These are commonly asked questions regarding car preparation and other requirements for competing in Historic Rally Association events. Further details are available from other club documents, the HRA eligibility committee, or friendly long time members.

Please contact one of your committee members if you are having trouble finding the answer to a specific problem.

CAMS Licences

To be eligible for a CAMS competition licence you must be a financial member of a CAMS affiliated car club. The HRA is affiliated with the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS). Most of our events are run under CAMS requirements and require competitors to be licenced for timed events.

There are several grades of licence depending on what level of motor sport you wish to pursue. For club level rallies both driver and navigator will need a minimum CAMS level 2 licence.

This involves filling out a form (available from the CAMS website) which contains a basic medical information questionnaire along with other personal details. The form is then sent to CAMS with the appropriate fee.

HRA Vehicle Eligibility

The HRA started in 1992 with only one eligibility category which was for pre 1968 vehicles. As time marched, on a further two categories catering for vehicles from 1/1/1968 to 31/12/1975 and 1/12/1976 to 31/12/1981 were introduced. These two later categories were later merged into one, such that we currently have two historic groups: H68 (for pre 1/1/68 cars) and H81 (for pre 1/1/81 cars).

H68 & H81 vehicles (Historic) are allowed certain modifications which are covered in our eligibility rules.
For more detailed information on what modifications are allowed in these two categories please read the HRA eligibility rules.

We also have an eligibility group for pre 1/1/81 PRC cars. Some of our events will cater to later model cars also but it is best to check the supp regs for the event in question first.

HRA events are run under the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) rules and regulations. All vehicles must comply with requirements listed in the current CAMS manual of motor sport. Schedule R (requirements for Rally Cars) details what other safety and CAMS equipment requirements must be met.

If in doubt about any of these requirements please seek clarification from the eligibility committee to avoid the possibility of your vehicle failing to meet requirements.

At present there are many Touring Road Events being run by various groups with varying cut off dates for Historics (some after 1975). The HRA is actively working to try and standardise these Historic Rally categories so that people can build cars which are eligible for a wide range of events.

Club Permit Scheme

The HRA is also a part of the Vic Roads club permit scheme (red plates). If you only intend to use your vehicle to go to club events and functions then this ‘permit to drive’ at a rate that is much less expensive than normal registration (car must be more than 25 years old and some restrictions apply).

Events

The HRA normally run three main types of events throughout the year with varying requirements. Some members with pristine historic vehicles only take them on Touring Road Events and Touring Assemblies. The three basic types of events which HRA members compete in are described below:

Forest Rallies and Trials

These are the most common events run by the HRA whose prime charter is the promotion of historic dirt road forest Rallying. Good navigation is usually critical to success as the route must be plotted onto maps from written ‘Route Instructions’ issued by the Director prior to the event start. Competitive sections can be interspersed with Transport sections to get vehicles slowly and quietly to the next competitive section.

In this type of rallying you drive the competitive sections ‘on sight’ as there is no chance to recce the roads prior to the event. This is much more challenging than the route charted or pace note instructions which are used in most modern rallying. Successful completion of HRA forest events is usually equal parts driver skill, navigator skill and car preparation.

These events are usually only open to eligible HRA vehicles (see above), which must normally have a CAMS logbook. All competitors in these events must have at least a level 2 CAMS licence to compete. Some events will requre a superior grade of licence. Vehicles must be presented at scrutiny prior to the event where CAMS scrutineers’ will check roadworthy and safety aspects before allowing a vehicle to compete. Eligibility under the HRA rules can also be checked at any time by members of the HRA eligibility committee or CAMS scrutiny panel.

The HRA runs at least four of these events each year and may piggyback onto other clubs events in lieu or as extra events. Other clubs may ‘invite’ the HRA to compete in additional events and although these do not score points for the club championship many members will enter these events as well.

Costs to enter these type of events are around $175 per car and sometimes this also includes a meal for both competitors before or after the event.

Touring Assemblies

These are touring style events open to all types of vehicles including the family car! They involve no speed requirement and contain no special driving tests. They are usually run on a Sunday morning/afternoon over four or five hours. Cost is minimal (around $50 per car) and usually includes a light meal at the finish. As these events are run under CAMS insurance at least one crew member needs to have a Level 2 licence. There is no scrutineering but cars must be registered and roadworthy. All normal road rules apply.

Competitors must plot their route onto maps based on Route Instructions which are handed out at the start of the event. Time is allowed at the start to do this plotting and there is always someone available to help new players. These events are a good starting point for new navigators. There is a series of events each run by different clubs during the year and details are published in our club magazine and update.

Touring Road Events

These are similar to Touring Assemblies but also have special tests (competitive events) included along with navigational touring stages. Special tests can include hill climbs, motorkhanas, drags, average speed tests, regularity trials, economy tests, etc. These events can run over several days and are often open to most types of vehicles and family cars although performance sports vehicles usually have an edge at any speed tests. Navigation in these events is usually more demanding as old maps are sometimes used and you may need to deviate from the main road to find an old alignment. These events usually include more socialising with one or more overnight stops which may include formal or informal dinners.

A lot of people attend these events in their collectable cars as they are normally run on bitumen roads only. Entry fees vary dramatically depending on the number of days the event runs and what extras are included. A two day event with a basic evening meal can be as cheap as $300 per car. Some more up-market events may cost over $1,200 per crew but will include special venues such as race tracks, drag strips, hill climbs, etc, and more formal ‘gastronomic’ evening functions.

For these events CAMS level two licences are required as is basic safety equipment in the form of fire extinguishers, triangles, first aid kit, helmets, etc. On the road all normal road rules apply and cars are scrutineered by CAMS before the event starts.

Navigation Training

In most HRA events the Navigator (rather than Co-driver) plays an important part in the successful completion of the event. Many people prefer the challenge of navigating rather than driving and in most cases you can team up with a driver who already has a car prepared.

The HRA are one of the few clubs who run Navigation schools to train up new navigators. Other clubs run ‘novice’ rallies during the year some of which include a basic navigation school. Other options for learning navigation include private rally school providers and/or getting hold of documentation from previous schools to read in your own time. There are many friendly people in the club with a wealth of knowledge on car preparation and rally navigation who are only to willing to help out newcomers to the sport.

Officiating

Our events could not run without the help of many non competitors who help out as event organisers and officials. We are always looking for people to help out as rally officials so the opportunity exists for family and/or friends to get involved in an event even if they are not driving or navigating. There are many levels of officials from easy jobs manning a road closure and watching the cars pass by, controlling timed entry into forest stages, Zero and sweep cars, right up to directing or assisting the director with organising an event.