18 replies to this topic

[Fred Gallagher]

Ex BMC, Lancia, Datsun, BMW, Volkswagen etc. factory driver Tony Fall died yesterday. He was in East Africa for the historic Safari Rally (although not competing) and seemingly had a heart attack.

Tony was boss of the Opel rally team for many years, including the Rothmans team which included Vatanen, Toivonen, Rohrl, Frequelin, McRae Snr and others.

Fred

[sterling49]

What a sad loss, how tragic. Small consolation that he died whilst pursuing the love of his sport and in a country he competed in often. I have just finished re-reading "The Works Minis" , Tony had contributed to the sport for so long. I think he was responsible for the fleet Opel Kadetts GTE in this country as well as his time with a myriad of major manufacturers.

R.I.P Tony

[fuzzi]

A great loss.

I'll remember him driving a big Rover SD1 around the TT course on the Isle of Man and him wrestling with the early Mini 6R4s.

Edited by Fuzzi:
Blush, blush, my apologies.

Sterling is quite right. I got the wrong Tony.

[sterling49]

Originally posted by fuzzi
A great loss.

I'll remember him driving a big Rover SD1 around the TT course on the Isle of Man and him wrestling with the early Mini 6R4s.

I think you may be confusing Tony Fall (IIRC a Yorkshireman) with the late departed Tony Pond ( from London I think) who died a few years back from cancer.

[David Force]

A very sad loss. I was brought up on rallying on Map 96 and Tony was a legendary figure in Yorkshire . A great character who had pretty well done it all, then to go so early but at least doing what he loved.

I guess that Burnsie, McRae etc will pull up another chair at that great party up in the sky !

[RS2000]

The car that made Tony Fall known to a wider audience. CAK500C, his own Group 1 1275cc Cooper S. Here at the finish of the 65 Gulf London but seen in Europe in 65 doing exactly what Stuart Turner recommended as the best route for aspiring works drivers - entering events on the continent the works teams attended but entering in a different Group/class from the works cars.

[275 GTB-4]

Originally posted by RS2000
The car that made Tony Fall known to a wider audience. CAK500C, his own Group 1 1275cc Cooper S. Here at the finish of the 65 Gulf London but seen in Europe in 65 doing exactly what Stuart Turner recommended as the best route for aspiring works drivers - entering events on the continent the works teams attended but entering in a different Group/class from the works cars.

Very sad that yet another iconic driver from a golden era has passed away....does anyone know if CAK500C was race prepped by the Comps Dept or by Tony by himself ??

[RTH]

That is very sad news. Do we know how old he was ?

[RS2000]

Originally posted by 275 GTB-4

does anyone know if CAK500C was race prepped by the Comps Dept or by Tony by himself ??

I don't know if any work was done on it at Abingdon. Possibly not, although many private owners based in the south had work done there around that time (particularly when hydrolastic suspension was involved). He was based a long way north, worked at Appleyards (a BMC dealer?) and this was a Group One car with very few changes from standard permitted.
I cannot claim to be an expert on the previous Appendix J that applied up to the end of 1965, although I know a certain amount about the Cooper S under the new Appendix J that started 1.1.66. I don't think there was major change to the limited modifications allowed in Gp1, the main change for 1966 being the 5000 minimum production quantity. Previously I believe Gp1 only required 1000, as for Gp2. The acceptance of the Cooper S into the 66 Gp1 was based on 5000 production of Austin and Morris versions combined during 1965 (slightly more believable than the same being claimed and accepted for the Lotus Cortina...) so Gp1 must have required lower quantities in 65 or TF would not have been able to use the car in that category.

[Felix]

That is very sad news. Do we know how old he was ?

Off Safety Devices' announcement:

Richard Anthony Fall was born in Bradford,
Yorkshire, in 1940.

[Doug Nye]

Sad news (yet again) - these further details just received:

The death has occurred of Tony Fall, former
works rally driver, successful team manager,
and lately managing director of Safety Devices.

Tony was in Tanzania, assisting the organisers
of the East African Safari Classic Rally, when he
was taken ill. He died in his sleep on the night
of Saturday 1 December, of a suspected heart
attack.

Richard Anthony Fall was born in Bradford,
Yorkshire, in 1940. As a car salesman, he was
a club rally driver in a Mini. He was soon spotted
by BMC Competitions team manager Stuart
Turner, and co-opted into the works team
alongside Paddy Hopkirk, Timo Makinen and
Rauno Aaltonen. His first major international
victory in the Mini was the 1966 Circuit of
Ireland, co-driven by Henry Liddon.

He rallied with BMC for three seasons - including
competing on the original London Sydney
Marathon and finishing 23rd in a Morris 1800 -
and then joined the Lancia team, where he
achieved his highest-ever finish on the RAC Rally
of Great Britain: 3rd in 1969.

He joined Datsun for three seasons, achieving
many high placings on world rallies, at the same
time driving for other factory teams, including
BMW, Porsche and VW.

Tony tackled the World Cup Rally from London
to Mexico in 1970 with a celebrity co-driver,
footballer Jimmy Greaves, and they finished 6th.
Twenty-five years later, he competed on the
re-run of the event, finishing one place higher.
Tony achieved 12 international rally wins in his
driving career.

A long association with General Motors
commenced in 1974, when Tony established
Dealer Opel Team at Tonge Park, Yorkshire,
employing driver talent such as Ari Vatanen
and Tony Pond.

Success in the UK with DOT led to his
appointment as Director of Motor Sport for GM
Euro Sport, based in Russelsheim, Germany, in
1978. Under his direction, Walter Rohrl became
World Rally Champion in 1982, and - in the
latter part of the decade - Tony introduced the
Opel-Vauxhall Lotus formula for single-seat
racing cars, which launched the careers of
many Grand Prix stars, including Mika Hakkinen
and David Coulthard.

Tony Fall returned to the UK in 1990, initially as
manager then owner of the motor sport safety
equipment manufacturer, Safety Devices. He
was managing director of the Newmarket,
Suffolk, based company - famous for the
production of roll-over cages - at the time of
his death.

Tony, who in recent years had driven a replica
of his original Datsun in historic rallies with
Yvonne Mehta, was in Africa on "holiday",
helping with the organisation of an event he
loved, and which had been the scene of many
of his triumphs.

His wife Pat, sons Richard and Oliver from a
previous marriage, and grandchildren Louis (8),
Charles (6) and Mia (4), survive him.

- ENDS -

Statement from the chairman of Safety Devices
International, Bevan Braithwaite OBE, FREng:

"Tony's passing comes as a huge shock to
everyone, as he appeared to be in the best of
health and was applying his great energy to his
many interests. His leadership of Safety Devices
International occupied much of his time, and the
past two years had been spent putting systems
in place that ensured the smooth operation of
the business, so that he could take more time
off participating in his great love - motor sport.

"As far as customers of SDI are concerned, you
should be assured that the business is in
excellent shape, with two and half thousand
products fully digitised for production, and
established procedures for the development of
safety cages for new vehicles.

"In the short term, I will be assisting Pat Fall in
the management of the company."

[Nanni Dietrich]

I remember Tony Fall also as a works driver for Lancia Corse, winning the 84 Hours of the Nürburgring with Sergio Barbasio and Harry Källstrøm in a Lancia Fulvia HF 1600 in 1969.

In the 1968 Portugal Rally he was disquilified immediately after the end of the rally (he had won!) because in the last 100 meters of the last special stage he let his wife enter the Lancia Fulvia, driving with her in his arms. And it was absolutely prohibited to be three people in a racing car! What a dull minded rule!

Tony Fall won the Caminos del Incas in Peru driving a Ford Escort RS, then he drove as works driver a Datsun 240Z, a BMW 2002TI and also a Volkswagen 1303S.

One of the greatest rallymen. Sad news.

[RS2000]

Just to be historically totally accurate, he drove an Escort TC on Los Caminos del Incas, as part of the Ford World Cup Rally testing/build up (and then a similar car on several European events, funded by Autobars). There's a (Castrol?) film ("Inca Road"?) around somwhere.

[iaingw]

David Force mentioned OS Sheet 96 - the old Leeds/ Bradford map. On Fall's doorstep, the road between East Morton and Dick Hudson's pub, there is a notorious off-camber switchback which, at speed, is like falling off the end of the world. Legend has it that Fall could take it flat in his 'S'. I got a great deal of pleasure watching Tony in Lancias and, later in 240z's. Although having rallied a works mini he was, to us young lads, a rallying god, he was always friendly, good humoured and approachable. Rest in peace.

[BDM977B]

Originally posted by RS2000


I don't know if any work was done on it at Abingdon. Possibly not, although many private owners based in the south had work done there around that time (particularly when hydrolastic suspension was involved). He was based a long way north, worked at Appleyards (a BMC dealer?) and this was a Group One car with very few changes from standard permitted.

Appleyards was of course where Marcus Chambers went when he passed the BMC competitions dept to Stuart Turner, having founded and successfully run it for some years. And Ian Appleyard was famous in his own right.

Very sad news about Tony.

[Sharman]

Yes -he married Pat Lyons, which is one way to get a works Jaguar drive I suppose

[bradbury west]

In today's Daily Telegraph
http://www.telegraph...2/18/db1801.xml
Roger Lund

[GMiranda]

By the way, seeing this post about Tony Fall is it possible to find the contact of John Davenport?

[Supersox]

In the 1968 Portugal Rally he was disquilified immediately after the end of the rally (he had won!) because in the last 100 meters of the last special stage he let his wife enter the Lancia Fulvia, driving with her in his arms. And it was absolutely prohibited to be three people in a racing car! What a dull minded rule!

 

I asked Tony about this ten years ago or so and he explained that during the recce they had found a shortcut to the last control. On the day they had taken it only to find the organisers had also realised it was there and had blocked it off. There was no time to go back and start again so they were left with no choice but to take a route which meant that thye approached the last control form the wrong direction-an automatic exclusion. Knowing that thye were going to be excluded anyway Tony picked his wife up -and we all know the end of the story.