An 83-year-old rally driver is looking forward to returning to the starting line this weekend after spending a period on the sidelines due to the pandemic.

Bob Bean, from Cleckheaton, has done it all, racing across Europe and Africa in a career lasting over 60 years.

The Lombard Rally Festival in Bowling Park, an event which was initially supposed to be hosted on July 24 before it was postponed, will take place on Saturday.

The former farmer only picked up the sport on the off chance when one of his friends suggested the idea in the pub.

Bob said: “I was just having a pint one night and somebody said there is a rally on, and I thought that sounds good.

“I got an entry, and we did it.

“It was the Yorkshire Rally which started in Ilkley. I have always been interested in cars, but I didn’t have a clue what a rally was.

“Rally then and rally now is totally different. You could do it in your mother’s car (Hillman Minx), like I did at first, and do well, now it has got more technical.

“It is amazing that my old (1963 Lotus) Cortina is still so quick and lovely to drive.”

Motorsport is one of the most dangerous sports out there. We have all heard about the horror stories huge crashes can cause.

Over six decades, Bob has been involved in 'offs' a grand total of 16 times. His most recent roll was only a couple of years ago.

“It was in the last rallying year, it was so stupid,” he said.

“We were having trouble with the intercom.

“I could hear the navigator, but he couldn’t hear me, so we swapped helmets, his head is bigger than mine. It was a long straight of about a mile in a forest, there was a lot of logging and rut across the track.

“We were absolutely flat out and the helmet fell over my eyes, so we went down a ditch and hit a bank.

“The car went over on its roof, finishing at the side of a pile of logs.”

Incidents like this do not deter the pensioner who has never been more ready to buckle up once again in his trusted Escort this weekend.

Bob said: “I am looking forward to getting back out there. Hopefully, it goes ahead this time.

“I just can’t wait to get back on that start line and get going again.

“I get as excited now as I did in the old days. I have still got that will to win at all costs.

“I always say as long as I enjoy it and do well, I will just keep going.”

According to the What's On section of Bradford Council's website, the event takes place between 10am and 5pm on Saturday.

The website says spectator entry will be from Bowling Hall Road, and although the organisers recommend the use of public transport to attend, if you are travelling by car, there will be parking at both the Bradford Academy and Ostlers School sites nearby. Spectator entry to the barriered areas at Bowling Park will be free of charge.

There will be a Driver’s Lounge area to which there will be a charge, including food.

The event aims to recreate the first stage of the 1984 and 1985 Bradford-based international rally, as an untimed demonstration event.

Some 40 to 50 historic rally cars will strut their stuff around the narrow, winding tarmac route inside the park. The historic rally cars will have around eight to ten runs around the park during the day. The cars will run in different directions, morning to afternoon.

Rally stars will be interviewed and shown on a big screen, as will further live footage of what is taking place.