‘Polish rally ace Sobieslaw Zasada gave it all he had on the Numeralla to Hindmarsh Station stage, and the Porsche responded with the characteristic wail of its air cooled flat six engine. He improved from 9th to 5th place on this stage and ultimately took 4th place in the Marathon.’
The London-Sydney Marathon was run between 24 November and 17 December 1968. A field of 98 cars set out on a route covering 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometres) across Europe and Asia to Bombay, then from Perth to Sydney in Australia. It was the first in a series of epic transcontinental car rallies held in subsequent years, and possibly the most memorable of all. The event was sponsored by the London Daily Express and the Sydney Daily Telegraph and captured the imagination of the world, as the respective newspaper proprietors had hoped.
I was fortunate to be able to witness and photograph the final competitive stage of the event, over rough, unmade roads between Numeralla and Hindmarsh Station in southeastern New South Wales. This stage was designed to be a final, extreme test in order to find a clear winner.’
(Numeralla is a tiny little hamlet in sub-Alpine country not far from Cooma, between the national capital, Canberra and the NSW snowfields areas of Thredbo/Perisher Valley. The final run to Sydney was circa 420Km)
‘The Bianchi/Ogier Citroen was a clear leader on this final competitive stage from Numeralla to Hindmarsh Station. There were only easy transport stages then until the finish in Sydney. The Citroen had excelled on the rough, outback roads of Australia as other competitors, including Roger Clark in a very fast Cortina Lotus, succumbed to mechanical problems.
As it happened, the result was determined on the subsequent, easy transport stage when the leading car, the Citroen DS21 of Lucien Bianchi and Jean Claude Ogier, was put out of the event in a crash with an out of control spectator car. Andrew Cowan/Coyle/Malkin in a Hillman Hunter unexpectedly inherited the lead and won the Marathon. A total of 56 cars reached the finish line in Sydney.’
‘The Hillman Hunter seemed an unlikely contender, but Andrew Cowan had this low budget, works car in second place to Bianchi by the end of the Numeralla to Hindmarsh Station stage. He then simply inherited the lead when Bianchi’s Citroen was cruelly eliminated when it was hit by an out of control spectator car on the following transport stage’.
‘The mighty Zasada/Wachowski Porsche waits to leave at Hindmarsh Station. It finished in 4th place. Its interesting ‘kangaroo catcher’ was never tested.’
Check out Bruce Thomas’ photographs of the rest of the Numeralla to Hindmarsh Stage…
https://www.flickr.com/photos/96982658@N05/sets/72157644193948282/comments/
Nowra Stage and Sydney Finish…
The first part of this article above was uploaded in April 2015.
In September 2018 Rod MacKenzie, a professional photographer whose work I have used many times offered to share the following photographs he took of the Cowan Hillman, crashed Bianchi Citroen and destroyed spectator’s Mini during the Nowra stage.
(R MacKenzie)
(R MacKenzie)
(R MacKenzie)
(R MacKenzie)
(R MacKenzie)
(R MacKenzie)
The final series of photographs are of scenes at the finish in Hyde Park, Sydney.
This is a very familiar place for many Australians- I lived in the CBD very close to this spot for 9 years, it is thrilling to think of the end of the Marathon all those years ago, the excitement of the crowd, the colour, noise. Wonderful evocative shots.
(R MacKenzie)
The Cowan/Coyle/Malkin Hunter above and the crew imbibing some of a sponsors product below- a well earned drop no doubt!
(R MacKenzie)
(R MacKenzie)
Australian Leg of the Marathon Map…
(Stephen Dalton Collection)
Etcetera…
(M Thomas)
The Zasada and Yannachas Porsche 911s at rest in Perth.
Resting place for the public to check out the cars was Gloucester Park trotting track.
(M Thomas)
(M Thomas)
(M Thomas)
(M Thomas)
(L Manton)
British Leyland press photographs…
This series of shots are from the collection of Luke Manton.
The first photo is on the start ramp at Wembley, Graham Hill just to the right of the flag.
(L Manton)
Evan Green, Jack Murray, did Miss World accompany them perhaps?
(L Manton)
(L Manton)
Cooper S and Austin 1800s in build at Abingdon.
(L Manton)
Credits..
Bruce Thomas photos and writing, Rod MacKenzie photos and Stephen Dalton Collection for the maps. Murray Thomas Collection, Luke Manton
Finito…
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