Shannons is proud to announce its continued support of the Shannons Rally Retro Festival, which will be held at the METEC Driver Education Centre in Victoria's Bayswater North on February 17.
The fifth edition of the festival promises to be bigger and better than ever before. The event is designed to get historically significant rally cars “out of the shed and onto the track” so we can re-live just a bit of the magic that these cars brought to the forest.
It’s a chance for us all to have a look at these special cars, which are often hidden away in sheds and see and hear many of them in action, on a short, sealed rally course.
Shannons is proud to be associated with the Shannons Rally Retro Festival and the Historic Rally Association. We believe it is essential to support events like this, as they play a vital role in preserving the history and heritage of motorsport. We believe that it is essential to remember the great achievements of the past and to celebrate the cars and drivers that made them possible.
The festival is a unique opportunity for rally fans to see some of the world's most iconic rally cars in action, as well as in static display. The cars are handpicked and invited by the organisers, there will be rally cars from the Datsun, Renault, and Ford works teams from the 1970s and early 1980s.
Spectators will see cars like the Australian Championship Toyota Celicas of Neal Bates Motorsport, a sprinkling of World Rally Championship cars, and at least three World Rally Lancias (037, Stratos, Delta Integrale) and a Renault R5 Turbo.
Many of the original cars are restored to the condition they started their first rally, while others are in an 'as rallied' condition. There will be replicas, as the original cars no longer exist.
The festival is also a showpiece for the Historic Rally Association, which was formed in 1992 by a group of rally enthusiasts. They were inspired by the emergence of historic rallying in Europe and recognised the growing interest in running typically Australian forest stage rallies in cars which were popular during the 1960s to 1980s.
We look forward to seeing you at the festival, which opens to the public at 10:00 am, with track runs starting from around 11:00 am. Entry is $10 per person (over 16 years). Visitors will be able to mingle with the cars and their owners. Food vendors and toilets will be on site.
For more information on the Shannons Rally Retro Festival, please visit rallyretrofestival.org.au.
