The 2013 Australia Classic in Cairns is a road rally with a twist.
Returning for a second year over June 22-23 after a successful premiere in 2012, the classic car rally tasks competitors to complete each leg in an exacting time.
So unlike Targa Tasmania, for example, it requires competitors to be the most precise, rather than the fastest.
Based in tropical North Queensland, the Australia Classic is a navigation-based rally run on public roads alongside regular traffic.
The event's promoter says this provides extra appeal to owners of rare, expensive and classic cars, as they don't have to imperil their prized possessions, mechanically or otherwise.
Queensland road laws need to be obeyed and officials can disqualify drivers if they are found speeding, for example.
In the spirit of classic rallies such as the Mille Miglia and Silvretta Classic, the event is classed as a regularity or precision rally, in which teams are tasked with navigating certain routes within a specified time limit.
Each team gains penalty points for finishing further out from the prescribed times, and the team with the lowest score is crowned the winner.
The event spans two days and covers around 600km split across roughly 12 stages.
The Australia Classic is open to passenger vehicles built before 1984 in the 'classic' category, while the 'open' category allows modern day supercars such as Porsche 911 Turbos and Aston Martins.
In the interests of parity, competitors’ scores are multiplied by their vehicle’s year of manufacture, so at the end of the race a car built in 1929 will have its penalty score multiplied by 1.29, while a 2006 vehicle will have its score multiplied by 2.06.
There are also 'special stages' that use a TAG Heuer photocell timing system to measure if competitors finish within a hundredth of a second of their given time. Naturally, penalties apply if drivers are even a few hundredths out.
Last year 33 cars entered the event and all of them finished, The 2012 event was won by Andrew Chand in his AC Cobra replica.
More than 60 teams have already signed up for this year’s rally and organisers are also considering expanding the event into a series in future.
Entries for the 2013 event close on May 19 and cost $660 per vehicle, which includes meals for drivers and navigators, a roadbook, decals, passes/lanyards, polo shirts and hats.
Check out www.australiaclassic.com.au for online entry application forms.
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