1977 Australian Rally Championship
| 1977 Australian Rally Championship | |||
| Previous: | 1976 | Next: | 1978 |
The 1977 Australian Rally Championship was a series of five rallying events held across Australia. It was the tenth season in the history of the competition.
Ross Dunkerton and navigator Jeff Beaumont in the Datsun 260Z tied with George Fury and navigator Monty Suffern in the Datsun 710 Coupe for the 1977 Championship.
Season review
The tenth Australian Rally Championship was held over five events across Australia, the season consisting of one event each for Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and West Australia.[1] The 1977 season was a closely fought battle between the Datsuns of Dunkerton and Fury and at the end of the season they could not be separated and thus tied for the championship.
The Rallies
The five events of the 1977 season were as follows.
| Round | Rally | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Eastern Rally (VIC) | |
| 2 | Rally of the West (WA) | |
| 3 | Lutwyche Village Rally (QLD) | |
| 4 | Bega Valley Rally (NSW) | |
| 5 | Endrust Forest Rally (SA) | |
Round Two - Rally of the West
| Position | Driver | Navigator | Car | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ross Dunkerton | Jeff Beaumont | Datsun 260Z | 41 |
| 2 | George Fury | Monty Suffern | Datsun 710 Coupe | 52 |
| 3 | Clive Slater | Andy Van Kann | Toyota Corolla TE27 | 58 |
| 4 | Dean Rainsford | Adrian Mortimer | SAAB 99 EMS | 71 |
| 5 | Doug Stewart | Rod Van Der Straaten | Mitsubishi Lancer GSR | 82 |
| 6 | Brian Smallwood | Glen Thorp | Mitsubishi Lancer | 95 |
Round Four - Bega Valley Rally
| Position | Driver | Navigator | Car | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greg Carr | Fred Gocentas | Ford Escort RS2000 | 35 |
| 2 | George Fury | Monty Suffern | Datsun 710 Coupe | 42 |
| 3 | Darryl Rowney | Robert Wilson | Datsun 1600 | 43 |
| 4 | Peter Gaudron | Graeme Pigram | Datsun 1600 | 44 |
| 5 | Mark Hankinson | Graham Moule | Datsun 1600 | 46 |
| 6 | David Balmain | Terry Hanrahan | Mitsubishi Lancer | 52 |
1977 Drivers and Navigators Championships
Final pointscore for 1977 is as follows.[2]
Ross Dunkerton and George Fury - Champion Drivers 1977
| Position | Driver | Car | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1= | Ross Dunkerton | Datsun 260Z | |
| 1= | George Fury | Datsun 710 Coupe | |
| 3 | Doug Stewart | ||
| 4 | David Morrow | ||
| 5 | Greg Carr | Ford Escort RS2000 | |
| 6= | Clive Slater | ||
| 6= | Bob Riley | ||
Jeff Beaumont and Monty Suffern - Champion Navigators 1977
| Position | Navigator | Car | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1= | Jeff Beaumont | Datsun 260Z | |
| 1= | Monty Suffern | Datsun 710 Coupe | |
| 3 | George Shepheard | ||
| 4 | Neil Faulkner | ||
| 5 | Fred Gocentas | Ford Escort RS2000 | |
| 6 | Brian Hope | ||