OhAt 10am today, 48 of Australia’s oldest and rarest motor vehicles will depart Melbourne’s Noble Park for a nine-day event celebrating the centenary of the RACV Alpine Trial.
In 1921, the RACV began its first series of Alpine Trials to test vehicles and advocate for better roads and services in Victoria’s high country region.
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The RACV Alpine Trials were popular with private individuals and motoring companies, attracting up to 60 people to each event. Each vehicle carries at least two people, including the driver, an observer and sometimes an administrator.
The trials were tough. The Australian Motorist reported at the time that the RACV Sports Committee had deliberately designed the trial as “one of great intensity” to test manufacturers’ claims about their vehicles “for the benefit of potential buyers”. .
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To celebrate 100 years of the first Alpine Trial, the RACV and the Vintage Drivers Club (VDC) will recreate the opening ceremony.
The vehicles participating in this celebration were all manufactured between 1921 and 1930. Australia’s oldest Bentley, one of the original participants in the 1922 trial, will rejoin the fleet in 2022 alongside the RACV’s 1928 Model-A Ford.
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The 1921 trial ran from Melbourne to Lakes Entrance, Talingata, Mount Buffalo, Wangaratta, Halesville, Ballarat and Geelong before returning to Melbourne.
This year’s event will, as soon as possible, follow that 1000-mile route and run from Saturday, October 15 to Sunday, October 23. Other towns included this year will be Mansfield, Bright and Creswick.
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“The Vintage Drivers Club, along with the event committee, have done a fantastic job of organizing the RACV Alpine Trial Centenary,” said RACV’s Louise Steinfort.
“This event would not be possible without their dedication and commitment to preserving Australian motoring history.”
The continuation of the Alpine Trials by the Victorian Light Car Club, and then by the Historic Rally Association, makes it one of the oldest motorsport events in the world.
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Alpine Trial Schedule
| Day | how far |
|---|---|
| Day 1 – Saturday, October 15 | Noble Park to Traralgon |
| Day 2 – Sunday, October 16 | Entrances to the Lakes from Trialgan |
| Day 3 – Monday, October 17 | Entrance to the Lakes at Wodonga |
| Day 4 – Tuesday, October 18 | Bright from Wodonga |
| Day 5 – Wednesday, October 19 | Bright to Mount Buffalo, Harrietville and back to Bright |
| Day 6 – Thursday, October 20 | Bright to Mansfield |
| Day 7 – Friday, October 21 | From Mansfield to Halesville |
| Day 8 – Saturday, October 22 | Halesville to Creswick |
| Day 9 – Sunday, October 23 | Creswick to Home |
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Last year some of our team rallied in honor of what would have been its 100th birthday had it not been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Click the link below to find out how they came about.