When things go wrong
June 2, 2021
A discussion of the legendary quality (?) of Lucas Electrics came up in a forum devoted to rally nostalgia. I had to admit that at one time I'd been so desperate that I'd hoped to use their services to fix an electrical problem.
I set out to do one of my first rallies at Baradine in NSW. For those unfamiliar with NSW geography it's north of Coonabarabran, over 500 km from where I was living at the time and is a candidate for a town in the Middle Of Nowhere Shire. About 15 km outside Baradine the alternator in the Cortina died. As I wasn't about to do a night-time rally without it we withdrew as soon as we got to the rally organisers. To fill in the evening we went to the Baradine RSL Club where a progressive barn dance was happening. Word of our misfortune had obviously spread because every one of the local ladies I danced with mentioned how far I had come and how disappointed I must be. I kept smiling, just to be polite. I have a Baradine RSL middy glass as a souvenir.
It was the Easter weekend so there was no chance of getting an electrician to fix anything but all hope was not lost. I was scheduled to do my usual on-track commentary at the car races at Bathurst on the Monday, so all I had to do was get there. Lucas had had a presence in the pits at every race meeting since forever and I had a few favours I could pull.
We managed to get the battery charged up and set off, making it to Wellington before it got too dark to drive without lights. All accommodation in the town was booked out because of a NSW championship lawn bowls tournament and the lies I had to tell to get a couple of family members chucked out of their beds in a hotel will be a story for another day.
Next morning we were able to get the battery on a charger and have enough sparks to get to Bathurst.
Where, for the first time in anyone's memory, Lucas had decided to stay home. I believe I called them some rude names.
