Tony Fall
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Richard Anthony Fall (23 March 1940 – 1 December 2007) was a British
Fall worked as Salesman for Appleyards Bradford, a BMC dealership which sold Austin and Morris Mini Coopers. At that time, Appleyards supported the privateer rally drivers and employed ex BMC Competitions Manager Marcus Chambers in their Service Department. Fall gained permission from Appleyards to use one of their Cooper 'S' demonstrator cars AAK 500C to use as his rally car in the 1965 season. It was at this time that Fall was discovered by the BMC Competitions Department in Abingdon. The Competitions Manager at the time was Stuart Turner and he offered Fall a drive with the BMC Team. Fall accepted and became one of the most celebrated BMC Works drivers.
Fall drove a Leyland (Austin) 1800, with co-driver Denis Johnson, in the 1968 Canadian Shell 4000 Rally, which ran from Calgary to Halifax, finishing 7th overall. Fall also drove for British Leyland Cars in an Austin 1800 in the 1968 London to Sydney Rally.
In the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally, he participated with a celebrity co-driver, the footballer Jimmy Greaves - they finished 6th overall. He also won the famous Peruvian Rally "Caminos del Inca", in 1969, driving a Ford Escort.
After he stopped driving, he became founder of the British Dealer Opel Team (DOT) as well as the self-willed but successful director of the
Fall died after a heart attack on 1 December 2007 while a member of the organisation team of the East African Safari Classic Rally in his hotel room at Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge in Tanzania, leaving his wife Pat and two sons from a previous marriage.
References
- ^ "Former driver Tony Fall dies aged 67". www.autosport.com. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
External links
- List of Tony Fall's major international rally results
- Opel Classic - Opel GT
- Obituary at Motor Sport magazine archive.