The 1970 Australian Rally Championship was a series of five rallying events held across Australia. It was the third season in the history of the competition.
Bob Watson and navigator Jim McCauliffe in the Renault R8 Gordini were the winners of the 1970 Championship.
The third Australian Rally Championship was decided over five events, with two in Victoria and one each in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia.[1] The series was dominated by the Renault R8 Gordinis, with Watson and McCauliffe winning four of the five rounds and coming second in the other. Their closest challenge was from Colin Bond and Brian Hope in the new Holden Monaro GTS 350.
The five events of the 1970 season were as follows.
| Round | Rally | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eureka Rally (VIC) | 28 February 1970 | |
| 2 | Blue Ribbon Rally (VIC) | ||
| 3 | Snowy Mountains Rally (NSW) | ||
| 4 | Cambridge Toyota Rally (SA) | ||
| 5 | Warana Rally (QLD) | 19/20 September 1970 |
| Position | Driver | Navigator | Car | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bob Watson | Jim McCauliffe | Renault R8 Gordini | |
| 2 | Rex Lunn | John Hall | Toyota Corona MKII Hardtop | |
| 3 | Mal McPherson | Robin Sharpley | Renault R8 Gordini | |
| 4 | Tony Roberts | Haas | Holden Torana GTR | |
| Position | Driver | Navigator | Car | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bob Watson | Jim McCauliffe | Renault R8 Gordini | 16 |
| 2 | Colin Bond | Brian Hope | Holden Monaro 350 | 17 |
| 3 | Max Winkless | Peter Meyer | Volvo 142S | 21 |
| 4 | Bruce Collier | Peter Haas | Renault R8 Gordini | 31 |
| 5 | Peter Houghton | Mick Nielson | Peugeot 404 | 36 |
| 6 | Mal McPherson | Roger Bonhomme | Renault R8 Gordini | 38 |
| Position | Driver | Navigator | Car | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bob Watson | Jim McCauliffe | Renault R8 Gordini | 51 |
| 2 | Colin Bond | George Shepheard | Holden Monaro 350 | 72 |
| 3 | Mal McPherson | Robin Sharpley | Renault R8 Gordini | 77 |
| 4 | Roger Brameld | Gerry Brameld | Isuzu Bellett | 145 |
| 5 | Brian Michelmore | Greg Sked | Ford Cortina MKI | 147 |
| 6 | Ron Daniels | Roy Spillane | Renault R8 | 155 |
Final pointscore for 1970 is as follows.[1]
| Position | Driver | Car | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bob Watson | Renault R8 Gordini | |
| 2 | Colin Bond | Holden Monaro 350 | |
| 3 | Mal McPherson | Renault R8 Gordini | |
| 4 | Tony Roberts | ||
| 5 | Stewart McLeod | ||
| 6 | Peter Robertson | ||
| Position | Navigator | Car | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jim McAuliffe | Renault R8 Gordini | |
| 2 | Brian Hope | Holden Monaro 350 | |
| 3 | Robin Sharpley | ||
| 4 | Mike Osborne | ||
| 5 | John Lock | ||
| 6 | Roger Bonhomme | Renault R8 Gordini | |