Two Sydney transport professionals are setting out to prove that engineers are not shy technical boffins.

David Brown is a traffic engineer and transport planner who talks about motoring and transport issues on more than 100 radio stations per week. With Brian Smith (a transport planner with special expertise in designing bus terminals) they produce a satirical radio program and web site called Overdrive about cars, transport and culture which proves that analysing transport is more about people than it is about numbers.

Together they are entering this year’s Alphera Dutton Rally.

The Alphera Dutton rally is an annual car-club style event that lets everyday members of the public put their car through its paces at more than 20 individual driving tests, including sprints, slaloms, drags, hill climbs and skid pan events.

In an event that is dominated by Porsches and BMWs, last year David decided to do something complete different. He entered a Mitsubishi Magna.

At the start of the rally he was the butt of many jokes but after taking a third place in one event, passing a BMW on the Eastern Creek race circuit and being faster than a GT Falcon on the drag race along the Goulburn airport, he earned the respect of fellow competitors.

This year, David and Brian Smith will be behind the wheel of a Volvo station wagon. But you should not be fooled by a vehicle with a conservative reputation. Volvo is entrusting the team with the sporty new V50 T5 which is turbocharged and has a six-speed manual gearbox. It belies the mild image of the “bloody Volvo driver”.

In keeping with Volvo’s reputation for safety, the Overdrive team will carry with it the support of professional transport organisations that are also committed to safety such as Pirelli, Australasian Traffic Surveys and the engineering consulting firm Parsons Brinckerhoff.

The other great benefit of the Alphera Dutton rally is that it supports the Sunnyfield Association a charity that helps people with disabilities. This year’s NSW event starts on Friday, 4 June 2004 at Wakefield Park racetrack before heading to Goulburn Airport, the Police Academy Training Grounds, the Sutton Road hillclimb complex on Saturday, 5 June and finishing off with a full day’s racing at Eastern Creek on Sunday, 6 June. The event includes a motorkhana in the Goulburn town centre on the Saturday night. The Overdrive team will post pictures and information about their activities on their web site at www.overdrivecity.com.