1989 Australian Rally Championship

The 1989 Australian Rally Championship was a series of six rallying events held across Australia. It was the 22nd season in the history of the competition.

Greg Carr and navigator Mick Harker in a Lancia Delta Integrale won the 1989 Championship convincingly, with a record setting five wins from the six starts, giving Carr his third Australian Rally Championship title. Murray Coote and Iain Stewart in the Mazda 323 4WD were consistently in the placings and finished the season on 81 points compared to Carr's 115. Ross Dunkerton and Fred Gocentas in the Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 were the only other team to win an event, the final round in the ACT.

Season review

The 22nd Australian Rally Championship was held over six events across Australia, the season consisting of one event each for Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and Australian Capital Territory.

The Rallies

The six events of the 1989 season were as follows.[1]

Round Rally Date
1 Rally Tasmania 1–2 April 1989
2 BP Alpine Rally (VIC) 29–30 April 1989
3 Forest Rally (WA) 3–4 June 1989
4 Festival State Rally (SA) 1–2 July 1989
5 Rally Queensland 14–15 October 1989
6 Esanda Rally (ACT) 16–18 November 1989

Round One – Rally Tasmania

Position Driver Navigator Car Time
1 Greg Carr Mick Harker Lancia Delta Integrale 4h 13m 34s
2 Wayne Bell Dave Boddy Mazda 323 4WD 4h 17m 25s
3 Murray Coote Iain Stewart Mazda 323 4WD 4h 17m 47s
4 Mark Tolcher David Tolcher Subaru RX Turbo 4h 25m 57s
5 Peter Glennie Peter Clark Subaru RX Turbo 4h 33m 16s
6 Jon Waterhouse Russ Witty Mazda RX-7 4h 36m 44s
7 Jim Middleton Dale Payne Holden Commodore V8 4h 38m 17s
8 Geoff Keys Bill Thurley Mazda 323 4WD 4h 38m 19s
9 Adrian Taylor Dave Ambrose Ford Sierra XR 4x4 4h 40m 04s
10 Graham Alexander John Woodbury Toyota Corolla GT 4h 41m 23s

Round Two – BP Alpine Rally

Position Driver Navigator Car Time
1 Greg Carr Mick Harker Lancia Delta Integrale 5h 43m 09s
2 Murray Coote Iain Stewart Mazda 323 4WD 5h 46m 55s
3 Ed Ordynski Lyn Wilson Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 6h 02m 54s
4 Pat Barber Jim Maude Ford Laser TX3 4WD 6h 08m 21s
5 George Kahler Tony Best Mazda 323 4WD 6h 08m 45s
6 Peter Glennie Peter Clark Subaru RX Turbo 6h 08m 50s
7 Jon Waterhouse Russ Witty Mazda RX-7 6h 10m 15s
8 Geoff Keys Bill Thurley Mazda 323 4WD 6h 14m 11s
9 Dean Nixon Trevor Nixon Subaru RX Turbo 6h 16m 30s
10 Bruce Robertson Ian Enders Mazda 323 4WD 6h 18m 36s

Round Three – BP Forest Rally

Position Driver Navigator Car Time
1 Greg Carr Mick Harker Lancia Delta Integrale 3h 35m 42s
2 Murray Coote Iain Stewart Mazda 323 4WD 3h 39m 03s
3 Ed Ordynski Lyn Wilson Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 3h 41m 38s
4 John Macara Leo Eriks Subaru RX Turbo 3h 44m 02s
5 Adrian Taylor Dave Ambrose Ford Sierra XR 4x4 3h 50m 07s
6 Frank Johnson Rod VanDerStraaten Mazda 323 4WD 3h 50m 24s
7 George Kahler Tony Best Mazda 323 4WD 3h 52m 23s
8 Geoff Keys Bill Thurley Mazda 323 4WD 3h 53m 41s
9 Tolly Challis Reg McKinley Mazda 323 4WD 3h 54m 32s
10 David Johanson Dale Hynes Nissan Gazelle 4h 02m 09s

Round Four – Festival State Rally

Position Driver Navigator Car Time
1 Greg Carr Mick Harker Lancia Delta Integrale 2h 07m 20s
2 Ed Ordynski Lyn Wilson Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 2h 09m 40s
3 Murray Coote Iain Stewart Mazda 323 4WD 2h 11m 23s
4 David Eadie Chris Shearer Mazda 323 4WD 2h 18m 09s
5 George Kahler Tony Best Mazda 323 4WD 2h 18m 20s
6 Geoff Keys Bill Thurley Mazda 323 4WD 2h 21m 20s
7 Bruce Robertson Ian Enders Mazda 323 4WD 2h 25m 42s
8 John Long Damien Long Holden Commodore V8 2h 26m 14s
9 Steve Winwood Rod Winfield Holden Commodore V8 2h 28m 46s
10 Denise Collins Doug Morrison Mitsubishi Starion 2h 29m 29s

Round Five – Caltex CXT Rally Queensland

Position Driver Navigator Car Time
1 Greg Carr Mick Harker Lancia Delta Integrale 4h 12m 12s
2 Murray Coote Iain Stewart Mazda 323 4WD 4h 15m 34s
3 George Kahler Tony Best Mazda 323 4WD 4h 33m 19s
4 Ian Reddiex Ross Perry Peugeot 205 GTi 4h 43m 48s
5 Jon Waterhouse Russ Witty Mazda RX-7 4h 44m 46s
6 John Goasdoue Ford Escort
7 Greg Summerville David Underwood Subaru RX Turbo 4h 51m 03s
8 Pat Roberts Steven Green Daihatsu Charade Turbo 4h 52m 56s
9 Tony Kabel Del Garbett Mazda RX-7 4h 54m 39s
10 Peter Carruthers Gary Proffit Mitsubishi Lancer 4h 55m 14s

Round Six – Esanda Finance Rally

Position Driver Navigator Car Time
1 Ross Dunkerton Fred Gocentas Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 RS 3h 40m 08s
2 Greg Carr Mick Harker Lancia Delta Integrale 3h 42m 34s
3 Murray Coote Iain Stewart Mazda 323 4WD 3h 47m 18s
4 Ray Wilson Jeff Grove Mazda 323 4WD 3h 49m 28s
5 Steve Ashton Rosemary Nixon Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 RS 3h 58m 34s
6 Neil Bates Dave Jorgensen Subaru RX Turbo 3h 59m 28s
7 George Kahler Tony Best Mazda 323 4WD 4h 04m 37s
8 Peter Glennie Peter Clark Subaru RX Turbo 4h 05m 30s
9 Barrie Smith Ray Winwood-Smith Datsun 280Z 4h 06m 10s
10 Bruce Robertson Ian Enders Mazda 323 4WD 4h 09m 48s

1989 Drivers and Navigators Championships

Final pointscore for 1989 is as follows.[2]

Greg Carr – Champion Driver 1989

Position Driver Car Points
1 Greg Carr Lancia Delta Integrale 115
2 Murray Coote Mazda 323 4WD 81
3 Ed Ordynski Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 39
4 George Kahler Mazda 323 4WD 36
5 Ross Dunkerton Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 RS 20
6 Jon Waterhouse Mazda RX-7 18
7 Peter Glennie Subaru RX Turbo 17
=8 Wayne Bell Mazda 323 4WD 15
=8 Geoff Keys Mazda 323 4WD 15
=10 Adrian Taylor Ford Sierra XR 4x4 10
=10 Mark Tolcher Subaru RX Turbo 10
=10 Pat Barber Ford Laser TX3 4WD 10
=10 John Macara Subaru RX Turbo 10
=10 David Eadie Mazda 323 4WD 10
=10 Ian Reddiex Peugeot 205 GTi 10
=10 Ray Wilson Mazda 323 4WD 10

Mick Harker – Champion Navigator 1989

Position Navigator Car Points
1 Mick Harker Lancia Delta Integrale 115
2 Iain Stewart Mazda 323 4WD 81
3 Lyn Wilson Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 39
4 Tony Best Mazda 323 4WD 36
5 Fred Gocentas Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 RS 20
6 Russ Witty Mazda RX-7 18
7 Peter Clark Subaru RX Turbo 17
=8 Dave Boddy Mazda 323 4WD 15
=8 Bill Thurley Mazda 323 4WD 15
=10 Dave Ambrose Ford Sierra XR 4x4 10
=10 David Tolcher Subaru RX Turbo 10
=10 Jim Maude Ford Laser TX3 4WD 10
=10 Leo Eriks Subaru RX Turbo 10
=10 Chris Shearer Mazda 323 4WD 10
=10 Ross Perry Peugeot 205 GTi 10
=10 Jeff Grove Mazda 323 4WD 10

References

  1. ^ Australian Motor Racing Year 1989/90 ISSN 0158-4138
  2. ^ Australian Motor Racing Year 1989/90 ISSN 0158-4138
  • [1] Results of Snowy Mountains Rally and ARC results.