Friday/Saturday 25/26 March
Documentation and Scrutiny – takes place on these two days.
Saturday 26 March
Event Briefing
Rally and Regularity crews will attend their separate event briefing early afternoon and then participate in a ceremonial start for the event outside the Parkes Services Club in Short Street, Parkes. This will enable media and publicity personnel to record images and video of each crew as they pass under the starting arch.
Shakedown / Prologue
From the ceremonial start, competitors will then travel over two ‘shakedown’ stages:
- a 20 kilometre stage for regularity;
- an 11 kilometre stage for both the rally and regularity competitions.
Welcome Function
The traditional Welcome Function will be held at the Parkes Service Club commencing at 1800 hrs.
Day 1 – Sunday 27 March
At 0900 the first Regularity crew departs the start in Church Street, Parkes.
Crews will undertake three regularity sections prior to a lunch break at Condobolin, and the another section before the first car is due in Forbes in mid-afternoon for a visit to McFeeters Auto Museum to provide an opportunity to see this fabulous collection.
Crews then drive the 35 kilometres to Parkes and are free to work on their car without time restrictions. The designated Service Area in Parkes is at the Showgrounds in an undercover area with space for all crews and their cars.
| Start | 0900 hrs | |
| Number of Regularity Stages | 4 | |
| Total length of Regularity Stages | 175 km | 65, 37, 30, 41 km long |
| Total distance | 305 km | |
| First car due at finish of day | 1430 hrs |
Day 2 – Monday 28 March
Monday sees cars again commence the day in Church Street, Parkes, and again the competition will be between Parkes and Condobolin. Day 2 has three regularity sections prior to lunch (again at Condobolin) and features two Classic Outback Trial rally stages that the rally competitors used on Day 1. On the way to the fourth and last regularity section there is the ‘Utes in the Paddock’ to visit.
The first car will arrive back at Parkes at approximately 1500 hrs.
| Start | 0900 hrs | |
| Number of Regularity Stages | 4 | |
| Total length of Regularity Stages | 151 km | 67, 13, 21, 50 km long |
| Total distance | 310 km | |
| First car due at finish of day | 1500 hrs |
Day 3 – Tuesday 29 March
On Tuesday crews will decamp from Parkes and relocate to Orange, 100 km away. Regularity crews will have a 0830 start, again taking in three sections before lunch at Molong, including two shire road rally stages immediately after the rally crews. After lunch and another regularity section the first car will arrive at the Orange Showgrounds at about 1600. Once more, servicing will be undercover, in the new agriculture shed which has a concrete floor!
| Start | 0830 hrs | |
| Number of Regularity Stages | 4 | |
| Total length of Regularity Stages | 109 | 24, 15, 540, 50 km long |
| Total distance | 249 | |
| First car due at finish of day | 16:00 hrs |
Day 4 – Wednesday 30 March
A latish start (1030 hrs) on this short day of only 155 kilometres with yet another three sections prior to lunch, at Carcoar. Two of these sections are great regularity stages on smooth and fast closed shire roads, running again immediately behind the last of the rally crews.
A section after lunch will then take the field back to Orange.
| Start | 1030 hrs | |
| Number of Regularity Stages | 4 | |
| Total length of Regularity Stages | 75 km | 34, 13, 8, 20 km long |
| Total distance | 153 km | |
| First car due at finish of day | 1500 hrs |
Day 5 – Thursday 31 March
After the Wednesday hump, crews are on the downside of the 7 day event for Thursday. Four regularity stages are planned for Thursday with a lunch break at the gold mining town of Sofala. Two sections will be conducted before lunch, one of them the fabulous ‘Razorback’ closed shire road.
After lunch there will be another two shire road sections on the way to the Motorsport Mecca of Bathurst. The end of day will be early (at 1320 hrs) and the finish will be in the paddock area at the Mt Panorama Motor Racing Circuit.
| Start | 1000 hrs | |
| Number of Regularity Stages | 4 | |
| Total length of Regularity Stages | 90 km | 41, 27, 10, 7 km long |
| Total distance | 170 km | |
| First car due at finish of day | 1320 hrs |
Day 6 – Friday 1 April
Friday starts with a run around the famous Mt Panorama Motor Racing Circuit.
Then the fun continues with four regularity sections, all before lunch, using some of the twisty and undulating bitumen roads and then some fabulous rally stages in magical pine forest country to the south of Bathurst. Lunch will be at Black Springs and the return to Mt Panorama at about 1600 hrs.
| Start | 1015 hrs | |
| Number of Regularity Stages | 4 | |
| Total length of Regularity Stages | 120 km | 50, 27, 22, 23 kms long |
| Total distance | 250 km | |
| First car due at finish of day | 1500 hrs |
Day 7 – Saturday 2 April
On Saturday, the Fat Lady Sings! And it’s not over until she does her thing. A short day with the traditional sting in the tail!
After taking in a regularity section in the Sunny Corner Forest crews will take on the Fat Lady Sings (a shire road special stage) and be clear of the section before the classic competition has its turn. There is no lunch break today as the finish of the Classic Outback Trial will be outside the Bathurst Regional Council offices from 1300 hrs.
The event media and publicity crews will be in action at the finish recoding every crew on their final pass under the finish arch, before the celebrations commence!
| Start | 0930 hrs | |
| Number of Regularity Stages | 2 | |
| Total length of Regularity Stages | 41 km | 24, 17 km long |
| Total distance | 107 km | |
| First car due at finish of day | 1230 hrs |
At the days end, the traditional celebration dinner and prize giving ceremonies will be held at the functions rooms above the garages along Pit Straight at the famous Mt Panorama Race Circuit, commencing at 1830 hrs
