‘Didn’t have a problem until the last 80km’: Holden Rodeo limps across Shitbox Rally finish line

The last car to cross the Shitbox Rally finish line in Townsville on Friday was a 1999 Holden Rodeo, formerly used as a supermarket trolley tractor, that gave up the ghost in Mingela, of all places.

Last across the Shitbox Rally line was a 1999 Holden Rodeo, driven by father-and-son Adam and Ian Vidal, at 5.01pm.

A Holden Rodeo formerly used as a ‘tractor’ to pull trolleys around in a supermarket car park has taken out the honour of being last across the line for the 2024 spring Shitbox Rally.

The 1999 model, owned by Sydney father-and-son Adam and Ian Vidal, could handle the dirt but as soon as it felt the smooth bitumen of the Flinders Hwy at Mingela, it collapsed.

Faced with a 110km speed-limit highway and a dubiously running ute, Adam Vidal said they decided to call in for a tow.

“We didn’t have a problem until the last 80kms,” Mr Vidal said.

A bit of pride could be salvaged as the Holden bravely drove itself onto the trailer.

Last across the Shitbox Rally line was a 1999 Holden Rodeo, driven by father-and-son Adam and Ian Vidal, at 5.01pm, Friday October 25, Townsville.

The duo suspect the Holden was suffering from a cooked ECU unit.

After being towed across the line, the Holden drove itself down from the trailer and attempted to drive under the archway on its own engine power after 3800km of hard driving – only for the archway to deflate in front of it.

A fitting end for the heroic supermarket tractor.

Mr Vidal said he bought the Rodeo for $1500 on Facebook marketplace and he fixed its non-functioning aircon, non-working wipers and leaky seals before leaving Sydney and driving to Bendigo, Victoria, for the official start of the rally.

The 2024 spring rally ran up towards Broken Hill and Birdsville, joining civilisation again in Isisford before going to Belyando Crossing, the Burdekin Dam, and then reaching the home stretch at the Mingela-Flinders Hwy turn.

Last across the Shitbox Rally line was a 1999 Holden Rodeo, driven by father-and-son Adam and Ian Vidal.

The Holden briefly tangos with fate when an engine pulley seized midway through the 3800km rally, but a fellow Shitbox racer also on the Vidal’s team happened to have the exact spare part.

“That almost never happens,” Mr Vidal said.

Does coming dead last make this Holden Rodeo the most shitbox car in the shitbox rally? At least it was only one hour late to the finish line.

The Holden was slated to be auctioned off on Saturday, but the Vidal’s decided to buy it back for $250, and will send it out to “live on the farm” in peace and quiet, until any L-plates in the family need to learn manual.

The next Shitbox Rally will be the 2025 autumn route in May, that runs from Canberra to Townsville.

Originally published as ‘Didn’t have a problem until the last 80km’: Holden Rodeo limps across Shitbox Rally finish line