1966 became one on Tony’s busiest seasons as he competed in an extensive programme of international events in Britain and Europe as a full works driver.  The year started with the Monte Carlo and Tony was partnered with Ron Crellin in an MGB which retired before the end when an oil pipe broke.  He described the car as gutless and bloody awful to drive. 

He achieved four international wins with three different co-drivers.  He won the Circuit of Ireland with Henry Liddon, The Scottish and the Osterreichische Alpenfahrt with Mike Wood and the Rajd Polish Rally with Krauklis Atis.  For the Polish Rally Tony drove GRX 307D with a 907cc engine.   The smaller engine gave Tony an advantage through the handicap system and he took victory over Paddy Hopkirk who was driving a 1275 Cooper S.

It wasn’t all glory though, as Fall retired no less than six times including in DJB 93B which he crashed so badly that it was retired by BMC as a competition car.  Success on the Coupe des Alpes was not to be repeated as they crashed out after hitting a log pile and losing a wheel.    In the Ralle de Fiori Tony removed the air filters from the carbs to improve airflow and was caught out by a spot check by scrutineers who disqualified them.

A feature of the 1967 season were the long-distance endurance events such as the Marathon de La Route where he secured a second place (first in class) in a 999cc Mini.  The event was true endurance event and ran for 84 hours covering over 5 000 miles.  Tony was part of a three-man team which also included Andrew Hedges and Julien Vernaeve.   Of the 43 starters only 13 finished and amazingly they finished 2nd to a works Porsche 911.

In 1966 Tony entered the Castrol-Danube Rally in anticipation of it becoming a European Rally Championship round in 1967.  He drove a BTR prepared and Vita-Foam sponsored Cooper S co-driven by the Reverend Rupert Jones.   

Fall drove the first ‘works’ Austin 1800 development car LRX 824E in the Danube Rally and finished in first place. Painted in black the car was given a white roof to make it look sporty as there was not enough time to respray it in works livery.   Co driven by Mike Wood the car averaged 60 miles an hour and rode better than its competitors having hydrolastic suspension and a long wheelbase.  

Building on the surprise win Castrol funded an attempt on a number of FIA records in Class E for cars 1500-2000cc.  They set seven World Records at Monza during seven days and seven nights of non-stop driving with his team mates, Clive Baker, Alec Poole, Roger Enever and Julien Vernaeve. 15,589 miles at an average 92.80 mph were completed.  The records attempted and broken were 4, 5, 6 and 7 day records and the 20,000 and 25,000 kilometre endurance records.

The relationship with BRT was now beginning to pay dividends.  In addition to Vitafoam support for the Danube, Tony was invited to take part in the British Saloon Car Championship.  Harry Ratcliffe, was committed to events in Europe and so Tony drove three rounds in 1967 at Mallory Park and Silverstone.  Interestingly Tony raced against fellow Bradfordian, Tony Lanfranchi who was driving a Hillman Imp.  In fact, Lanfranchi came round Gerards, swerved to avoid Neals open door and hit Tony Falls’ Mini before spinning to a halt.

1968 was the season when the BMC competition department was winding down and Tony drove one of the last BMC entries in the Monte Carlo rally taking 4^th place.  Probably his most extraordinary result was in the Total 500 Australian where he came from 123^rd to win, driving in blinding dust with a split fuel tank and a shredded rear tyre.

The Competition Department built three Austin1800s for the East African Rally but Tony and co-driver Lofty Drews spent too much time on suspension fixes and ran out of late time.   Next, he competed on the Canadian Shell 400 Rally with local co-driver Denis Johnson.  They finished 8th outright and 2nd in Class even though they had rolled early on.  The rally went from Montreal to Vancouver and was the only rally in North America sanctioned by FIA.

For the 84-hour Marathon de la Route Tony once again drove with Julian Vernaeve and Andrew Hedges in a lightweight MGC racer coming sixth despite brake problems.  The front brake pads had worn down and the calipers seized.  He did a lap to return to the pits but ran out of time to complete the repair and so he did another 18 mile lap without the front brakes before returning to the pits to complete the repair.  When he came in the second time the pit crew had to throw a trolley jack under the car to stop it.

It was around this time that Tony began to cash in on his fame and he started to develop his business skills.  From his home in Baildon he operated a mail order business selling various items, most of which were manufactured locally. As demand grew, he relocated to Reliance Works in Shipley.  A very smart rally jacket cost £10 2 shillings and 4 pence, quite a lot of money at the time.  Tony also commissioned specialist parts including an extra-large sump guard for the BMC Mini, all under the TF brand.  Tony also became the Yorkshire and northern representative for Paddy Hopkirk products. 

Opportunities to drive with BMC began to dry up and Tony had to find new drives.  New sponsors JCB came on board with Peter Brown sharing an MGB.  During the 68 season the pair competed in four long distance events including the Monza 1000km (failed to qualify), Nurburg Ring (39^th) , Mugello Grand Prix (15^th)  and the Targa Florio (24^th). 

Towards the end of the season Tony was back in winning ways with Ron Crellin in a Lancia Fulvia taking first place on the TAP Portugal Rally.  This win was sufficient to ensure an ongoing relationship with Lancia through to 1971.

If I said to you Full Sutton you will probably picture a high security prison housing some of the worst criminals in the country. To those with an interest in the second world war they may know of it as a WW II airfield. But only very small number of people will be able to tell you about its very special place in motorsport history.

RAF Full Sutton was the last wartime airfield to be opened in Yorkshire in 1944 under Bomber Command, before being switched to RAF Transport, and then RAF Flying Training Command. During its relatively short World War II career, the airfield listed 95 Halifaxe’s as failing to return .The airfield was then placed on care and maintenance until 1959 when it became a US nuclear missile site, operating until 1963.

The airfield was used as a race track for just one year, 1958, just before the nuclear missiles arrived. The northern quarter of the airfield and circuit were lost when the maximum security prison was built in 1987. The western quarter of the track has since been returned to agriculture.

During 1958 the BRSCC organised four races on the airfields runways and perimeter roads. Jim Clark was among the competitors at the first event in a Scott-Wilson entered Porsche. The event in April suffered from snow and Clarke crashed. He then returned in a D-type which he had to drive from Scotland to the circuit, race and then drive the car back home as the teams trailer was unavailable. This race earned him a place in the record books as the first driver to lap a British circuit at an average speed of over 100 mph in a sports car. The circuit was Britain’s longest at 3.2 miles (5.1 km), but the races drew few crowds and the BRSCC switched to Rufforth Circuit the following year.

Another Yorkshire born driver, Innes Ireland competed at the circuit in a 1460cc Climax powered Lotus Eleven.

A rare 1927 Works Triumph TT race bike will be the headline lot at the new Silverstone Auctions London Motorcycle Show sale on 12^th February. One of just five bikes produced, and possibly the only survivor, it is presented in mostly unrestored condition with a wealth of provenance.  Stored in a loft for years, the “2 valver” competition bike even retains the spanner and spare park plug attached to the frame.

The Silverstone Auctions London Motorcycle Show sale will be held at London ExCeL on Saturday 12^th February. The catalogue is currently open for consignment. If you are interested in entering your motorcycle into the sale please contact the motorcycle team at Silverstone Auctions on 01926 691141 or email enquiries@silverstoneauctions.com

 www.silverstoneauctions.com

 www.mcnmotorcycleshow.com

By Mike Cowlam & Oliver Fall

Part one of a four part series.

Tony Fall was often described as the bright young thing of British rallying at a time when Scandinavian drivers were coming to the fore.  I first met his son Oliver at Acespeed Historic Motorsport where one of his dad’s former rally cars was in for a check-up.  For Oliver it was a rare chance to connect with his dad in a very real way. 

Talking about Tony’s career we wondered why, despite his success as a driver, manager and businessman he has not achieved the same recognition as others from the same era such as Paddy Hopkirk or Timo Makkinen.  There is no autobiography or detailed record of his career and so a few days later we agreed to collaborate on writing up the Tony Fall story using papers and photographs from the family to supplement published sources.

Tony was born in Bradford in 1940 and was classmates with David Hockney who used to doodle on the back of his exercise books.  He was a talented mathematician and his ambition was to be an RAF pilot.  Unfortunately, he had partial colour blindness which thwarted that ambition but he became a pilot of a completely different kind.

Tony was no stranger to driving having started at 13 in his dads Jaguar.  He lived in a Cul de Sac and his dad let him drive the Jaguar up and down, propped up with pillows because he couldn’t reach the pedals.   Whilst his first motoring adventures were tolerated by his Dad, his later adventures were not.  At 15 he took to borrowing his Dads Rover for a quick thrash over the nearby moors.  Unfortunately, one night he met his dad coming the other way and that was the end of his driving until he was 17.

Putting his dreams of flying behind him he joined Airedale and Pennine Motor club and quickly demonstrated a talent for driving.  By day he worked as a salesman for Appleyard’s of Bradford selling BMC cars including Austin and Morris Mini’s. 

In January 1963 after watching the Yorkshire Rally Tony was inspired to take part in his first rally using his father’s car.  By 1964 he was competing in the Motoring News championship and managed to achieve a significant haul of silverware with his co-driver David Fawcett.  At this time race and rally cars were pretty much as they came out of the showroom with none of the safety equipment fitted that we would expect today.   In fact, after an event the cars Tony used would be washed and put back on the forecourt on Monday.

In a contemporary interview Fall said:-

“I got a job at Appleyard’s in Bradford” – an Appleyard won many rallies in Jaguars – “and I wanted to go rallying, but they wouldn’t let me use my company car. “Then Marcus Chambers, who was previously competitions manager at BMC, joined us as service manager and said I could use the demonstrator Mini Cooper.”

Talking to one of Tony’s contemporaries at the Airedale and Pennine Motor club I discovered that Tony had another use for the Appleyard’s Cooper.  Driving on to the moors around Bradford, Tony would take a fellow club member armed with a shotgun.  Using the roof mounted rally light, they would attract rabbits and shoot them for the pot.

1965 was the breakthrough year for Tony as he made a serious attack on the Motoring News championship with David Fawcett.  His success in the championships inevitably came to the attention of the BMC competitions department.   Tony credits his friend and co-driver on the Alpine, Mike Wood with securing the support of Stuart Turner.

Tony recalled the conversation was short and to the point.  

 “Stuart (Turner) called and said, You, will do the Alpine Rally. We will give you £200. You will take Mike Wood as your co-driver. We’ll enter the car, on the condition we don’t hear from you, speak to you or get pestered by you before we see you in Marseilles for the start,” 

Tony tackled the Alpine with Mike Wood in his own car CAK 500C and recalls that £200 wasn’t nearly enough for the event and that three years later he was still paying off the costs.  It was a tough snowbound rally and out of the 93 starters only 32 finished.   Tony came eighth in the car and remarkably for a first-time entry was awarded a Coupe des Alpes. This was a much-coveted award made to competitors who finished the event unpenalised and meeting all the target times.   The car benefitted from special parts supplied by BMC but Tony added one piece of equipment on his own initiative.  Anticipating it would get hot in the car he added a small electric fan on the dash. 

Tony said

That was the biggest mistake I ever made. They all took the piss out of me when they saw it asking if it was for drying my nails with.

Tony had a full 65 season and he competed in 5 of the British national rallies with David Fawcett securing 4 first places and one second in the Appleyard’s supported cars.   Most of his outings in 1965 achieved good results including a second in class in the Circuit of Ireland.  His first BMC backed drive was in the RAC driving GRX 93B followed by the three cities rally, Munich, Vienna and Budapest in AJB 66D.

Tony was then partnered with Ron Crellin by the BMC competitions department for the European Rally Championship.  His usual car was the Mini Cooper S though he contested the Welsh International in a works supplied MGB.  Rod was often paired with ambitious young drivers to assess their talent and potential for a works contract. 

Tony’s Appleyard cars were prepared by BRT Tuning, formed by Harry Ratcliffe a successful mini racer.  He won the European Touring Car championship with the Vitafoam sponsored cars (Vitafoam manufactured foam for car seats).

I do understand why some classic car enthusiasts turn their noses up at classic cars that have been modified or recreated.  There is a lot to be said for originality but people have been modifying cars since they first started to roll off the production line.  Motivated to create something unique, faster, better handling or different looking.

In recent years recreations have been increasingly popular with companies building stylish cars based on modern underpinnings.   David Brown (no, not the tractor magnate) has brought a sixties style sports car as well as the Mini remastered to market and they are fetching premium prices.  I can see why these cars appeal.  All the sex appeal of sixties inspired cars but with the benefit of modern brakes, safety systems and most important, reliability.

Ant Anstead has just launched his Tipo184, a unique car for moderate price.  Prices for the his self-build kits, based on Mazda MX-5 running gear, have been set at just £16,450.

The Motorsport UK-compliant Tipo184 evokes the Alfa Romeo 158, driven by Juan Manuel Fangio in the 1950s, widely regarded as one of the most successful race cars of all time.

Ant Anstead “I was so inspired by the Alfa 158 that I made my own version of it from scratch. It’s so satisfying building and then driving your own beautiful car that I wanted to give other enthusiasts the chance to get into their garages and workshops, open up the toolbox and do the same.

“Once it’s built, you have a car that will let you feel the sensations that Fangio would have experienced – balancing the car delicately in a four-wheel drift as you explore the limits of grip. It’s a car that will allow you to enjoy close racing with identical cars in a one-make series, or simply the thrill of driving it down a winding country road on a summer’s day.”

Tipo184 owners will be able to take part in a new race series, run in partnership with the British Racing & Sports Car Club (BRSCC). Billed as one of the most affordable single seater race series in the world, the series will start as a UK-based set of track days, culminating in a demo-race. The planned race format for 2022 will consist of a 15-minute qualifying session followed by two 15-minute races at major circuits across the UK. P

The Tipo184 starter kit can be purchased directly at www.tipo184.com 

Welcome to the Classic Yorkshire blog hosted by Mike Cowlam. Mike is a writer and photographer who has been published in a number of national and specialist magazines. In addition he has a small collection of classic cars from a Lotus Elan to a Subaru Imprezza and occasionally competes in hill climbs and classic rally events. This blog will bring Yorkshire classic car owners news they can use. No more ploughing through magazines to find an event to visit, a locally restored classic or a product you need. We aim to promote Yorkshire events, Yorkshire businesses and Yorkshire owners.