove the rest of the way at a wild 60 m.p.h., but arrived 70 minutes late.

There were several bad crashes; in the worst one, a Morris (car 149) hit a tree, injuring its two-man crew (E. Roberts and R. Gibson). An ambulance was sent to take them to Darwin, Gibson with concussion and Roberts with broken ribs. A number of cars found the going too hard and struggled back to Katherine; six of them set out from there together for home, via Alice Springs.

Broome



Distance 362m. Av. speed 30 m.p.h. Cars started, 180, cars arrived, 171; cars with no points lost, 1.

Conditions here were much the same as on the previous stretch; numerous creek-bed crossings had to be negotiated, and straying cattle were a constant menace. One by one, battered, dust-clogged cars broke down completely, until nine of them were stranded hopelessly along the rough, lonely road. To make matters worse, a road train of huge, cattle-laden semitrailers crawling along the. narrow road blocked the way: some crews couldn't get past it for half-an-hour, then had to speed up dangerously to make up time.

Cars were required to detour 28 miles into Derby for refuelling. First-comers found there was no control point there; the news spread through the rest of the field by the "grapevine," and drivers later complained that some of their rivals had not bothered to make the detour. Jack Murray nearly stranded himself when he misjudged the amount of petrol he needed to get to Broome; with 65 miles to go, his fuel gauge was down to 0 and the engine was beginning to splutter.

Then he got a lucky break; coming across Clem Smith's broken-down Holden (car 153), he offered to tow him into Broome in exchange for petrol. Smith gladly accepted the shrewd bargain and Murray reached Broome dead on time after a wild tow over the sandy, winding track. Crews were to get their only 24-hours rest period at Broome - halfway along the trial route. But this was shortened by a couple of hours, to close up the large gaps in the field. Scrutineers took advantage of the long break to check as many cars as they could. They found Jack Murray's shock absorbers in poor shape and doubted if he would retain his lead much longer.

Broome o Meekatharra



Distance 986m. Average speed 32 m.p.h. Cars started, 170; cars arrived, 150 (approx. only); no points lost, 1.

This stretch turned out to be another potent "eliminator." Roads here consisted of a pair of deep-rutted wheel tracks, often a foot deep; the crown between them packs down with the passing of traffic until the harder parts get solid as rock. Many cars whose softened suspensions allowed them to bottom and hit the crown were badly damaged underneath; at least 15 sumps and gearboxes were smashed that way between Broome and Marble Bar.

Tom Farrell's Ford Customline hit one of these hard outcrops and broke a gearbox mounting, leaving the box dangling from a single support; but mechanic Frank Denlay improvised a strap from a bit of iron, and bolted it on: Farrell drove on gingerly for a while, then upped the speed little by little and finished up going hell-for-leather to make up lost time. A few cars were trapped in a patch of soft mud 20 miles out of Broome before striking the rutted section; one, Bill Lee's Hudson (car 226), was stuck there for two hours and Lee had to hit 100 m.p.h. whenever possible to make Port Hedland control on time. He made it all right, but wiped off his front suspension and steering rack while crossing a creek-bed a few hours later.

After Port Hedland things got even tougher. The road wound through rugged ranges criss-crossed with deep gullies and rocky creek-beds, and tired drivers were tested as thoroughly as their cars. They had to get the utmost out of their vehicles to keep up the 32 m.p.h. average. The slightest faltering on their part meant disaster; if a man was slow in hitting the brakes, or the brakes didn't grip immediately, the penalty was a crash.

At least four cars turned over on this section, but three of them were able to push on. The fourth, Andy Spanner's Chevrolet, turned over twice after breaking an axle and losing a wheel. Spanner abandoned it after the second accident. Broken axles were a common occurrence. One such accident outed Tony Luxton's Mercedes-Benz (car 196), then running third with 13 points lost. Luxton wasn't carrying a spare and couldn't get one in time to make the control before it closed.

Another casualty was racing driver Jack Brabham's Holden, wrecked by a huge creek-bed boulder on the Marble Bar-Meekatharra run. Brabham tried to cross the creek too fast, hit the projecting tip of the boulder and uprooted it; the boulder rolled under the car, smashing the front suspension into a shapeless mess, driving the engine through the radiator and even damaging the rear wheels. Crews that limped into Meekatharra were glad to hear that the A.S.C.C. had decided to double the original 6-hour rest period; they certainly needed rest after their ordeal. Despite the longer break, some cars were in no shape to continue the following day.

Meekatharra to Perth



Distance, 485m. Average speed, 30 m.p.h. Cars started, 146; cars arrived, 146; no points lost, 1.

The road improved rapidly soon after Meekatharra, and this run was one of the easiest. The surface was slippery in spots - especially on curves - but no one came to grief there. A secret control 24 miles out of Northam trapped very few drivers, and the crews, with the worst sections now behind them, were in a happy mood - until they realised that someone had blundered. The official route map gave the distance from Northam to Perth control as 61 miles, which contestants had to cover at 24 m.p.h. to check in on time; but on reaching Perth they found that the 61 miles were only to Perth G.P.O. and they had another six miles to go to reach the control, set up at the Showground. Most of them ended up doing a 70 m.p.h. dash through thickly crowded streets to beat the clock; several were helped by police motorcyclists. who escorted them as far as they could.

Even so, many cars arrived late by the original time-table and were promptly penalised for it. Then someone phoned the A.S.C.C. in Sydney and explained the situation; trial director Norman Pleasance advised Perth officials to give contestants 15 minutes' grace, and drivers had the satisfaction of seeing their penalties wiped off. But no one thought of warning the rest of the field, so that the mad dashes through crowded streets went on until the last car checked in. Fortunately, the police took a lenient view of the situation.

Two contestants withdrew at Perth, leaving 144 cars in the running out of the original 146. Exhaustion had led to accidents on goad roads.

Perth to Madura



Distance, 825m. Average speed, 33 m.p.h. Cars started, 144; cars arrived, 142; no points lost, 1.

This was another easy run, over a good bitumen surface to Kalgoorlie and a reasonable dirt road the rest of the way. Many drivers took advantage of this to build up reserve time in speed-bursts that allowed them to stop for a few minutes now and again to do small maintenance jobs on the cars. But the trip was marred by two accidents both probably due to driver fatigue built up over an exhausting, almost sleepless fortnight.

First to crash was Victorian David Doherty's Ford Zephyr (car 8). It ran into the back of a truck 29 miles out of Perth and was almost totally wrecked. Doherty and his crew, Harry Everett and Gordon Jolly, all suffered minor injuries and were taken to Perth Hospital. The other accident involved South Australian grazier Arthur Shepherd, whose Peugeot (car 188) left the road and crashed into a ditch between Southern Cross and Kalgoorlie. The uninjured crew repaired the badly damaged front of the car and drove it to Southern Cross, withdrawing from the trial.

Kalgoorlie miners gave the contestants a wonderful reception, plying crews with free beer as they stopped to check in at the control point. There were a couple of rough stretches along the road from there to Madura, but the crews hardly noticed them after what they had already been through. Tiny Madura, where contestants got a six-hour rest, hadn't nearly enough accommodation for the mob that descended on it, even though the local motel owner had imported extra beds from Norseman, 380 miles away. Most crews slept on the bare ground, too tired to bother about digging up even a blanket.

Madura to Adelaide



Distance. 943m. Average speed, 35 m.p.h. Cars started, 142; cars arrived, 135 – (approx.); no points lost, 1.

The long drive across the featureless Nullarbor Plain tested drivers by its monotony and cars by the badly corrugated surface of the road. The corrugations - probably the worst to be found in Australia during the 1950s - set up a pounding vibration that loosened every nut and bolt it could get working. Fittings began to rattle, fuel and brake lines leaked at the unions, electrical wiring chafed through, luggage bounced around inside the cars or toppled from the roof racks.

This hammering, on top of the damage they had already suffered proved too much for several cars; it may even have been the primary cause of a fire that gutted a Citroen (car 246) an hour after it had left the border town of Eucla and entered South Australia. Sydney motor engineer Arthur O'Shea was driving it when he smelt something burning and discovered that the back of his car was on fire. Waking co-driver Walter Wright, he jammed on the brakes, and the two men leapt out; a second later the whole car went up in flames as the reserve petrol tank exploded.

Unable to get the extinguisher from under the front seat, Wright and O'Shea tried vainly to put the fire out with sand. The Women's Weekly team arrived on the scene and the girls helped shovel sand into the car, but it was no use - the Citroen finished up a burnt-out shell. Rain that turned a stretch of road between Ceduna and Port Pirie into a bed of mud added another hazard to the course. Only one car bogged here and had to be towed out; but the mud put added strain on differentials, axles and clutches. This was probably the last straw for a few more cars which eventually dropped out of the trial.

From Port Pirie on it was easy going, but on reaching Adelaide contestants found the Perth blunder had been repeated here. Their route maps showed the distance to Adelaide G.P.O. instead of the control point at Morphettville Racecourse. There was another mad dash through streets choked with spectators. Few crews knew the way to the racecourse, six miles from the centre of the city. Some were shrewd enough to stop local motorists and ask to be piloted in, but others tried it on their own and lost time searching for the control.

There was another long wrangle with officials before they finally agreed to retract the penalties they had imposed. An examination of the cars during the 12-hour break showed that most of the survivors' engines were in amazingly good order. Parts that had suffered most were suspensions (particularly shock absorbers, shock linkages, and springs), differential housings and wheel rims.

Adelaide to Melbourne



Distance, 575m. Average speed, 31 m.p.h. Cars started, 135; cars arrived, 135; no points lost, 1.

The start was marred by another tangle. Officials had asked contestants to cut their rest period in order to close up gaps in the field, but later changed their minds. They tried to advise the drivers, but many of them could not be found; the result was that bleary-eyed crews who turned up at the time originally set for them found they had to hang about for more than an hour in bitterly cold weather. Naturally resentful of this, they were annoyed even more later, when told that their rest period in Melbourne was to be cut from 12 hours to six.

Officials also had cause to be upset. They booked 141 cars out of Adelaide, and on phoning this information to A.S.C.C. headquarters in Sydney were told that this was a good deal more than the number of cars still in the trial. The discrepancy was caused by contestants who were running too late to be booked in before closing time at earlier controls; some of them caught up with the field by Adelaide and booked in there, although officially they were out of the trial.

This practice had apparently gone on for some time, which made accurate estimates of the number of cars booking in and out at various points impossible. However, once the cars got under way, there was little to bother them on the excellent roads between Adelaide and Melbourne. There were no secret controls on the way; most crews arrived early and went straight to garages for maintenance before booking in at the control.

Since Adelaide, the leaders were in the order in which they eventually finished - except that they had among them David McKay (Austin A70, car 190), then running equal fifth with 22 points lost. However, scrutineers who went over the cars in Melbourne found that McKay had replaced his gearbox; this cost him 500 points and put him well back. Many others were penalised for major replacements. "Top-scorer" was A. Holland (Holden, car 23), who was docked 3000 points for replacing two chassis cross-members, three shock absorbers, differential, radiator core, and some smaller parts.

Route cards for the final section, kept secret until then, showed that cars would travel through snow country to get to Sydney. Through Orbost, Adaminaby and Talbingo, they had to average 35 m.p.h. They were to raise speed to 37 m.p.h. to reach Canberra, where a half-hour rest was scheduled; then out to the coast via Macquarie Pass at 36 m.p.h., and finally to Sydney via Prince's Highway at 21 m.p.h. Many cars were lightened for the final stage. Jack Murray, still the leader, jettisoned all his gear except for the usual weekend tool-kit. "I'm taking a gamble," he said. "If we strike any real trouble, we're gone a million."

Melbourne to Sydney



Distance, 835in. Average speed, 33 m.p.h. Cars started, 130; cars arrived, 130; no points lost, 1.

The first car left Melbourne at 6 p.m. on Monday, July 19; it was due at Sydney Showground 25 hours later. Although speeds set for most of the final run were high, considering the conditions, few cars lost points here - probably because any weaknesses they had were brought to light on previous, far more difficult stretches. Light snowfalls and frosts made the going slippery in the Australian Alps, and the 80-mile section between Adaminaby and Tumut was muddy with rain. Worst of all was the slippery climb over Talbingo Mountain, with a steep rise and a steep descent, plus the added hazard of numerous creek crossings on the way down. Snow ploughs had cleared the roads, so Murray never needed the special snow tyres he had fitted to his car in Melbourne.

The only trouble he had was with his brakes, which faded badly as he was going down Talbingo Mountain. After stopping for newsreel pictures and building his snowman, he slid down the steep, winding road at 50, fighting his tight steering gear to keep the car from smashing into rocks and trees or going over a cliff. The third placegetter, ''Duck'' Anderson, had an even wilder ride here. His brakes failed completely; after shooting down the mountain at 70, he saved the car by slamming it into second gear to get round a bend at the bottom. Other unlucky drivers were Ralph and Jim Wilson, who ditched their Volkswagen (car 701) near Yass and badly dented one side. The descent of Macquarie Pass also proved chancy for those who didn't know the road, but there were no mishaps here.

As the cars entered Wollongong in the afternoon, milling crowds choked the streets and police had to form chains to hold them back. At every settlement along the 51 miles to Sydney, double lines of parked cars and bystanders cheered and tooted passing crews. The first car checked in dead on time at Sydney Showground, but later A.S.C.C. officials decided there was no point in keeping the 20,000 spectators waiting longer than necessary. Cars that came in early were allowed to check in within a few minutes, as long as the sequence was maintained. Murray, due to finish at 9.56 p.m., crossed the line at 9.20. He had to survive a protest from Peter Antill, who claimed that Murray's Ford could not be considered standard, having had its shock absorbers disconnected. The A.S.C.C. dismissed the protest, upholding Murray as winner of the trial and the over 2500 c.c. section. Other placegetters also kept their positions.

Winners in the sections were: 1500-2500 c.c. "Duck" Anderson (Holden); 1100-1500 c.c., Bill Patterson (Peugeot); under 1100 c.c. - no cars finished in this class. The N.S.W. Holden team won the teams prize, with 110 points lost between the three cars. Victoria's Holden team came second (12 points); the Rootes Group's (Victoria) Humber Super Snipe team third (127).

How They Scored



Below is a list of the first 28 cars, giving driver's name and State, sponsoring firm (if any), make and number of car, total of points lost, and (in brackets) points lost at secret controls. A.S.C.C. officials were still sorting out route cards as this went to press, and it wasn't possible to give authentic information for the rest of the field.

  • 1st.—Jack Murray, N.S.W. (Ford V8 No. 256), 0 (0).
  • 2nd.—G. W. Patterson, Vic. (Peugeot No. 29), 8 (0).
  • 3rd.—A. A. Anderson, Qld. (Holden No. 176), 14 (0).
  • 4th.—E. A. Nelson, N.S.W. (Standard Vanguard No. 30), 19 (19).
  • Equal 5th.—Tom Sulman, N.S.W., Rootes Ltd. (Humber Super Snipe No. 31), 22 (22); Stan Jones, Vic., Preston Motors (Holden No. 260), 22 (1).
  • Equal 7th.—Tom Farrell, N.S.W.

The Verdict - Once The Dust Had Settled



THE trial may have been over but the controversy raged on for several months, not so much among the general public as among the keener followers of motoring. Was it all worth while? How bad was the bungling? Did the trial really achieve anything, or were 246 cars, worth more than £300,000 and crewed by 700 men and women, sent around the continent to no purpose except publicity and limelight-seeking? The trial set out to test the reliability of competing cars under every type of conditions Australia can offer. It certainly did that. The sustained strain of a year's driving crammed into 18 days, on a route embracing everything from bitumen highways to no roads at all, from sweltering tropics to snow-clad mountains, showed up every weakness of every car.

Scores of reports went from drivers to car-makers. Many post-trial cars were stripped down and examined by company mechanics. The 1953 Redex Trial produced several useful modifications, and the 1954 event produced a lot more. These trials then helped improve the durability of cars being made for Australian conditions. The trial also set out to test the skill of drivers and navigators. It succeeded in that too. It was less successful in some details of organisation - but there was often an excuse for that.

Sure, drivers had nowhere to rest at places like Christmas Creek or Madura. But could the organisers be expected to produce houses and beds in areas that are practically uninhabited? It was hard enough to arrange for food and petrol. Less excusable were the failures to check map distances and to ensure that crews got reasonable time for sleep. Control officials were inadequately briefed, too. Secret controls were a flop. There weren't enough experienced men to run them; they were unpopular both with the drivers and the public, who often warned contestants of them.

Drivers claimed there were loopholes in the rules. They asked what would have happened if another - undamaged - car had finished without losing points. Would it have tied with Murray's car, despite the latter's broken shock absorbers? Although A.S.C.C. officials may have conceded the point, there was nothing they could do about it. They set penalties for replacements of various parts but not for damage. In the end history records that there was some bungling - but it is important to remember that this far-flung trial was far bigger and more complex than 1953s evebt. It may have failed in some details, but it succeeded in the main. And, having learned from their mistakes, the organisers made sure they did a better job for the 1955 Redex Trial.
Stage
Route
Distance
Average Speed
Started
Arrived
C/Sheet
1
Sydney - Brisbane
667 miles / 1073 km
28 mph / 45 km/h
246
246
203
2
Brisbane - Rockhampton
476 miles / 765 km
34 mph / 54.7 km/h
246
245
155
3
Rockhampton - Mackay
514 miles / 827 km
30 mph / 48 km/h
245
245
129
4
Townsville - Mt Isa
613 miles / 986 km
30 mph / 48 km/h
245
216
3
5
Mt Isa - Darwin
1051 miles / 1691 km
40 mph / 60 km/h
216
207
2
6
Darwin - Christmas Creek
969 miles / 1559 km
35 mph / 56 km/h
200
180
1
7
Christmas Creek - Broome
362 miles / 582 km
30 mph / 48 km/h
180
169
1
8
Broome - Meekatharra
986 miles / 1586 km
32 mph / 52 km/h
169
150
1
9
Meekatharra - Perth
485 miles / 780 km
30 mph / 48 km/h
146
146
1
10
Perth - Madura
825 miles / 1327 km
33 mph / 53 km/h
144
141
1
11
Madura - Adelaide
943 miles / 1517 km
35 mph / 56 km/h
141
135
1
12
Adelaide - Melbourne
575 miles / 925 km
31 mph / 50 km/h
135
135
1
13
Melbourne - Talbingo
not available
35 mph / 56 km/h
135
n/a
1
14
Talbingo - Canberra
not available
37 mph / 60 km/h
n/a
n/a
1
15
Canberra - Macquarie Pass
not available
36 mph / 58 km/h
n/a
n/a
1
16
Macquarie Pass - Sydney
not available
21 mph / 34 km/h
n/a
120
1

Please Note: You can sort this listing by simply clicking on the column heading.

1
0
J. Murray
2
8
G. Patterson
3
14
A. Anderson
4
19
E. Nelson
5
22
Rootes Ltd.
5
22
Prestige Motors
7
25
J. Roberts
7
25
T. Farrell
7
25
A. Gibson
10
26
R. Walker
11
27
F. Johnson
12
28
H. Cape
13
29
H. Rayward
13
29
Regent Motors
15
30
L. Westren
16
31
K. Miller
17
32
Rootes Ltd.
17
32
S. Hecker
19
33
Standard Motor Company
19
33
J. Crouch
21
34
D. Antill
21
34
Claridge Motors
23
35
Reno Auto Sales
23
35
A. Kipling
25
37
Walton and Gardiner
25
37
J.F. McCafferty
27
38
N. Worland
27
38
F. Kleinig
29
40
Marshalls Motors
30
41
H. Hines
30
41
Preston Motors
30
41
Orrman's Service Station
33
45
S. Miller
34
46
Rootes Ltd.
34
46
E. Gibson
36
47
Parade Motors
37
48
G. Horner
37
48
J. Pedley
37
48
Standard Motorrs
40
49
P. Benson
40
49
Parker Bros. Auto
40
49
Rootes Ltd.
43
50
R. Cox
43
50
C. McArdle
43
50
M. Lawrence
46
51
C. Fulton
46
51
A. Thiel
46
51
N. Klingner
49
52
R. Osmond
49
52
G. Onto
51
53
I. MacMillan
52
56
J. Coppock
52
56
Advanx Motor Service
54
57
J. Welsh
55
58
Preston Motors
55
58
R. Johnson
57
63
J. Hay
58
67
C. Creswell
58
67
A. Welinski
58
67
R. Williams
58
67
G. Perrignon
58
67
K. Robinson
63
68
A. Coorey
64
69
E. Ahern
65
70
Courtney & Patterson
66
73
DeSoto
G. Birmingham
67
75
R. Clarke
68
76
L. Burrows
69
78
A. Watt
70
81
M. Parr
71
82
S. Thorpe
72
83
R. Thomas
73
84
V. Burton
74
86
Ride-Esi Shock Absorbers
75
89
R. Rothwell
75
89
J. Belling
77
92
H. Budd
78
96
P & R Williams
79
100
R. Akers
80
103
Mick Simmons Ltd.
81
108
E. Perkins
82
109
K. Harrison
83
135
F. Shepherd
83
135
D. MacDonald
83
135
S. Carpenter
86
148
D. Evans
87
158
G. Campbell
88
164
W. Cooke
89
170
J. Anderson
90
180
Phillips Bros.
91
184
J. Bicket
92
200
C. Edgar
93
210
D. Barnett
94
216
M. Selke
95
236
R. Wilson
96
248
A. Standfield
97
273
Christie's Motors
98
286
J. Farrow
99
296
R. Gudgeon
100
315
Chrystie's Motor Auctions
101
316
D. Raven
102
336
W. Crockford
103
338
C. Kreig
104
358
R. Pryer
105
447
B. Happ
106
458
Century Storage Battery Co.
107
462
S. Gibbs
108
480
M. Arentz
109
552
N. Shean
110
563
J. Perkins
111
596
Consolidated Press Ltd.
112
622
A. Melrose
113
705
A. Holland
114
722
C. Hicks
115
835
Wattie Corrie Motors
116
855
Manly Pacific Garage
117
978
D. McLachlin
118
991
H. Lee
119
1209
E. Neilson
120
1242
G. Setter
1954 Redex Around Australia Map
1954 Redex Map.
1954 Redex Trial Starting Line
1954 Redex Trial Starting Line.
1954 Redex Trial Ted Hughes Holden
Ted Hughes Holden gets a helping hand from another team.
1954 Redex Peugeots On Rock Strewn Path
1954 Redex Peugeots On Rock Strewn Path.
1954 Redex Trial Goggles and Glasses Instead of Windscreen
Goggles and Glasses were used when the Windscreen inevitably shattered.
1954 Redex Trial Holden 48/215
Holden 48/215 passes Jack Murray's hastily created snowman while crossing the high country toward Sydney.
1954 Redex Trial Snow on Alps
1954 Redex Trial Snow on Alps.
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