1968 London–Sydney Marathon

The 1968 London–Sydney Marathon, officially Daily Express-Daily Telegraph London-Sydney Marathon was the first running of the London-Sydney Marathon. The rally took place between the 24th of November and the 17th of December 1968. The event covered 10,373 miles (16,694 km) through Europe, Middle East , Asia and Australia. It was won by Andrew Cowan, Colin Malkin and Brian Coyle, driving a Hillman Hunter.

1968 London-Sydney Marathon Daily Express-Daily Telegraph London-Sydney Marathon
Host country	United Kingdom Australia
Rally base	London Sydney
Dates run	24 November – 17 December 1968
Stages	31
Stage surface	Tarmac and Gravel
Overall distance	16,694 km (10,373 miles)
Statistics
Crews	98 at start, 56 at finish
Overall results
Overall winner	Andrew Cowan Colin Malkin Brian Coyle Rootes Group

Background

The original Marathon was the result of a lunch in late 1967, during a period of despondency in Britain caused by the devaluation of the British pound. Sir Max Aitken, proprietor of the Daily Express, and two of his editorial executives, Jocelyn Stevens and Tommy Sopwith, decided to create an event which their newspaper could sponsor, and which would serve to raise the country's spirits. Such an event would, it was felt, act as a showcase for British engineering and would boost export sales in the countries through which it passed.

The initial UK£10,000 winner's prize offered by the Daily Express was soon joined by a £3,000 runners-up award and two £2,000 prizes for the third-placed team and for the highest-placed Australians, all of which were underwritten by the Daily Telegraph newspaper and its proprietor Sir Frank Packer, who was eager to promote the Antipodean leg of the rally.

The route

An eight-man organising committee was established to create a suitably challenging but navigable route. Jack Sears, organising secretary and himself a former racing driver, plotted a 7,000-mile course covering eleven countries in as many days, and arranged that the P&O liner SS Chusan would ferry the first 72 cars and their crews on the nine-day voyage from India, before the final 2,900 miles across Australia:

Europe and Asia
Leg	Date	Start	Finish	Allowed time	Description
1	24–25 November	London	Paris	12h 32m	2300hrs depart Crystal Palace, London; 0400hrs depart England at Dover on the cross-channel ferry to France; 1132hrs arrive Le Bourget Airport, Paris.
2	25–26 November	Paris	Turin	13h 32m	To Italy via the Mont Blanc Tunnel; 0052hrs arrive Turin.
3	26 November	Turin	Belgrade	21h 12m	Autostrada towards Venice before crossing into Yugoslavia; 2204hrs arrive Belgrade.
4	26–27 November	Belgrade	Istanbul	15h 31m	Through Bulgaria by night into Turkey; 1335hrs arrive Istanbul.
5	27–28 November	Istanbul	Sivas	12h 25m	Crossing the Bosphorus by ferry, through Ankara and the Bolu Pass; 0300hrs arrive Sivas.
6	28 November	Sivas	Erzincan	2h 45m	Heading east across unsurfaced roads; 0445hrs Erzincan.
7	28–29 November	Erzincan	Tehran	22h 01m	Cross border into Iran; 0246hrs arrive Tehran.
8	29–30 November	Tehran	Kabul	23h 33m	Follow one of two routes to Islam Qala in Afghanistan, either the northerly route across the Alburz Mountains skirting the southern shores of the Caspian Sea, or the shorter but more treacherous route along the north edge of the Great Salt Desert; 0219hrs arrive Kabul, where timeous crews can enjoy a 6.5 hour rest before the Khyber Pass opens.
9	30 November	Kabul	Sarobi	1h 00m	0842hrs depart Kabul across an obsolete, loose-surfaced road through the Lataband Pass; 0942hrs arrive Sarobi.
10	30 November – 1 December	Sarobi	Delhi	17h 55m	Cross Pakistan in a day into India; 0337hrs arrive Delhi.
11	1–2 December	Delhi	Bombay	22h 51m	Pass through Agra and Indore; 0228hrs arrive Bombay.

The remaining crews departed Bombay at 3 am on Thursday 5 December, arriving in Fremantle at 10 am on Friday 13 December before they restarted in Perth the following evening. Any repairs attempted on the car during the voyage would lead to the crew's exclusion.

Australia
Leg	Date	Start	Finish	Allowed time	Description
12	14–15 December	Perth	Youanmi	7h 00m	Depart 1800hrs from Gloucester Park, traversing smooth but unsurfaced road; 0100hrs arrive deserted mining town of Youanmi.
13	15 December	Youanmi	Marvel Loch	4h 03m	Through semi-desert via Diemal to asphalt road at Bullfinch; 0503hrs arrive Marvel Loch.
14	15 December	Marvel Loch	Lake King	1h 59m	Into the Nullarbor Desert; 0702hrs arrive Lake King (crossroads).
15	15 December	Lake King	Ceduna	14h 52m	2154hrs arrive Ceduna.
16	15–16 December	Ceduna	Quorn	6h 18m	0412hrs arrive Quorn.
17	16 December	Quorn	Moralana Creek	1h 17m	0529hrs arrive Moralana Creek.
18	16 December	Moralana Creek	Brachina	1h 30m	0659hrs arrive Brachina.
19	16 December	Brachina	Mingary	4h 10m	1109hrs arrive Mingary.
20	16 December	Mingary	Menindee	2h 12m	1329hrs arrive Menindee.
21	16 December	Menindee	Gunbar	5h 18m	1839hrs arrive Gunbar.
22	16 December	Gunbar	Edi	4h 26m	2305hrs arrive Edi.
23	16–17 December	Edi	Brookside	1h 00m	0005hrs arrive Brookside.
24	17 December	Brookside	Omeo	1h 55m	0200hrs arrive Omeo.
25	17 December	Omeo	Murrindal	2h 06m	0406hrs arrive Murrindal.
26	17 December	Murrindal	Ingebyra	1h 31m	0537hrs arrive Ingebyra.
27	17 December	Ingebyra	Numeralla	1h 29m	0706hrs arrive Numeralla.
28	17 December	Numeralla	Hindmarsh Station	0h 42m	0748hrs arrive Hindmarsh Station.
29	17 December	Hindmarsh Station	Nowra	2h 01m	0949hrs arrive Nowra.
30	17 December	Nowra	Warwick Farm	3h 30m	1319hrs arrive Warwick Farm.
31	18 December	Warwick Farm	Sydney		Arrive in procession, Sydney.

Rally summary

The winning Hillman Hunter which was crewed by Andrew Cowan, Colin Malkin and Brian Coyle

1968 Austin 1800 London-Sydney Marathon Car - Second Place #51 driven by Paddy Hopkirk with 1970 Austin Maxi from 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally

The Ford XT Falcon GT (Australian model) which placed 3rd in the 1968 Marathon

Lucien Bianchi - winner of 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans and leader of the Marathon until Nowra

The Ford Taunus 20m RS of Gilbert Staepelaere and Simo Lampinen placed 16th.

Roger Clark established an early lead through the first genuinely treacherous leg, from Sivas to Erzincan in Turkey, averaging almost 60 mph in his Lotus Cortina for the 170-mile stage. Despite losing time in Pakistan and India, he maintained his lead to the end of the Asian section in Bombay, with Simo Lampinen's Ford Taunus second and Lucien Bianchi's DS21 in third.

However, once into Australia, Clark suffered several setbacks. A piston failure dropped him to third, and would have cost him a finish had he not been able to cannibalise fellow Ford Motor Company driver Eric Jackson's car for parts. After repairs were effected, he suffered what should have been a terminal rear differential failure. Encountering a Cortina by the roadside, he persuaded the initially reluctant owner to sell his rear axle and resumed once more, although at the cost of 80 minutes' delay while it was replaced.

This left Lucien Bianchi and co-driver Jean-Claude Ogier in the Citroën DS in the lead ahead of Gilbert Staepelaere/Simo Lampinen in the German Ford Taunus, with Andrew Cowan in the Hillman Hunter 3rd. Then Staepelaere's Taunus hit a gate post, breaking a track rod. This left Cowan in second position and Paddy Hopkirk's Austin 1800 in third place.

Approaching the Nowra checkpoint at the end of the penultimate stage with only 98 miles (158 km) to Sydney, the leading Frenchmen were involved in a head-on collision with a motorist who mistakenly entered a closed course, wrecking their Citroën DS and hospitalising the pair.

Hopkirk, the first driver on the scene (ahead of Cowan on the road, but behind on penalties) stopped to tend to the injured and extinguish the flames in the burning cars. Andrew Cowan, next on the scene, also slowed but was waved through with the message that everything was under control. Hopkirk rejoined the rally, and neither he nor Cowan lost penalties in this stage. So Andrew Cowan, who had requested "a car to come last" from the Chrysler factory on the assumption that only half a dozen drivers would even reach Sydney, took victory in his Hillman Hunter and claimed the £10,000 prize. Hopkirk finished second, while Australian Ian Vaughan was third in a factory-entered Ford XT Falcon GT. Ford Australia won the Teams' Prize with their three Falcons GTs, placing 3rd, 6th and 8th.

Results

Pos	No	Entrant	Drivers	Car	Penalties (Points)
1	75	Rootes Motors Group	Andrew Cowan Colin Malkin Brian Coyle	Hillman Hunter	50
2	51	British Leyland Cars	Paddy Hopkirk Tony Nash Alec Poole	BMC Austin 1800	56
3	24	Ford Motor Company of Australia	Ian Vaughan Robert Forsyth Jack Ellis	Ford Falcon XT GT	62
4	58	Sobiesław Zasada	Sobiesław Zasada Marek Wachowski	Porsche 911S	63
5	61	British Leyland Cars	Rauno Aaltonen Henry Liddon Paul Easter	BMC Austin 1800	68
6	29	Ford Motor Company of Australia	Bruce Hodgson Doug Rutherford	Ford Falcon XT GT	70
7	92	Ford Werke Deutschland AG	Herbert Kleint Günther Klapproth	Ford Taunus 20M RS	91
8	2	Ford Motor Company of Australia	Harry Firth Graham Hoinville Gary Chapman	Ford Falcon XT GT	114
9	74	Citroën Cars	Robert Neyret Jacques Terramorsi	Citroën DS 21	123
10	48	Ford Motor Company Limited	Roger Clark Ove Andersson	Ford Cortina Lotus Mark II	144
11	12	TVW-7, Daily News, Perth	Ken Tubman Jack Forrest	Volvo 144S	146
12	76	Sydney Telegraph-Holden Dealer Rally Team	Barry Ferguson Doug Chivas Dave Johnson	Holden Monaro HK GTS 327	169
13	43	AMOCO Australia Limited	Andre Welinski Gerry Lister	Volvo 144S	171
14	68	Sydney Telegraph-Holden Dealer Rally Team	Doug Whiteford Eddie Perkins Jim Hawker	Holden Monaro HK GTS 327	173
15	55	E.G. Herrmann	Edgar Herrmann Hans Schüller	Porsche 911T	195
16	57	Ford Werke Deutschland AG	Gilbert Staepelaere Simo Lampinen	Ford Taunus 20M RS	206
17	30	Dutch National Team	Rob Slotemaker Rob Janssen	DAF 55	208
18	32	Captain F. Barker	Capt. Fred Barker Capt. David Dollar Capt. John Lewis	Mercedes-Benz 280S	264
19	64	Red Arrows-Evan Cook Limited	Flight Lt. Terry Kingsley Flight Lt. Derek Bell Flight Lt. Peter Evans	BMC Austin 1800	266
20	19	Avtoexport	Sergei Tenishev Valentin Kislyh	Moskvitch 408	269
21	31	BMC Australia	Evan Green Jack 'Gelignite' Murray George Shepheard	BMC Austin 1800	332
22	98	Avtoexport	Uno Aava Jurij Lesovski	Moskvitch 408	358
23	1	RTS Motorway Remoulds	Bill Bengry Arthur Brick John Preddy	Ford Cortina GT Mark II	360
24	4	British Leyland Cars	Tony Fall Mike Wood Brian Culcheth	BMC Austin 1800	430
25	56	A.J. Percy	Alister Percy Jeremy Delmar-Morgan	Saab 95 V4 Estate	438
26	62	Desmond Praznovsky	Desmond Praznovsky Stan Zovko Ian Inglis	Mercedes-Benz 200D	455
27	83	Kentredder (Ireland) Limited	John Cotton Sylvia Kay Paddy McClintock	Peugeot 404	470
28	71	Vantona Eyeware Limited	Brian Field Des Tilley David Jones	BMC Austin 1800	570
29	72	Ernie McMillen	Ernie McMillen John L'Amie Ian Drysdale	Ford Cortina Lotus Mark II	587
30	90	British Army Motoring Association-Ford Motor Co.	Capt. David Harrison Lt. Martin Proudlock	Ford Cortina Lotus Mark II	623
31	17	Royal Navy	Capt. James Hans Hamilton Capt. Ian Lees-Spalding Cmdr. Philip Stearns	BMC Austin 1800	656
32	45	RAF Motorsport Association-Rootes Motors	Flight Lt. David Carrington Squadron Ldr. Anthony King Flight Lt. John Jones	Hillman Hunter	715
33	7	Avtoexport	Alexander Ipatenko Alexander Terehin Eduard Bazhenov	Moskvitch 408	776
34	70	Wilson's Motor Caravan Centre	Anthony Wilson Francis McDonnell Colin Taylor	BMC Austin 1800	816
35	60	Terry-Thomas Team	Peter Capelin Antony Pargeter Tim Baker	Ford Cortina 1600E Mark II	873
36	77	Big 'N' Cash & Carry Group	Robert Eaves John Vipond Frank Bainbridge	BMC Austin 1800	873
37	54	British Army Motoring Association	Maj. John Hemsley WO1 Frank Webber	Rover 2000 TC	894
38	20	Avtoexport	Victor Schavelev Emmanuil 'Misha' Lifshits Valerij Shirotchenkov	Moskvitch 408	942
39	18	M.A. Colvill	Mike Greenwood Dave Aldridge	Ford Cortina Mark I	1,075
40	46	Simca Motors	Bernard Heu Jean-Claude Syda	Simca 1100	1,658
41	33	Miss Elsie Gadd	Elsie Gadd Jenny Tudor-Owen Sheila Kemp Anthea Castell	Volvo 145S Estate	2,399
42	47	Nova Magazine	Jean Denton Tom Boyce	MG MGB	2,408
43	11	Blick Racing Team	Fritz Reust P. Grazter Axel Béguin	Renault 16 TS	2,491
44	44	British Army Motoring Association	Maj. Mike Bailey Maj. Freddie Preston	Rover 2000 TC	2,848
45	78	Supersport Engines Limited	Jim Gavin John Maclay Martin Maudling	Ford Escort GT	3,665
46	53	S.H. Dickson	Sidney Dickson John Saladin Jerry Sims	Rambler American	3,746
47	42	P.G. Graham	Peter Graham Leslie Morrish Michael Wooley	Ford Cortina Savage V6	5,925
48	93	Henry Ford and Son	Rosemary Smith Lucette Pointet	Ford Cortina Lotus Mark II	6,139
49	99	17th/21st Lancers	Lt. Gavin Thompson Lt. Christopher Marriott Cpl. Charles Skelton Tpr. Melvin Lewis	Land Rover 2WD	6,787
50	41	Sydney Telegraph	Eileen Westley Marion 'Minny' Macdonald Jenny Gates	Morris 1100 S	8,111
51	79	P.A. Downs	Pat Downs Anthony Downs	Volkswagen 1200	9,603
52	40	Jim Russell Drivers' School	David Walker Brian Jones Doug Morris	Vauxhall Ventora	9,775
53	82	D.G. Bray	Duncan Bray Simon Sladen Peter Sugden	Ford Cortina Lotus Mark II	11,465
54	91	Maitland Motors	Bert Madden Jack 'Milko' Murray John Bryson	Holden HK Belmont Automatic	11,646
55	8	AMOCO Australia Limited	Max Winkless John Keran	Volvo 144S	13,350
56	69	Dutch National Team	David van Lennep Peter Hissink	DAF 55	13,790
DNF	87	Citroën Cars	Lucien Bianchi Jean-Claude Ogier	Citroën DS 21	Retired-TC29 Nowra
DNF	89	Longlife Group	Robin Clark Martin Pearson Peter Hall	Ford Cortina Mark II	Retired-TC28 Hindmarsh
DNF	52	John Sprinzel	John Sprinzel Roy Fidler	MG Midget	Retired-TC21 Gunbar
DNF	36	Sydney Telegraph-Holden Dealer Rally Team	David McKay George Reynolds David Liddle	Holden Monaro HK GTS 327	Retired-TC20 Menindee
DNF	94	Automobile Club de France-Citroën Cars	Jean-Louis Lemerle Olivier Turcat Patrick Vanson	Citroën DS 21	Retired-TC19 Mingary
DNF	10	Royal Green Jackets	George Yannaghas Lt. Jack Dill	Porsche 911T	Retired-TC19 Mingary
DNF	3	Avon-RAF Motorsport Association	First Officer Nigel Coleman Flight Lt. Allan Dalgleish Flight Lt. Sean Moloney	Ford Cortina GT Mark II	Retired-TC19 Mingary
DNF	95	Nobuo Koga	Nobuo Koga Yojiro Terada Kazuhiko Mitsumoto	Vauxhall Viva GT	Retired-TC18 Brachina
DNF	28	A.N. Gorshenin	Alec Gorshenin Ian Bryson	Mercedes-Benz 280SL	Retired-TC18 Brachina
DNF	100	Simca Motors	Pierre Boucher Georges Houel	Simca 1100	Retired-TC17 Moralana
DNF	27	Frank Goulden	Frank Goulden Barry Goulden Geoffrey Goulden	Triumph 2000 Mark I	Retired-TC17 Moralana
DNF	73	Ford Motor Company Limited	Eric Jackson Ken Chambers	Ford Cortina Lotus Mark II	Retired-TC16 Quorn
DNF	26	M.J.C. Taylor	Michael Taylor Innes Ireland Andrew Hedges	Mercedes-Benz 280SE	Retired-TC16 Quorn
DNF	13	J.G. Tallis	John Tallis Paul Coltelloni	Volvo 123GT	Retired-TC14 Lake King
DNF	25	Chesson Lydden Circuit-La Trobe Brafield Stadium	John La Trobe William Chesson G. Warner	Volvo 122S	Retired-TC14 Lake King
DNF	6	Combined Insurance Company of America	Clyde Hodgins Don Wait Brian Lawler	Ford Fairmont XP	Retired-TC14 Lake King
DNF	88	Simca Motors	Roger Masson Jean Py	Simca 1100	Retired-TC11 Bombay
DNF	9	A.A. Bombelli	Alfredo 'Freddy' Bombelli Tom Belsø	Ford Cortina Lotus Mark II	Retired-TC11 Bombay
DNF	34	Keith Brierley	Keith Brierley Dave Skittrall	Ford Cortina Lotus Mark II	Retired-TC11 Bombay
DNF	63	AMOCO Australia Limited	Bob Holden Laurie Graham	Volvo 142S	Retired-TC10 Delhi
DNF	96	Ronald Rogers	Ronald Rogers Alec Sheppard	Ford Cortina 1600E Mark II	Retired-TC10 Delhi
DNF	66	T.E. Buckingham	T. Buckingham J. Lloyd D. Hackleton	Ford Cortina GT Mark II	Retired-TC9 Sarobi
DNF	14	Ford Werke Deutschland AG	Dieter Glemser Martin Braungart	Ford Taunus 20M RS	Retired-TC8 Kabul
DNF	39	Addison Motors	Stewart McLeod Jack Lock Tony Theiler	Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlina	Retired-TC8 Kabul
DNF	59	Porsche Cars GB Limited	Terry Hunter John Davenport	Porsche 911S	Retired-TC8 Kabul
DNF	22	Giancarlo Baghetti	Giancarlo Baghetti Giorgio Bassi	Lancia Fulvia Rallye 1.3 HF	Retired-TC8 Kabul
DNF	21	Hillcrest Motor Company	Berwyn Williams Martin Thomas Barry Hughes	BMC Austin 1800	Retired-TC8 Kabul
DNF	86	Pan Australian Unit Trust-Southern Cross Management	Colin Forsyth Robbie Uniacke James Rich	BMW 2000	Retired-TC8 Kabul
DNF	23	P.R.H. Wilson	Peter Wilson Ian Mackelden Keith Dwyer D. Maxwell	Ford Corsair 2000E	Retired-TC8 Kabul
DNF	35	R.A. Buchanan-Michaelson	Robert 'Bobby' Buchanan-Michaelson David Seigle-Morris Max Stahl	Mercedes-Benz 280SE	Retired-TC8 Kabul
DNF	81	Dr. Bomsi Wadia	Bomsi Wadia K. Tarmaster F. Kaka	Ford Cortina GT Mark II	Retired-TC8 Kabul
DNF	50	Ford Motor Company Limited	Nick Brittan Jenny Brittan	Ford Cortina Lotus Mark II	Retired-TC8 Kabul
DNF	97	Lunwin Products Pty. Ltd.	Reg Lunn Clive Tippett Jack Hall	Ford Falcon XT GT	Retired-TC7 Tehran
DNF	15	G.P. Franklin	Geoffrey Franklin Kim Brassington	Ford Cortina GT Mark I	Retired-TC7 Tehran
DNF	65	Hydraulic Machinery (GB) Limited	Graham White John Jeffcoat David Dunnell	BMC Austin 1800	Retired-TC7 Tehran
DNF	84	C.K.W. Schellenberg	Keith Schellenberg Norman Barclay Hon. Patrick Lindsay	Bentley 1930 Sports Tourer	Retired-TC6 Erzincan
DNF	5	Redge Lewis	Peter Lumsden Peter Sargent Redge Lewis John Fenton	Chrysler Valiant VE Safari Estate	Retired-TC5 Sivas
DNF	37	W.D. Cresdee	Dennis Cresdee Bob Freeborough Johnstone Syer	BMC Austin 1300 Countryman	Retired-TC5 Sivas
DNF	38	Ford Motor Company Limited	Bengt Söderström Gunnar Palm	Ford Cortina Lotus Mark II	Retired-TC5 Sivas
DNF	85	Tecalemit Limited	Peter Harper David Pollard	Ford Cortina Lotus Mark II	Retired-TC5 Sivas
DNF	16	D.A. Corbett	David Corbett Geoffrey Mabbs Tom Fisk	BMC Austin 1800	Retired-TC3 Belgrade
DNF	67	C.J. Woodley	Cecil Woodley Steven Green Richard Cullingford	Vauxhall Ventora	Retired-TC3 Belgrade
Source:

References

Bibliography

• Brittan, Nick (1969). Marathon: Around the World in a Cloud of Dust. London: Motor Racing Publications. OCLC 155832111.
• Connor, Robert (2016). The 1968 London to Sydney Marathon: A History of the 10,000 Mile Endurance Rally. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7864-9586-3.
• Cowan, Andrew (1969). Why Finish Last? The story behind the London-Sydney Marathon. London: Queen Anne Press. ISBN 0362000522.
• Hopkirk, Paddy (1969). The Longest Drive of All: Paddy Hopkirk's story of the London - Sydney motor rally. London: G. Chapman. ISBN 0225488604.
• Ireland, Innes (1970). Marathon in the Dust. London: Kimber. ISBN 0718300726.
• McKay, David H; Smailes, John (1970). The Bright Eyes of Danger: London-Sydney Marathon, 1968. Sydney: Shakespeare Head Press. ISBN 0855580011.
• Smailes, John (2019). Race Across the World: The Incredible Story of the World's Greatest Road Race - the 1968 London to Sydney Marathon. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 9781760876951.
• Smith, E Alan (1968). Daily Express London-Sydney Marathon. London: Beaverbrook Newspapers. OCLC 220674331.
• Van Geffem, Wim; Meurikken, Peter (1968). London-Sydney Marathon. Bussum, Netherlands: Teleboek. OCLC 39531781.
• Vandersyde, Rhys (4 January 2020). "London to Sydney Marathon: Race of Ages". Auto Action. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
• Daily Express, Daily Telegraph, London-Sydney Marathon: official souvenir. Sydney: Australian Consolidated Press. 1968. OCLC 223374469.