Tragic Crash at 1994 Robertstown Rally: Steve Turner & Leigh Rilstone Killed 🚗💥

A double fatality marred the 11th edition of the Robertstown Rally, the fourth of the five rounds that made the 1994 South Australian Rally Championship. The event was held in the surroundings of Robertstown, a small town in South Australia located some 115 kilometers north of Adelaide, on Saturday, 20 August 1994. One of cars taking part in the rally was the white Ford Laser TX3 number 5 of driver Steve Turner, 38, and navigator Leigh Rilstone, 41. That was their second season racing together. The two were amongst the frontrunners in the event, being classified as high as second place overall in the rally's early stages<br /><br />In one of the stages Turner lost control of the Ford going over a crest and then negotiating a right-hand turn on a private dirt road close to Robertstown. The car, traveling at some 160 km/h, slammed against a large tree some 100 meters prior to a checkpoint. Marshals at the checkpoint heard the accident, but there were no witnesses to it. The Ford was extensively damaged in the crash, with the tree trunk penetrating the monocoque and bending the frame in a v-shape and nearly snapping it in half. Turner was killed instantly, while Rilstone died shortly after. News of the accident were shared by the organizers with the other participants, who voted to continue the rally as they believed this is what the two deceased competitors would have wanted. Winners of the rally were Neil Gehan-Dave Rudham in a Ford Laser TX3 4WD Turbo. The first edition of the Robertstown Rally was run by the Walkerville All Cars Club in 1984.<br /><br />Turner and Rilstone were both from South Australia. Leigh Kenneth Rilstone was born in Adelaide on 10 July 1953 to Ken and Jacqueline Rilstone. His name was incorrectly reported by some media outlets as Roulstone. Both Turner and Rilstone were buried at the Centennial Park Cemetery in Pasadena, Mitcham City, South Australia.<br /><br />R.I.P