Light Car Club of WA set to bring navigation rally nostalgia to Great Southern streets in 2024

A fifty-car scramble from Centennial Park to King River Hall is set to take place next year as fun-loving auto enthusiasts hit the road for the Navigation Rally of the Great Southern. Drivers and navigator teams will need to plot routes, read maps and unravel clues as they tackle the 350km rally run by the Light Car Club of WA Event director and clerk of course Wendy Walker said the nostalgic rally would mark the return of the leisurely pursuit of yesteryear. “It’s pretty exciting, historically all the rallying in WA was fully navigation,” she said. “You were given a map and off you went and you had to plot your way from point to point using a standard car. “There was a gradual shift in emphasis to more specialised vehicle preparation, high speeds, a different form of rally — I’m looking forward to it.” Slated to take place on April 6, the rally has already gained support from the Great Southern. “The police are on board and we’ve got a caravan park that is interested in hosting people so the competitors have somewhere to stay for the night,” Ms Walker said. “The event starts at 5pm and finishes at approximately 12.30am in the morning.” After receiving instruction, teams will then have five minutes to work out where they are going before they hit the road. “It’s not just purely using a map and I’m hoping that it will interest people who have never entered a rally before,” Ms Walker said. “It’s a bit like a gumnut rally, rallies where you go along and pick things up. “We’re not picking things up but you will get clues that will help you get from A to B.” The event will take place in a slow-speed environment on open roads meaning drivers will need to obey road rules as they travel along sealed and unsealed surfaces. Along with a driver’s licence, drivers will need to have a Motorsport Australia licence and ensure their vehicles are roadworthy. “You can use hybrid cars, EVs as well,” Ms Walker said. “They just need to be able to make the distance.” Ms Walker said LCCWA member and rally director Brian D’Arcy had been the driving force behind the event. “It’s Brian’s passion,” she said. “He comes from the era where they did navigation events and he’s put a lot of work into it because he believes it would be lovely for someone else to experience. “We’re really looking forward to doing this and coming down to Albany.” Entries open in January 2024 and more information on the rally will be available via Facebook and the LCCWA website early in 2024.