Our new Halloween Historic Stages Rally DVD will be available from 15th December 2010 at £25/25 Euro. It’s a must for any Rally Fan this Christmas! 

RAC Rally Report

From the time we arrived in York on Friday the weather started showing its teeth .... a blanket of snow covered the landscape as well as the trees and by the time I managed to get to the Pickering Show Grounds it was already alive with the sound of Rally Cars and an array of the Top Historic Rally Cars from around the World: MK 1&2 Escorts, Cortinas, Talbot Sunbeam Lotus', Saabs, Minis, Lancias, Renault 5s, Opel Kaddets and Asconas - all beautifully prepared and ready to tackle what was going to be one of the most gruelling rallies in many years.

Heavy snow fall and freezing conditions made the going tough and as the first leg of the Rally got under way Stages were reported as being impassable, even by 4x4 vehicles, so what chance did the two-wheel drives have? The 1st stage was adjacent to the show ground and the 2nd a short distance away, each was done twice so a large crowd made good use of the Show Ground facilities. A joint venture between me and Paul Allender of Rallyist Publications was located in a nice warm location in the main building that was Rally base (for Scrutineering, Drivers Briefings etc.) whilst outside the crews serviced the cars in very difficult conditions. As spectators and Crews came inside for a respite our stand became very busy – with lots of interest in the Rallyist 1&2 publications, our Kids Colouring Book set, the Killarney DVD, the mugs, (not us two!) and a selection of the 10 Andrews Cars. Paul’s canvas prints were also generating a lot of interest.

This was an event we really felt at home with. It was a ‘Historic’ and with the name ‘R A C Rally’ it was one event that spectators could relate to ‘Andrews Heat for Hire’ and Russell Brookes with. On Sunday Afternoon we bid farewell to the R A C Rally to head back home, wishing the remaining crews a safe journey to the finish.

John Leahy 

    

Next Weekend ... the RAC Rally

We will be at the Pickering Show Grounds on Friday, before moving to Oliver's Mount for Saturday. The stand will have The Andrews Years/Rallyist Merchandise (including our high quality rally jackets, hats, t-shirts, mugs, signed Russell Brookes photos, Rallyist 1&2 cartoon books, canvas prints and for the kids: Colouring books and T shirts). See you there!

Links: Roger Albert Clark Rally 

Race Car Live at Brands Hatch

No Rest and this weekend we were at Race Car Live at Brands Hatch. Plenty of action on the Rally with the Group "B" Cars and the RX 150 Buggies and a host of other Rally and Rally cross cars, featuring Steve Hill and Ollie O'Donovan amongst others.

"Rallying with Group B" was represented by Andy Krinks in his Audi Quadra S1 and guest member Mick Strafford in his Chevrolet Firenze 4.9. As I represented the group I made sure that the two boys got plenty of action ... with interviews and during the track session the cars saw plenty of action. With Guest Rides we added another £27 to the Children with Leukaemia funds we are raising. Our total now nears £300.00 for this season.

For more info visit: www.racecarlive.com  

Wales Rally GB Update

We had a good time at the Wales Rally GB, adding the Andrews Years/Rallyist stand to the mid Wales base proved a real hit with all the Rally Fans. On Friday we were at the service area for the WRC Cars, this brought over a thousand visitors during the day. With the action taking place out on the Stages, and with the weather conditions sending most people for cover, we really could have done with a large covered area ... as it was, plenty of people came in for a respite from the rain. As darkness fell the National Competitors started rolling into town. Familiar faces made their way through Scrutiny in readiness for the Saturday Morning start.

After a good night’s sleep we were awoken to the sound of Rally Cars, the final few were going through Scrutiny in readiness for the 10am Start. There were some notable casualties early on, with Andy Burton out with mechanical failure, but not before he set 6th fastest time on the stage including the WRC'S. There was a lot of interest in the Classic section with Gareth Lloyd, Jason Lepley, Dick Meager to name a few who were there. The action was hot and after 4 stages there was only 4 seconds between the top three when they returned for their overnight stay. We packed away after the Saturday action before mingling with the National boys on Sunday morning before they left for 2 Stages and a finish in Cardiff. I made my way to Cardiff with Jason's Crew, as we wound our way over the Breacon Beacons the Rally Cars tackled the first stage and it was Jason Lepley in his Silkolene Escort who showed he meant business, taking 45 seconds out of Lloyd and at that point, barring any trouble on the last stage, the Rally was his. Which was how it turned out, with Jason taking the Classic's, best two-wheel drive and 6th O/A. Well done Jason!

Links: Rally GB
                                                                                                                       

Next Stop ... Rally GB

Next stop for The Andrews Years will be Rally GB, where you can find us at the showground in Builth Wells, where the national rally cars are based. We will be there on Friday and Saturday, along with our stand selling a selection of our unique and high quality Andrews Years merchandise (mugs, clothing and DVDs). So please come along and support us on what looks to be another great weekend! John Leahy

The Rallist and Rallyist-2

Celebrating the launch of Rallyist-2 at the Halloween Historic Stage Rally 2010 in Ireland, Rallyist Publications presents the second cartoon book by Artist cartoonist Paul M. Ellender. Watch as a cartoon version of the world famous Subaru Impreza (Superoo) is constructed Stage by Stage, A brief glimpse of rallyist rally art follows and then finally samples of cartoon art from both The Rallyist & Rallyist-2 are displayed ...

The Manta Song

Try this for something different from the Halloween Historic Rally ...

Halloween Historic Rally

What a weekend ... the Carrick on Suir Motor Club put on at their first historic rally. Visit their site www.carrickonsuirmotorclub.com, it is full of up to the minute news on the Rally. Items of interest on the site include this excellent report from Speedhunters.com, the Rally Results and this footage on You Tube:

 

Despite it raining all day, and some difficult driving conditions, the first Historic Halloween Rally Day was a great success. We are delighted that Russell Brookes came First in Class in our ex works Lotus Sunbeam, 15th overall. Kelly McKinstry won the Classic Section with Mike Stafford rallying in Group B with his Vauxhall Firenza, enjoying his first rally in Ireland. Other names at the event included current Irish Champion Ray Cunningham, Jimmy McRae and Donie Keating.rookes Halloween Historic Rally Interview. More news to follow ...

Russell Brookes Halloween Historic Rally SHAKEDOWN!

Article from the Carrick On Suir Motor Club website (c)

After being the guest of honour at the Halloween Historic Stages Press Launch, Russell Brookes was eager to get some tarmac testing carried out on similar roads to that of the rally. So on Sunday last the Ex-British Champion put the Talbot Sunbeam through its paces to build up some mileage and get a feel for the car on Irish roads. On the 4km specially selected stage Russell covered nearly 40km of a Shakedown. After his first run he reported that it felt a bit soft. John Leahy, who owns and maintains the car, was quickly on hand to change the rear springs and with in 15 minutes the amber Sunbeam was on it's way back up the stage. On Russell's return a smile came from the Englishman's face as he stated, "Now we're getting somewhere". The top section of the test contained two hairpin bends and it was a delight to see the now sixty-five year old throw the car into each corner and hold the car sideways as he stepped on the gas to power away up the road.

Afterwards Brookes reported "It was essential to get time in the car here this weekend. The roads here in Ireland have their own characteristics and I needed to familiarise myself with the surface and get a setup that I feel happy with. The last time I drove the car was on Rallyday at Castlecombe, since then John has changed the gearbox. The new box has a lighter feel to it and easier to change up and down the box. All on all it was great weekend, the press launch on Friday night was very professionally put together and was a credit to the club, I had a nice day yesterday at Hanora's Cottage, plus John Leahy and I visited Nugent’s Bar in Newcastle, it had been 21 years since my last pint there when we were testing for the Rally of the Lakes. As soon as I enter the pub it was like turn back the clock as nothing had changed and we got a great welcome. After my few days back here in Ireland I now can’t wait for the Rally weekend.”

For more on the Historic Halloween Rally visit this site.

Rallyday 2010 Signed Photographs now available online ...

We are delighted to be able to offer a range of photographs for sale on our website, taken by M.J.A Studios during Rallyday 2010. Each photograph is signed by Russell Brookes and can be ordered from our online shop.

Halloween Historic Stages Rally Launch - Friday 8th October Update

On Friday the Carrick on Suir Motor Club launched the new Halloween Historic Stage Rally on at the Carraig Hotel in Carrick on Suir, starting at 7.30pm. A wine reception on the evening was followed by a host of Rally Cars on display outside the Hotel. This new event to the Irish Motorsport Calendar was officially launched by the legendary rally driver and Ex British Rally Champion Russell Brookes. Also on display was Russell's Andrews Heat for Hire Talbot Sunbeam that he will drive on the event. For more information, visit Rally.ie.

Rallyday 2010 Update ...

We will be releasing a DVD celebrating The Andrews Years in 2011, see below for a taster of what you'll be getting ...

We had a fantastic day at Rallyday 2010 in Castle Combe and have been touched by all the notes/calls and e-mails from those who attended. I was particularly touched to receive this letter (abridged) from John Andrews himself ...

Dear John, Wow!! What a day you orchestrated for so many but particularly me & my family. Just how you did it I really do not know, it was an amazing achievement & so many really entered into the spirit of it all…………old co-drivers, current owners, organisers, charity beneficiaries et al. Very well done indeed. I also enjoyed our chat over dinner on Friday & tried to understand better just why you do this. Not sure I got to the bottom of that! but whatever it is you certainly delivered the result of your passion. It really was a special day for me & my family so again THANK YOU. I was also delighted to hear that you are weaving a Charitable element into your Andrews Years enterprise. Enough for now but well done again John & a big thank you on behalf of many but particularly this Andrews family. Best wishes, John

Other footage ...

Next stop ... the Halloween Rally in Ireland !!!!

If you have any questions please feel free to ask them on our Forum, otherwise please have a look around, bookmark us and come back and visit again!

Background: The ‘Andrews Years’ story started in 1974 when Derek Hill, a motoring journalist from the West Midlands, introduced Russell Brookes (who was looking for a sponsor) to John Andrews of Andrews Industrial Equipment who was looking for something unusual to sponsor. The result was a collaboration that lasted from 1974 until 1988, a period known as the ‘Andrew Years’. Originally the Birmingham Post also sponsored the cars – their contribution to the livery being the same yellow colour that they used on their delivery vans. The Andrews contribution was the blue from Andrews’ red, blue and silver livery. The placing of the respective colours was decided by the toss of a coin and although the Birmingham Post withdrew in 1976 the distinctive livery was retained. During the ‘Andrews Years’ Russell drove a number of cars: the Ford Escort RS1800, the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, the Vauxhall Chevette HSR, the Opel Manta, the Vauxhall Astra (Opel Kadett), the Lancia Delta and the Ford Sierra Cosworth. This site features the original Talbot Sunbeam ex Works car driven by Russell, it has been carefully restored to its former glory and we now enter Classic Events throughout the UK and Ireland – with some of the ‘greats’ from the era driving the car. To find out about past and future events please visit here, for unique souvenirs and gifts visit here and if you would like to join our Supporter’s Club visit here.       John Leahy, 2009.

For your opportunity to buy a unique piece of rally history, why not take a look at our DVDs, coffee mugs and limited edition signed photographs in our shop ... 

Thanks to our sponsors 'Andrews Heat for Hire' who continue to support British Rallying into 2010!