Rally ace dies, aged 67

10:39am Tuesday 4th December 2007

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Former Baildon international rally ace Tony Fall died on Saturday after suffering a heart attack while assisting the organisers of the East African Safari Classic Rally during a holiday in Tanzania.

He was 67 and lived at Newmarket.

Bradford-born Fall kept his connections with his home county and competed in the Ilkley Motor Club's annual Classic Rally in May.

He was a British Leyland team driver in the 1960s as well as working for Bradford distributor Appleyards.

He had a chequered career in world rally driving, racing for Nissan in a Datsun 240Z, followed by connections with Opel in Germany then moving to Italy to drive for Lancia.

He was closely involved in rally and racing car safety, working for roll cage manufacturers Safety Devices.

Many enthusiasts will recall his spirited driving of the works-entered Mini Cooper S in international events and the famed Yorkshire Rally, which took place on country roads in north Yorkshire and ran overnight.

He is survived by wife Pat, sons Richard and Oliver from a previous marriage, and grandchildren Louis, eight, Charles, six, and Mia, four.