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This is the official web page for the 2004, Car Rally Challenge. As the planning process begins, this will be the place to keep up to date. At this stage, apart from Rob asking me when I think a good time might be to hold this years rally, nothing else has happened (me being in Canberra does not help).
Click here for the 2003 car rally web page.
The car rally event was first held in 2001 as a birthday event for two of the organisers, James Wettenhall and Chris McCarthy, who shared a common passion for driving 'off the beaten track'. Also organising in 2001 was someone with an overwhelming motivation to organise 'stuff', regardless of what it was, Affrica Jenkins, making up the team of 3 .
In 2001, the rally began at Melbourne Uni and ended in Yea, following a course that initially headed North West (including a rushed stop at Tullamarine airport), before then heading to the North East of Melbourne where it finished.
In 2002, the organising committee was reduced to 2 (James and Chris), despite the increase in teams participating (10 teams, up from 6 in 2001). This time the rally headed again from Melb Uni, South West towards the Yu Yangs, before turning north towards Bacchus Marsh, finally ending in Werribee Gorge. Highlights included a stop at our favourite "Truman show" suburb, Caroline Springs, complete with Barbershop quartet by the lake. Another highlight was the most isolated tennis club in the world (with free court hire).
Having lost half the teams to some unfortunate clue ambiguities in 2002, James and Chris went into hiding for about 6 months until the storm had passed. Then, as the new year arrived, so did the question "when is this years rally going to be?". The look of terror on James' face told the story, he'd had enough, and so decided to pull out of the organising committee. James is now a highly motivated competitor, partcipating in the rally each year.
In 2003, the rally headed north-east to the grape vines of the yarra valley, up into the Yarra ranges (past the 'singing gardens') and back down to Healesville. All the while, competitors were treated to the sounds of 'Rally Radio' (a very dodgy pre-recorded cd of clues and music)... astonishingly, Robs radio career has not blossomed since.
In 2004, C.R.O.C will seek to raise the bar again, or at the very least, will spend a lot of time sitting in a bar discussing it. Despite an ever increasing risk of public liability, as they say... the show must go on. See you at C.R.04!