Ross Winston Dunkerton OAM (born 16 July 1945) is an Australian rally driver. Dunkerton is a five time winner of the Australian Rally Championship and two time winner of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. He was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2018.
Dunkerton is one of only three Australian rally drivers in history to achieve FIA A seeded status (the others being Chris Atkinson and Cody Crocker), and is arguably Australia’s most successful.[by whom?][1]
Dunkerton was awarded life membership of Motorsport Australia in 2011, inducted into the Australian Rally Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Australian Motor Sport Hall of Fame in 2016.[2]
Dunkerton won the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship in 1991 and 1992 in a Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 as a full-time factory driver for Mitsubishi Ralliart. In Australia, he won the Australian Rally Championship in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979 and 1983 in Datsun 1600s, 240Zs and 260Zs. Dunkerton also won the Southern Cross Rally in 1980. He won the 2005 and 2006 Targa West rallies, placing third in the 2007 event.
Personal life
Born in Fremantle, Western Australia,[3] he was previously a councillor for the Town of Bassendean, but moved with his family to Cairns in Far North Queensland in late 2007.
Ross is married to his wife Lisa has two sons, Aaron and Flynn.
Career
Dunkerton is a regular competitor in numerous tarmac and historic gravel events in both Australia and New Zealand. He competed in the 2009 Otago Rally of New Zealand in his newly purchased MK II BDA Ford Escort rally car.
Dunkerton is one of only two Australian drivers to have ever stood on a podium of a World Rally Championship event, the other being Chris Atkinson. In 1992, Dunkerton finished third in the Rally New Zealand, round 7 of the 1992 World Rally Championship.
Television presenting
Dunkerton turned his hand to full-time television presenting in 1995.
Dunkerton has taken on many roles, his most current being a full-time presenter for the Western Australian lifestyle show, Home in WA and the automotive series, Zoom TV. He has also presented coverage for a variety of motorsport events including the Variety Club Bash and coverage of the Australian Rally Championship on Network 10.
Career results
Complete WRC results
References
- ^ "LISTE DES PILOTES PRIORITAIRES DE RALLYES DE LA FIA 2010 / LIST OF THE 2010 FIA PRIORITY RALLY DRIVERS". FIA. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
- ^ Five inducted into the Australian Rally Hall of Fame Auto Action 25 August 2019
- ^ Quartermaine, Braden (3 April 2012). "Ross Dunkerton at end of road in WA", PerthNow. Retrieved on 3 April 2012.
- ^ Mel Lee, The Malaysian Rally Championship – Mixed Fortunes in a Bumper Year, Number One Motorsports Yearbook 1988, pages 94–108
External links
- Contact details at local government website
- [1] Results and profile, Rallybase.nl
- [2] Official web page
- Ross Dunkerton at WRC results