Round Australia Trial

The Round Australia Trial was a motorsport rallying or rally raid event that was run on multiple occasions between 1953 and 1998. The theme of the event was to stage a rally which circumnavigated Australia. Its early years were tremendously popular as the roads linking large portions of the country, particularly west of Adelaide, were not in good condition. Automobile manufacturers enthused over the event as it provided a particularly test event for their products, proving their cars were able to stand up to whatever conditions remote Australia could provide. Early editions of the event were heroic tests and were front-page fodder for the newspapers of the era.

By the 1960s, interest had waned as circuit racing, particularly the Bathurst 500 and the Tasman Series, would come to dominate Australian motorsport. A revival event in 1979 won by superstar touring car driver Peter Brock proved popular, but was not repeated until 16 years later in 1995. Interest in a new event continues to appear from time to time, sometimes as a rally, sometimes as a historic event for period cars, although the Australian Safari and the Finke Desert Race retain positions as the toughest off-road event in the country.

This major event had its origin in a series of car trials staged in New South Wales, sponsored by the REDeX brand of oil additive, and organised by the Australian Sporting Car Club Ltd. of Sydney. The contest was not a race, but points were lost through late arrival at checkpoints, through condition of the vehicle at the finish line, and other factors. The cars' bonnets and radiator caps were sealed, and breaking the seal caused so many points to be lost it was tantamount to disqualification.

The first Redex round-Australia reliability trial, of 6,500 miles (10,500 km), had a first prize of £1,000, and entry was not restricted to members of car clubs. The route was planned and test-driven by the A.S.S.C. secretary, Norman Pleasance. and passed through Brisbane, Rockhampton, Townsville, Darwin, Alice Springs, Adelaide and Melbourne before returning to Sydney. Public interest was intense and every aspect of the trial was the subject of media interest.

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