The Alpine Rally of East Gippsland is fast approaching and is need of volunteers to help ensure one of the oldest surviving motor sport events in the world runs smoothly.

Organised by the Historic Rally Association, the rally takes competitors through stages around East Gippsland from November 28 to December 3.

Car rallies rely on large numbers of volunteers to assist with the event running. Activities that volunteers carry out include road closures, timing controls, spectator marshalling, administration, logistics, competitor liaisons and more.

The rally requires more than 300 volunteers to make the event run. Many of the officials are Melbourne based.

“I think it would be great to see more people from the East Gippsland area get involved in rallying. Volunteering your time as an official is a great way to become involved in the sport,” competitor, Deborah Saltmarsh, said.

Volunteers don’t need to have previous experience as an official at the rally and will be teamed up with other experienced officials at control points and road closures.

“You get your own private spectator point,” Tim Sullivan, who competes alongside Deborah, his co-driver, in a Suzuki Swift, said.

“I started volunteering as an official doing road closures, then progressed to start and finish timing controls.

“As a teenager we used to go to trials and rallies all over the state. It was a great way to see and visit different parts of Victoria, including places off the beaten track.

“I found it beneficial volunteering and organising events. I think it helped me broaden my skills and experiences when I entered the workforce. I recommend it to anyone wanting to add some vocational work experience to their resume.”

Contact event secretary, Dee Knight, or clerk of course, Owen Polanski, to volunteer. Their details are available at the Advertiser office.

Most people start off their rally career in club events that are held over a single day, but not Deborah.

“Motor rallying has always been on my bucket list. The 2015 Alpine Rally of East Gippsland was my first motor rally,” Deborah said.

“Why not jump in the deep end and compete in one of the world’s longest running motor rallies? I teamed up with Tim and we did a practice run through the forest (at normal road speed) to see if I could read the route-instruction notes, calculate distances between intersections, keep timing records and not suffer from motion sickness while bouncing around in a car on bumpy dirt roads.”

“Tim had not competed in a motor rally for over 20 years and he was prepared to take it quite easy. Our starting position was car88andbytheendofthe event we had overtaken 69 (in aggregate time) to finish 19th outright from 115 cars that started the event.

“I had a great time. Co-driving is demanding. It requires lots of concentration to ensure we turn the correct direction at intersections, slow down for hazards that can damage the car and keep our position in the running order without gaining any time penalties.

“I was exhausted and excited, having completed a three-day rally. It takes so much concentration the whole time. I’ m now hooked on rallying.”

When asked what is need from a co-driver to be successful in motor rallying, Deborah responded “it takes someone who is not affected by motion sickness and can multitask while bouncing around in a car”.

“It was a complete surprise that we finished in the top 20 in the little 1986 Suzuki Swift GTI Mk1. Getting to the end of an Alpine Rally is an achievement,” she said.

“We were totally unaware that we had also won the prestigious clubman award in “C” grade for crews that are not nationally recognised in “A” or “B” grade,” Tim said.

Deborah has now competed in six rallies, ranging from club level events to alpine rallies. This year’s event will be her third Alpine Rally of East Gippsland.

“I’m looking forward to coming back here at the end of November to compete in the rally. It’s nice coming down here to Lakes Entrance. It is a beautiful place and we have been back here for holidays when the rally hasn’t been on,” Deborah said.

Tim is also looking forward to returning to the region.

“It is great to get back into rallying after a long break from the sport. I competed in the Alpine Rally back in the early 1990s when the event was a round of the Australia Rally Championship,” Tim said.

Tim and his then co-driver, Tony Borg, gained notoriety as a dynamic duo, outperforming the much-fancied manufacturer supported Hyundai and Daihatsu teams.

“It was a great time in rallying. A private team beating the factory teams. We used to go flat out all the time,” Tim said.

“The Alpine Rally today is much different to those events. It is much more relaxed. It’s about enjoying driving quickly along closed dirt roads and getting to the end of the rally.”

PICTURED: Tim Sullivan and Deborah Saltmarsh, who have competed in the last two Alpine Rally of East Gippsland together, were greeted by Shane Davies at Bruces Track in the 2017 edition of the rally. The pair are advocating for more locals to volunteer during this year’s rally.