Photos: Phil Williams Media
Nine cars started. Just three completed the full 76 kilometres of stages. The inaugural Red Desert Rally Sprint might have been a small event, but it certainly didn’t lack action.
Held in Alice Springs on Saturday, October 3, the event brought special stage rallying back to the local scene, with Scott Anderson and Cameron Kerr taking outright honours in their Mitsubishi Evo VI.
Experienced crew Chris McCormack and Jamie Smith finished second in their Toyota Celica, while juniors Tom Anderson and Hayden Pitman rounded out the podium in their 2WD Mitsubishi Lancer after an impressive drive throughout the day.
It was a tough introduction to rallying for much of the field, with mechanical failures ending several promising runs and keeping the outcome uncertain until the finish.
Early pace, then a growing retirement list
Mitchell Lawson and Michael Robertson were quick out of the blocks in their Mitsubishi Magna, setting top-three stage times. Jordan and Michelle Lawson also showed strong early pace in their Commodore ute, but both crews eventually joined the retirement list.
Joe Harris and Sarah Kerr’s run ended when steering failure sent their Datsun 1600 into the scrub. Young Lincoln Meekins, with his mother Tracy calling the instructions, was also forced out when gearbox mounts broke on their 2WD Mitsubishi Lancer.
Perhaps the toughest blow came on the final stage.
Taylah McDowell and co-driver Tim Button, the local Off Road Club president, had put together a standout performance in their classic Datsun Stanza. With the finish line in sight, a snapped trailing arm brought their run to a heartbreaking end.
For the three crews who made it through the full distance, reaching the finish was an achievement in itself.
A big first step for local rallying
Organised by the Central Australian Rally Sports Club and directed by Jamie Lawson, the rally sprint was designed to build experience among both competitors and officials.
Twelve of the 18 competitors had never contested a rally before, making the event an important introduction to everything from route instructions to the discipline of special stage competition.
“While this was only a small rally in the scheme of things, we set the bar extremely high as we have a long-term outlook and plans going forward,” Lawson said.
“The primary objective for this rally was to introduce both competitors and officials to the sport and gain experience.”
Despite the high attrition rate, Lawson was delighted with how the newcomers embraced the challenge.
“I was very proud to watch the enthusiasm and excitement in the lead up and see them embrace the sport and discipline of rallying,” he said.
“We have certainly generated a lot of interest and have little doubt that our club and local events will grow quite rapidly as a result. We now have a team of officials and competitors that will go from strength to strength.”
A new partnership and strong community support
The event also gave the club its first opportunity to run a rally under AASA, an option it had been considering for some time.
“Our club has been exploring this option for a long time and decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to tangibly see and feel how it may work for us,” Lawson said.
“It was a very successful outcome for all stakeholders and was the perfect partnership. It was like a breath of fresh air for grass roots, club level rallying.”
Getting the inaugural event off the ground took a considerable effort, backed by local businesses and the Alice Springs community.
SA Motorsport Tyres, Local Locksmiths NT, Red Central Towing, The Wheel Alignment Centre Alice Springs and Remote Area Machinery Hire all contributed to making the event happen.
Planning for 2027 is already underway, with more rally sprints set to feature on the CARS Club calendar.
The first Red Desert Rally Sprint delivered a tough day for the machinery, a memorable night for the finishers and a promising start for the club. There is clearly an appetite for local rallying in Central Australia, and now there is something to build on.
