It is not clear if the Banjo remained with the cars for the round up of the winners and the deciding race to Ballarat. The following was published in The Evening News 7 March 1905. A second trial occurred in the November of 1905. It received some coverage in The Evening News, however I think it unlikely that the race was covered by the Banjo. In my next post on this race I will list a retrospective by the Banjo published in the Sydney Morning Herald, with the subtitle ‘Epic of Martyrdom’, given his opinion I think it unlikely he would have been putting his hand up for the November rerun.
THE DUNLOP MOTOR RELIABILITY TRIAL.
The run off of the ties in the motor contest took place from Melbourne to Ballarat and back yesterday, and resulted in a win in the heavy car class for Mr. Tarrant, who drove a Scotch car, the Argyll; in the light car class, Craven won, with a De Dion car; and in the motor cycles B. James, riding a Minerva, won from Gard.
Stevens was the hero of the Sydney to Melbourne trial, and got full marks each day, besides making by a long way the fastest running time on that long trip; but in yesterday's run-off the knocking about to which he subjected his Darracq car on the Sydney to Melbourne, trip told its, and he broke down, and retired from the contest. He is agent In Melbourne for the Darracq (France) cars, and Tarrant is agent for the De Dion and Argylls. So that in the heavy car class it was a trial not, only between rival cars, but between rival agents.
If Stevens had not driven so hard from Sydney to Melbourne, he might have won the run-off, but the Argyll cars seem to be very reliable, and it is quite likely that the test has resulted in discovering the absolute best road car, which was the object aimed at. Stevens proved himself the best, or at any rate the most daring, driver, but the competition was not started to bring out drivers, but to test the steady endurance of cars under road conditions. All the way from Sydney to Melbourne, the two Argyll cars gave no trouble, and showed no signs of strain or wear, and their win is certainly well deserved.
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| 'Tarrant No 6 / 2 cyl 10 h.p. which won the 1905 Dunlop. / Reliability Trial -Melbourne to Sydney & back. / People illustrated from l to rt. Mr Joe Tarrant / Manager, Accessory Dept, at the wheel Capt / Harley Tarrant, with his wife & daughter. / Car price £375 (Photo:W.Stuart Ross)' Source: Museums Victoria Collections https://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/items/1720841 Accessed 25 February 2018 |
Advertising that emerged from the event
The Dunlop Motor Reliability Trial became a badge of honour for the participating vehicles, tyres and fuel suppliers. Below is a small sample of the advertising from 1905 which capitalised on participation in the event.
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| Source: Advertising (1905, March 23). Punch (Melbourne, Vic. : 1900 - 1918; 1925), p. 30. Retrieved February 25, 2018, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article175408926 |
References
[1] THE DUNLOP MOTOR RELIABILITY TRIAL. (1905, March 7). Evening News (Sydney, NSW : 1869 - 1931), p. 6. Retrieved December 6, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article112747617
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