It's nineteen to fifty four. On the Nullerball Plane near the South Australian border. Two men scramble from a burning wreck, just in time to watch their car blow up right in front of their eyes. They risked their lives trying to put out the fire, but it's a lost cause. Fortunately they come away uninjured, but their cross country adventure
is over. Two hundred and forty six cars had set out from Sydney two weeks earlier, attempting one of the most grueling motor racing events in history, except it wasn't exactly a race. The Round Australia Reliability Trial was an eighteen day long distance rally quite literally around Australia, across the roads and rugged terrain.
The goal was to avoid penalties and reach.
The finish line with your car in mostly one piece.
Well.
By the time the flames had extinguished on that exploding citron, less than half of the cars remained. Leading the pack is a man named Jack Murray driving a Ford V eight, who was having an explosive adventure of his own. Hey, I'm Tony Armstrong and welcome to the poolroom. This is where we celebrate the winners, losers and the weird stuff between. When it comes to sporting pursuits, Jack Murray did it all, cycling, wrestling,
water skiing. His success may have varied, but he was the kind of bloke would try anything at least once. He was also pretty eccentric, but we'll get to that. Jack was especially passionate about motor racing in all its forms. He was born in Melbourne and was tinkering with bicycles and cars as early as fourteen years old. In his mid twenties, he moved to Sydney to work as a test driver for Chrysler. Then Jack and his brother set
up a taxi service and mechanic shop in Bondai. It was the nineteen thirties and business was good, but then World War II broke out and Jack found himself serving on a ship in the Pacific. After the war, the brothers continued their business, but Jack also started racing all kinds of cars. He raced at Philip Island and Mount Panorama. His most famous event, though, is the nineteen fifty four Round Australia Reliability Trial.
The trial was unique in the world of motorsport. It took place on open public roads.
Both tarmac and dirt, and there were sixteen stages over two and a half weeks, with more than fifteen thousand kilometers covered. The event would passed through capital cities and remote towns, but the most remarkable part the cars were restricted to everyday vehicles and very few modifications were allowed. The big and bulky cars of the forties and fifties weren't.
Exactly built for rough terrain.
Winning the event was going to take skillful driving and quite a bit of luck. Jack Murray chose his car wisely, a nineteen forty eight Ford V eight. It was Canadian built and the kind of vehicle used as a taxi. Jack bought the black sedan secondhand and spray painted at gray.
It was later dubbed the Gray Ghosts.
He even added personal number plates JM four five six. The imported Ford had some distinct advantages, a strong chassis, a high clearance, and most importantly, hydraulic shock absorbers. The reliability trial began on the third of July, departing from the Sydney Showground. Around five thousand people turned up to see the competitors off two hundred and forty six cars, each with a driver and the navigator. Jack teamed up with experienced racer Bill Murray no relation. He also rocked
up to the starting line wearing a guerrilla mask. I told you he was eccentric. The event was organized by the Australian Sporting Car Club, who also came up with the rules. Instead of a first past the post format, cars had to travel between designated checkpoints within a specified time limit. Teams were handed penalty points for failing to make the time schedule, while a certain amount of where and tear was allowed. Penalties were also given for damage
to the cars. They departed in two minute intervals, the first team leaving around midday and the last car eventually setting.
Off at nine pm.
It was a slow start, with breakdowns and traffic jams delaying the first group of cars.
It was an open road event after all.
They traveled north to Brisbane via Newcastle before winding their way through Bunderberg, Rockhampton, Mackay and Townsville. The first age was nothing but eventful. One team had their Jaguar engine catch fire, only to put it out and continue on their way, and heavy rainfall across Queensland made parts of the journey treacherous. The trial continued day and night. Drivers would catch a few hours of sleep at major checkpoints, then keep going. Occasionally, though they get woken up by
a loud crack. It was Jack Murray throwing explosives out of his car window. You see, sometimes there were obstacles on the back roads, large rocks and stuff, and jelligknite, a type of explosive would be used to clear a path.
Well.
Jack being the Larican, he is also like to celebrate with a bang as he passed through towns Unreal. His competitors and the police were not impressed, but Jack shrugged it off, down playing the explosive to nothing more than a firecracker. Jeligknite wouldn't hurt a flee out in the open. The prank entered motorsport folklore and gifted him the nickname of Jelignite Jack. Back on the road, Jack and Bill
had hit the lead early and weren't letting up. It turns out the old Ford V eight was paying off because the next age was one of the toughest. From Townsville to Mount Isa, up to Darwin, then down a Broom. Drivers had to contend with tight corners, dusty roads, and sharp rocks that threatened to.
Tear up their tires.
Major hazards like creek beds and river crossings caused some teams to call on locals needing help to push their.
Cars out of the water.
Next was the long trip south through Meekathara and down to Perth before tackling the Nullibore Plane, then onto Adelaide.
By this point.
Jack's ford had a crackshock absorber and damaged suspension. Newspapers questioned whether it even make it back to Sydney, but Jack and Bill remained the only team who'd completely avoided penalties. Just the final stretch to go, heading into Melbourne, Jack was pulled up and questioned by police. Apparently complaints of
explosions had been reported around Victoria. Cheekily, Jack denied knowing anything about it, before supposedly turning back to Bill and asking if they had Anygelic Knight left in the car.
Lastly, it was on to Canberra before the run home.
Remarkably, Jack and Bill Murray made it to Sydney without a hitch, and they were welcome by twenty thousand spectators they had won. Jack and Bill shared the first prize of two thousand pounds and collected their winner's trophy. Jack Murray went on to enjoy a varied and successful career in motorsport, competing in rallies and marathon events. Later in life, he ran into some health issues. He needed to have
a leg amputated because of blood circulation problems. He responded in his typical humorous way, just as well, I can scale on one foot. Jellic knight Jack died on the eleventh of December nineteen eighty three at the age of seventy six. He lived a full life doing what he loved. Give me a good car, put me in the direction of the Aussie Outback and I'm happy. Thanks for listening to the ballroom with me, Tony Armstrong, this has been an iHeart production.
Catch you in the next one.