REAR WHEEL BRAKE RALLY Words and photos Mike Milne
At Halswell Domain 17 cars meet for the start of the rally on a sunny autumn day. The drivers’ briefing was short, and the rally rules were explained, only turn left. This was the law for the day, in history there have been some interesting laws made. In the United Kingdom, there was a policy requiring self-propelled vehicles to be led by a pedestrian waving a red flag or carrying a lantern to warn bystanders of the vehicle›s approach. In particular The Locomotive Act 1865, also known as Red Flag Act. In the United States, the state of Vermont passed a similar Red Flag Law in 1894, only to repeal it two years later. The law required all motorists piloting their “horseless carriages”, upon chance encounters with cattle or livestock to: 1 immediately stop the vehicle, 2 “immediately and as rapidly as possible ... disassemble the automobile”, and 3 conceal the various components out of sight, behind nearby bushes» until equestrian or livestock is sufficiently pacified. … and we think we live in crazy times!
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Cars left the domain, turning left with the route taking cars through Halswell, Lincoln onto Waterholes Road crossing over the new overbridge before heading towards West Melton and finally ending up at Cutler Park for lunch. There was a great spread of vehicles and brands with only a couple of minor technical issues to deal with, A dyslexic Model T and a Morris with a fuel problem. The rally was approximately 45miles with the long run being abandoned due to the extensive road works that had popped up after the planning had been done. All entrants were allowed to turn left and right on the way home. Thanks to all that entered.
