Rally History (part III)

What is the list supposed to represent? [European] Championship rallies? International rallies? Any rallies?

Is the Midnattsolsrallyt the 'Rally to the Midnight Sun' that later became the Swedish Rally?
Finland's Rally of a Thousand Lakes qualifies on all counts
There was a German Rally at one time (not the Rallye Wiesbaden)
The Circuit of Ireland was an international rally but I don't think it was part of the European Championship
The Scottish Rally likewise
When the Mille Miglia race was stopped after the 1957 fatal accident, the event continued for a year or two as a rally
Tour de Luxembourg was run at least once when it was curtailed due to a fatal accident
Jugoslavanska Alpska Voznha (Yugoslavian Alpine Rally)
Stella Alpina (run by the Automobile Club Trento)
In the USA they had a European style rally titled the 'Press on Regardless' which I think had international status at one stage
The [Redex] Round Australia Trial was really a rally

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Originally Posted by D-Type

What is the list supposed to represent? [European] Championship rallies? International rallies? Any rallies?

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It's just my personal list of rallies from the 50's that I found somehow interesting. I wanted to short-list international rallies from Europe (with those few exceptions I mentioned above), and rather bigger, better known events with large number of starters, and tough competition for both cars and drivers.
As my only source of information is GEL Motorsport Information Page I have very little idea about those rallies. That's why I wanted to ask if someone could verify this list for me please?

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Originally Posted by D-Type

Is the Midnattsolsrallyt the 'Rally to the Midnight Sun' that later became the Swedish Rally?

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Yes, that's the (AFAIK) original name of this famous rally.

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Originally Posted by D-Type

Finland's Rally of a Thousand Lakes qualifies on all counts

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That's good as I got it on my list as Jyvaskylan Suurajot (again original name).

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Originally Posted by D-Type

There was a German Rally at one time (not the Rallye Wiesbaden)

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But AFAIK, Rallye Wiesbaden was part of ERC - am I right? At least in 1953 and '54. Don't know anything about yet another rally from Germany (apart from ADAC-Rallye Travemunde).

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Originally Posted by D-Type

The Circuit of Ireland was an international rally but I don't think it was part of the European Championship
The Scottish Rally likewise

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Thank you for letting me know about those two islander's rallies ;) I'll try to find some information on them too.

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Originally Posted by D-Type

When the Mille Miglia race was stopped after the 1957 fatal accident, the event continued for a year or two as a rally
Tour de Luxembourg was run at least once when it was curtailed due to a fatal accident

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Mille Miglia is a different story so I will skip it. And this Tour de Luxembourg seems to be only a brief moment in history of rallies. But thank you for mentioning it as I didn't know about this one.

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Originally Posted by D-Type

Jugoslavanska Alpska Voznha (Yugoslavian Alpine Rally)

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That's interesting too but I'm pretty sure it will be almost impossible to find any more details on this one.

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Originally Posted by D-Type

Stella Alpina (run by the Automobile Club Trento)

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I got it on my list but I'm not sure if it fits my requirements? Was it a big event?

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Originally Posted by D-Type

In the USA they had a European style rally titled the 'Press on Regardless' which I think had international status at one stage
The [Redex] Round Australia Trial was really a rally

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These are definitely off my scope of interest as I prefer the old world ;)

All I know about the Stella Alpina is from a book about Alpine Trials and Rallies - ie principally the Alpine Rally. It was run from 1947 t0 1955 with a length between 1000km and 1500km and was a cross between a race and a rally. Winners were all Italian apart from 1955 when Olivier Gendebien / Mlle Gilberte Thirion won in a 300SL.

If you are confining to the 50s, the Scottish and Circuit of Ireland were just glorified tours then before being great rallies in the 60s and European Championship rounds in the 70s (some might say the RAC was a glorified navigation exercise then, but those are also the ones who didn't drive 5 days with one night in bed on it...).
Surprised to see the Boucles de Spa there in 50s - it was later a European Championship round of course.
The "Rally of the Thousand Lakes" was always an unofficial name. What translates as "The Trial of Jyvaskyla" was the true name until it became Rally Finland in the modern era. It was little known outside Finland (and Sweden I suppose) until the 60s.
The USA Press on Regardless and Canadian Rideau Lakes were briefly "world rallies" in the 70s before sinking back into national oblivion, unknown in the 50s.

@D-Type - Could you tell me please what other rallies are covered in this book?

@FAL - thank you for information on those rallies from Ireland and Scotland. I think I will add them to my list (or at least one of them). As for Boucles de Spa - it started in 1953 (don't know the exact date) so that's why it is on my list. But I have no idea whether it was a big, international event back in 50's.


Regarding my list, could you tell me please what rallies were restricted to only one car class and what type of class it was?

The book is Alpine Trials & Rallies 1910 t0 1973 by Martin Pfundner

This little book covers all the events in the period stated as a narrative with some rallies covered in more detail than others. It briefly explains the history and politics with the different Alpine nations taking more and less interest at diferent times. It gives results for each: sometimes overall winner, only and sometimes, top three overall and in class. It also lists all winners of Coupes des Alpes.
Rallies covered in the results:
Alpenfaht (Austria) 1910-14
Austrian Alpine Trials 1923, 1925, 1928, 1930, 1933, 1934
Alfold-Alpenfahrt (Austria) 1923, 1924, 1930
Coupe Internationale des Alpes (7 national clubs) 1928-34, 1936
Swiss Alpione Trial 1924
Deutsch Alpenfahrt 1938-39
Rallye des Alpes Francaises 1932-136, 1938-39, 1946-154, 1956, 1958-69, 1971
Osterreichische Alpenfahrt 1949-73
Jugoslovanska Alpska Voznja 1952-55
Coppa delle Alpi 1921-25
Stella Alpina 1947-55

As to types of cars, I only know about the Safari:
1953-56 "Absolutely unmodified" standard touring cars in 4 classes by price with a class handicap
1957 Standard touring cars in 3 classes by price with a class handicap (as this was the first year it had "International" status these were probably Group 1 cars if that classification existed then)
1958 Standard touring cars in 3 classes by price no class handicap, no overall winner
1959 Standard touring cars in 3 classes by price no class handicap
1960 Standard touring cars in 5 capacity classes, plus a class for "Improved Production and GT cars"
1961 Standard touring cars in 5 capacity classes
1962-63 Standard touring cars in 7 capacity classes
1964-67 Standard touring cars in 6 capacity classes
1968 Standard touring cars in 4 capacity classes
1969 Group 1 touring cars in 6 capacity classes
1970 Group 1 and Group 2 cars in 5 capacity classes each, ie the standard for the World Rally Championship for makes
and from there onwards it followed the World Rally Championship groups and classes

I hope that's clear ;)

As far as I know, the Safari was the only major rally to limit the categories of entries. History tends to get distorted by what made the news at the time. The 66 Monte Carlo Rally (first major rally under the revised Appendix J) was not limited to Group One cars but that's what you would think reading a lot of retro articles today. (It just handicapped Gp2 and 3 cars' times to such an extent that realistically only a Gp1 car could win).
The European Rally Championship (that was then the equivalent status of a non existent world championship) went through a phase of only allowing a couple of categories to score ERC points on each round eg. Gp1 and 2 on one rally, Gp2 and 3 on the next, Gp1 and 3 the next etc. - but the events themselves did not restrict categories.
Something I was reminded of the other day: it was well into the 50s before International Competition Licences were required on all International Rallies. The Monte was one (presumably because of its history of a bunch of Hooray Henrys lurching across Europe on a winter jolly jape). The Safari may have been another, as an RAF fighter pilot I knew who was based at Eastleigh once entered his wife's Peugeot 403 "because it was there" (and his marriage never did recover...).

As your RAF pilot friend was 'resident' in Kenya at the time, he could have obtained a Kenyan (or maybe East African) competition licence which would allow him to run in the Safari.

When did the CSI introduce Group 1, Group 2 etc?

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Originally Posted by D-Type

As your RAF pilot friend was 'resident' in Kenya at the time, he could have obtained a Kenyan (or maybe East African) competition licence which would allow him to run in the Safari.
When did the CSI introduce Group 1, Group 2 etc?

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I wasn't sure whether Kenya had its own (ie. separate from UK) comp licences then. I'm pretty sure this guy didn't have a British one. Strange situation even now with some former UK "colonies" that are now independent nations but not FIA affiliated. If a small country today just has a small relatively disorganised amount of local motorsport, it's not viable to fund FISA registration. That leaves anyone there who wants to compete Internationally with a problem if they hold only one passport. Antigua is an example I'm familiar with. Of course, the UK is one country where just having an address there is enough to get a British Competition Licence. No doubt it's supposed to be your address but... I think Shekhar Mehta was in that position on first leaving Uganda.

I've never thoroughly researched when CSI/FISA/FIA Appendix J first went live. Something existed earlier but 1958 is often quoted as the year everyone was finally singing from the same hymn sheet.

In colonial times (pre-1960 or so), although they were nominally separate countries with different legal status the four East African territories were governed as a unit with one currency and no internal customs barriers. Banks and other businesses covered all the countries generally with an HQ in Nairobi and branches in the other capitals and major towns. The Royal East African Automobile Association (REAAA) reflected this and covered all of East Africa. It was affiliated to the RAC and as far as I know did not have its own membership of the FIA. It administered motor sport on behalf of the RAC with considerable autonomy, for example the REAAA isssued competition licences valid in all four countries. But it was subservient to the RAC in major issues, for example when there was a storm of protests in 1958 about the seals on the Ford suspension, the appeal went to the RAC for resolution. So your friend would have had a locally issued competition licence to run in the Safari.

With the coming of independence the REAAA became the Automobile Association of East Africa but still had its HQ in Nairobi. Eventually it became a member of the FIA in its own right, but representing only Kenya.