Gerry Phillips was the resident 'Verglas' during my brief period with 'Motor Sport' and 'Motoring News' in 1968. He was very avuncular and friendly, a good bloke apart from that evil old pipe - I have always disliked nicotine smoke, so no special reflection upon him. He used to partner assorted Scandiwegian drivers who visited for home rallies up to and including the RAC International. In those days of continuous day-night-day rallying, none of your pansy hotel bed cloverleaf nonsense, one - whose name I cannot recall - suddenly said to Gerry: "Yerry - you sleepy?". Gerry answered, "No - I'm fine" - whereupon the driver announced "OK - I sleeping", and he simply clambered out of the driving seat into the back of the car, leaving 'Yerry' (unbriefed) to grab the steering wheel and slither across to take over - their rally car weaving from kerb to kerb in the process, at around 90mph...
Like some other incumbents as 'Verglas', Gerry I think did quite well out of various deals, contras, commissions within his rallying world. Whetever happened to Atis Krauklis I have no idea, I never met him - Mike Greasely struck me as another good guy, and he went on to greater things, while the star performer of course was Stuart Turner who became an industry great. John Davenport, friendly bloke, obviously sailed rather too close to the wind at Abingdon and paid the price for it... I don't think there was ever a 'Verglas' who was dull. At least, not one in 'my' period...I cannot speak for later. Oh yes, it is said that John Brown was so noisy as navigator to Erik Carlsson on the RAC one year that big Erik - normally the most cuddly Barney Bear of a man - reputedly punched him. I would not like to be punched by Erik Carlsson. I wonder if that story's true?
DCN
Edited by Doug Nye, 02 November 2010 - 15:31.