Outback dirt tracks may not be everybody’s cup of tea but Trevor Twyford and his Bundaberg Great Endeavour Rally team Tru Blu keep going back for more.
With ten Great Endeavour Rallies under their belts, they are seasoned veterans of the remote countryside.
But Trevor said it wasn’t an easy challenge.
Driving on cattle properties and rugged off-road tracks can be difficult at the best of times but the Tru Blu team don’t have the luxury of four-wheel drive.
“It’s all four-wheel drive country but we do it in a two-wheel drive,” Trevor said.
“We have no power steering and no air conditioning.”
Tru Blu takes on the Great Endeavour Rally
Tru Blu’s car is a pre-1985 V8, two-wheel drive which, because of its age and lack of four-wheel status, gains the team more points on the timed rally.
“The car has to have a lot of preparation, you just can’t race into the outback with no preparation, its heavily modified.”
Carrying all the required recovery equipment is compulsory but Tru Blu has never had to use it.
“We have been stuck once only, in a creek bed.
“I think the driver at the time might not have been skilled as he should have been,” he said with a smile.
While it’s a tough trip Trevor said he wouldn’t give it up for the world.
“I’ve been a motor mechanic all my life, so you’ve got it in your blood, it’s good fun.”
The Great Endeavour Rally is held as a fundraiser to support people with disabilities.
“We fundraise firstly then prepare cars and at the end we do the rally.”
Since the Tru Blu team came together in 2009 they have raised $130,000.
Trevor said the primary reason he does the rally was to raise money for people with disabilities, but that didn’t stop him having plenty of fun!
The Great Endeavour Rally journey
The six to eight day Great Endeavour Rally travels around 4000 kilometres through remote locations with overnight stops.
“On the road we stop at different places where there is a country pub or a school, and everybody spends money there so that’s giving money to the community all the way through,” Trevor said.
“It is a bit daunting especially after the floods, but we also get to see the amazing countryside with gorges, waterfalls and lava tubes.”
He said there were three drivers who took it in turns behind the wheel.
“So you start out in the morning as a driver, an afternoon stint in the back of the car and then navigator.”
The Tru Blu team spend a lot of hours in confined conditions.
“We have a good team, we don’t yell at each other too much!”
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