One of the highlights in 1965 for BMC Australia, was the running of an event known as the Mini Monte Rally. Organised by the Morris 850 Car Club and sponsored by BMC and Shell, it was to commemorate the Monte Carlo Rally wins in 1964 and ‘65 by Mini Coopers. Open only to Minis, it drew 182 starters, and according to Modern Motor magazine, it was the biggest line-up since the 1955 Redex, made even more remarkable in that it catered for one make of car. Held over the Easter weekend, entrants could start from Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane, cover about 1600kms and converge in Sydney for a day of driving tests at Warwick Farm. The routes were interesting and rugged and even though there were experienced drivers, there was a system of bonus points for novices to even things out. Immediately dubbed the ‘Mintie’, the event was won by Barry Ferguson in a Mini DeLuxe, which also took 2nd, 3rd, 7th and 8th, with Coopers taking 5th and 6th and a lone 850 coming 4th. It was deemed successful enough to be repeated for the next two years.