Memory Lanes by Peter Robinson. A history of the 1970-1973 Motoring News Rally Championship (318 pages with over 230 photographs) is now available to order
Hardback edition: £30.00 (plus post & packaging) available from www.photohistoric.com. This book features 4 chapters on the Tour of Mull.
Memory Lanes provides a first hand insight and a detailed record of what was one of the UK's premier rally series, the Motoring News Rally Championship, and covers the years 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973. Based predominantly around road rallies, this Championship saw the emergence of many International rally drivers including Russell Brookes, Terry Kaby, Colin Malkin, Andy Dawson and Tony Pond, amongst others. In addition the high level of navigational difficulty presented by these rallies and the level of accuracy and experience that was necessary to do well as an MN navigator saw the Championship become a breeding ground for future International rally co-drivers, rally organisers and journalists such as Ron Crellin, Dave Richards, John Brown, Tony Mason, Neil Wilson, Martin Holmes, Kevin Gormley and many others. Such was the importance of this series.
A Forward by Peter Valentine, one of the top navigators of this period, provides a vivid, first-hand account from a competitor's perspective whilst over 230 black and white photographs provide evocative illustrations of the era itself. Many of these are previously unpublished and were taken by Hugh Bishop and Colin Taylor Productions, both of whom covered these events extensively. They have been researched and sourced by the author from the extensive archives of Ted Walker.
Memory Lanes includes an account of each of 57 Motoring News rallies from these years. It includes full Championship results and typical entry lists as well as sample copies of one inch Ordnance Survey© maps and original event Road Books. Memory Lanes provides a permanent record of a period and type of motor sport that can never again be replicated, from a time when many of the competitors as well as the Authorities were wondering not only how, but if, this particular branch of the sport to continue
