Last week was a busy and joyful cruise for 46 members of the Upper Snuggery Racing Team who completed the annual Mildura to Upper Snuggery Rally. The team’s major event of the year took the 20 impressive cars on a 2481km journey through Victoria and the Limestone Coast.
Vehicles to please all types of car enthusiasts were on display with Porsches, Holden Commodores, Ford Mustangs and Falcons just some of the machines on tour. The rally started with scrutineering at the Mildura Golf Resort before things turned serious with motorkhana events at the Aust-Link training track.
Navigation tests were also significant parts of the six-day trip with he first from Mildura to Horsham. Entrants received the chance to test their cars on the Warrachnabeal airstrip before an even better experience followed the following day.
Last Wednesday the motoring enthusiasts were able to enjoy one of the country’s most notorious pieces of tarmac, Winton Motor Raceway. The Upper Snuggery Racing Team was lucky enough to drive on Australia’s action track where so many Supercars stars have experienced trouble over the years.
During their Victorian stay the drivers also tackled the One Tree hill climb at Ararat and the Portland Go Kart track before wrapping up the rally with motorkhanas at Port MacDonnell and Millicent. At the end of the road, the best performed combination was Michael Pratt and Phil Waters.
The pair won the rally in their 2003 Ford Mustang Cobra and narrowly held off Roger Saunders and Brian Spring in a Porsche. Upper Snuggery Racing Team secretary Peter Burns said the rally was a success with all drivers reaching the chequered flag. “It was all very good with no dramas at all,” he said.
“We only had a couple of minor mechanical issues, but we sorted them out and everyone finished on Saturday night at the Somerset Hotel. “Hopefully we were able spread a bit of money around the country-side as we went.”
Support from the Wattle Range, Yarriambiack Shire and Ararat Rural Councils was pivotal to the success of the event. The Upper Snuggery Racing Team will return for an event at the Mallala circuit in May.
