80's road rallying

[graham John]

I think the Autumn Rally was a Motoring News event.

Look at those big 70s shirt collars!

correct Tim, done this event myself many a times, it was also a Welsh championship round, often used the same roads as the Sarn Helen, Cilwendeg, and (i think it was called) the Harrison allen (or similar).

cheeRS

[driverace]

Top picture there John ,was Ron Beecroft/John Millington in the Kitchens of Otley Sunbeam.That came after the White Mexico,and after the Samba,and before Virginia .Ron. Did the 76 Mintex in the White Mexico,as I serviced for him and John on that,and he also did the 79 RAC in a Skip Brown group 1 Avenger .And won his class on the RAC

[mk1rally]

I'll get my dad to dig some out of those days and get them up on here. Smashing thread to read and brings back only good memories.

Great times, I was in my early teens then in the early 80's. I was born in 1970.

Even got a picture of me up on event chasing in the works Snapes van (my dad was a builder by trade and it was the company hack!!...oh and and I was 15 at the time!!)

Think it was up around the pendle hill area, can't remember the event.

Funnily enough we were talking about the other day.

I got back on the maps earlier in the year for a local 12 car as a bit of break for my Navigator. We went in the right direction and with some success, right up to the point the motion sickness hit me and I needed a long sit still. Tried it again a few weeks later and same happened, seems behind the wheel is the only place I can be nowadays!!

The new events are still good but are much harder on the navigator. Some of them still form quite a challange. I can think of one we do in the Cooper S in early part of the year up NE. Some cracking high speed whites up there.

[Oldbloke]

I feel like I'm hijacking this thread as I was road rallying thorugh the '70's when there seemed to be barely any rules on cars.
My first event in around 1971 was memorable for the sight of an elderly woman standing in the middle of the road in her nightdress - I slowed down to find out the problem and as my navvy wound down his window, she produced a carving knife which she started waving around inside the car while raving and shouting about being woken up by "lunatics in racing cars"..........
Still, wasn't put off and rallied with the same car throughout (my faithfull Anglebox) and almost always the same navigator (my old chum Alan from school and still my bestest mate today).
They were golden days and provided enough memories to write a book .
Not may photos survived but have managed to dig out a couple. And yes, I know the haircuts are hilarious - these WERE the days of Flower Power you know!

[RS_Fiesta]

I'll get my dad to dig some out of those days and get them up on here. Smashing thread to read and brings back only good memories.

Great times, I was in my early teens then in the early 80's. I was born in 1970.

Even got a picture of me up on event chasing in the works Snapes van (my dad was a builder by trade and it was the company hack!!...oh and and I was 15 at the time!!)

Think it was up around the pendle hill area, can't remember the event.

Funnily enough we were talking about the other day.

I got back on the maps earlier in the year for a local 12 car as a bit of break for my Navigator. We went in the right direction and with some success, right up to the point the motion sickness hit me and I needed a long sit still. Tried it again a few weeks later and same happened, seems behind the wheel is the only place I can be nowadays!!

The new events are still good but are much harder on the navigator. Some of them still form quite a challange. I can think of one we do in the Cooper S in early part of the year up NE. Some cracking high speed whites up there.

Probably either Ribble, clitheronian, hall trophy, summer near Pendle.Go over pendle hill every day,good road

[driverace]

Old bloke,that's looks a nice Anglia for rallying in the 70s ,The Anglia is Yorkshire registered ,and around. 1965 car.Did you live in Yorkshire then ?

[Oldbloke]

Old bloke,that's looks a nice Anglia for rallying in the 70s ,The Anglia is Yorkshire registered ,and around. 1965 car.Did you live in Yorkshire then ?

Is it? No - I've always lived down South. The last photo shows the driveway where I did all my preparation, rain or shine. I built the Anglia there from a bare shell and it only once let me down mechanically with a blown alternator! I did all the local (Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire) rallies for about 10 years with a couple down the Devon lanes - a lot like being in a Scalextric car with the line of grass down the middle
As someone else mentioned, the Police then started to take an interest and "spoiled" the last two events by driving down the lanes on the route at 25mph and delaying cars at time controls, giving them a copper's version of an MOT test.It was time then to take to the stages.......

[kas750]

This is 1985 ish..These pics were taken at the chequered flag pub on the a6 near garstang in the early hours of a summer sunday morning probably about 4am.It was the end of a night rally that started at Hornsea pottery near lancaster.

[driverace]

Think that Cavalier ,the White one in the last photo was a guy from Leeds who was a rep for some big company,his name I can't recall ,but he used to turn up in his company car ,usually a Ford or a Vauhall,he had bolted on a different set of wheels and tyres (his own) and do the rallies.Everybody used to take the pi-- as to how cheeky he was using his company car,with no sump guard or roll cage ,but it was like water off a ducks back .Don't recall him ever bumping it !

[kas750]

The blue Astra van parked against the fence in the background was also running very well that night...Seems a world away now!

[Duratec John]

Think that Cavalier ,the White one in the last photo was a guy from Leeds who was a rep for some big company,his name I can't recall ,but he used to turn up in his company car ,usually a Ford or a Vauhall,he had bolted on a different set of wheels and tyres (his own) and do the rallies.Everybody used to take the pi-- as to how cheeky he was using his company car,with no sump guard or roll cage ,but it was like water off a ducks back .Don't recall him ever bumping it !

I've navigated a number of times in a totally standard road car on road rallies, a couple that spring are the '85 Costa in an Orion 1.6 L, hire car.
And here on the '91 Three Rivers.

[ATR477V]

First Rally in Sunbeam- 1980.jpg

My new 1600 Sunbeam on 1980 Devils Own Rally

[ATR477V]

Try again, I always forget how to post bigger photos.

[R4llYM4N]

Hi, following on from the Cilwendeg thread is there anyone on here who was into road rallying in the late 70's to mid 80's.
I consider myself very lucky to have been around and competing at this time.
This, for me, was the heyday of road rallying. Pre-plot all selective format events with Targa timing. Basically stage rallies on the road.
In the Cotswolds where I did most of my competing most events turned into road races because of the nature of the roads and the relative ease of navigation.
I regard myself very lucky also have won a couple outright and had a few top 5 finishes and still have the car to drive around today all be it at a very much reduced speed.
It was obvious that road rallies couldn't carry on in that way so when they banned targa timing road rallies around the Cotswolds were no more.
Now I am pushing 60(don't feel like it though) I am very happy to have the memories of those days and still have the car that helped me make them.
The picture in my siggy was taken on the 1983 August Moon Rally organised by South Bucks Motor Club. God, that's 28 years ago where has the time gone
Phil

I competed on a few of the Cotswold events during the 80s. Living in Glos I was a member of 143 Motor Club. I was course car on my first event The Rally 143 which started at City Speed and Wycliffe motors in Gloucester. The following year I competed on the 143 event and was awarded Best beginer,best 143 crew,and from memory I finished in the top 20. I will have to look in the loft to recall the results and the trophies I was awarded. In 85 I competed on Chelteham Motor Clubs Thunderball Rally. We went OTL on this event after stopping to help a crew that had rolled in front of us after hitting a bank after going over a blind crest of a bridge. Those were great days running mk1 and mk2 Escorts. For many years now I have been involved with Stage rallying and am currently building a mk2 escort to return to driving the stages.

[andym]

Those were the days..... All those event just take me back. Hall trophy, Bolton midnight ( were only Ken Skidsmore Sunbeam passed the noise test one year) Summer were i did the opening car, Devils own and all the other, great times. Its a shame we can't turn the clocks back......