Which British rallycross driver would you most like to see return to the sport?

Which British rallycross drivers would you most like to see return to British/European rallycross? Lets say you have a choice of 5 and they all have to be under 50 so there will be no pensioners.

My 5 would be

1. Richard Hutton - in a European spec supercar
2. Nick Jones
3. Richard Watts

Jones and Watts always showed they were capable of winning the Group N european champs but funding prevented them. Nick did very well in 1994 winning the European round at Croft. He has been a big miss as he was a real young star

4. Mark Rennison
5. Barry Squibb/Johnny Milner (not sure on Squibbs age though!!)

There were rumours that Rennison may return at some stage last year. Lets hope he does at it will be another "name" to mix it with Gollop and Doran.

I always thought it was ashame that Tony Bardy never had a proper crack at the European series as he was/is a top driver that showed so much promise. If only he got the chance in a supercar.

Mine would have to be MArk Rennison, John Welch, Dimi Mavropolous, Roger Newbould and Steve Palmer in a 6R4

Why no women in Rallycross? There was one some years ago but I can't remember her name.

Super, Sue Jefferey, in the Nilsson Porsche, dosen't quite go as fast with Sue in though. My uncle had a women team mate in the 80's, Pauline Hale, she was good as well. Tina Cooper was a good match for the men in the 80's as well.

1994 also saw Susann Bergvall, now known as Sussan hansen (kenneths wife) become european rallycross champion in division 3 (or division 2a as it was called last year) for 1400cc cars in a Citroen Ax

The best BRitish woman had to be Suzie Brailsford! Remember the good old texaco vauxhall nova? Then she had the group n nissan sunny similar to tony bardys version.

Then you also had Lisa Gardner in the Ford Escort cosworth group n machine.

Chunder......surely Newbould Welch and Mavroupolis all must be over 50. They are ancient!

Rennison would be good value still, especially in a modern day supercar

As for Palmer then he is a name, but i always thought he was a bit on the dull side. He was never that popular. A few reffered to him as mr grumpy. there is unlikely to be any more group b cars appear as they are trying to phase them out. Next year will surely see the end.

I hope John Haffey does come back, he said that before and buggered off for a few years. Mark Rennison, why he gave up rallycross for circuit racing I will never understand, he was a huge name in Scandanavia. Johnny Milner, proved what a good driver he was by winning British rally championship. Mark Proctor, if only for the name, dad Tony was a bit of a legend. One oldy, have to be Keith Ripp, he packed up just as rallycross was starting to get interesting, imagine Keith driving a yellow and black Focus WRC now with full Ripspeed livery, nice. As for Hutton, Pat Doran should have slapped him harder that day he took him off at paddock hill. He lives round my way, and not alot of nice things are said in reference to Mr Hutton.

How long has Hutton been back in the UK?? After he won the championship in 1994 he went off to live in Belgium/Holland for a while didnt he??

i think what did rennision was the one off touring car drive he had thruxton in the vauxhall cavalier. Even though he started at the back of the grid he thought he was going to be star in the circuit racing world.

Johnny Milner was always class in his little 205, very much unbeatable. He was considering returning last year before he did the gb rally champs. There were rumours a couple of years ago that he was going to build a toyota yaris. That never materialised.

Martyn Tinker has been a miss as well. He was another spectacular driver. His 2 litre Nova was a pocket rocket, sometimes a 3 wheeler!!

Bugger Pete, forgot the under 50 bit, never mind,
Like you Barrie I never liked Hutton, was a nasty piece of work but like Alamaki a bloody good driver.
Agree about Mark Proctor, Steve Bogg.
Richard Watts finished in the top ten in the North Humberside rally this weekend by the way.
Clive Richardson was a good driver if a little hot headed.
Bring back Wayne O Connor in the Rover!!
Gary Baker?? Whatever happened to him or the car. ALso what happened to Hoppy's old RS200.

That awesome rover!! what a beast of a machine . Proctors old capril was pretty good value not to mention denis atkinsons porsche! Hang on we are on about drivers coming back not the old cars!!

Russell Spink.....what a superstar in the little vauxhall nova! There was always a lot of talent but little money for the drivers to step up.

Hoppy's RS200 was the Haynes backed machine right? There was a rumour that it was going to be restored as a show car so it's still about in one form or another at least.

I think a lot of RS200's have gone that way. If you think of all the RS200's thta have been in rallycross, there is only the Doran version around and the ex works schanche one is still for sale in the autosport. As for rest then who knows.

We had Gary Bakers version as well in England.

Then in Europe

There was Schanches x 2 (possibly 3)
rolf Nilsson
Michael Nordstroms
Benght Wiklands
Mark Rennison
Pekka Rantanens
Martin Iverson
Jan Arthur Iverson
Dan Anderson
Odbjorn Ottosen
Walter Mayer
Thor Holm
Stig Blomqvist ( i gather that is the one for sale)
Roer Vannebo
Tore H Bratlie
and of course Pat Dorans version which he still uses today

So there are 20 ex european Ford RS200's there and i am only aware of what has happened to two of them. Maybe some bought them of each other a bit like this history of the xtrac. So this may be a little challenge to find out what happened and the breakdown of who owned each of the versions

Graham Hathaway still has his rallycross car I think.
Dan Andersson broke his up and used the motor in a Fiesta I think.Vannebo only used the hire car for a couple of years I reckon.
Stig's is the Ford motorsport car used also by Jonathan Palmer. Jonathan also used the Schnache hire car at the GP once. Mayer used the hire car aswell.
I reckon Iversen used Bratlies car maybe, same sponsors and colour scheme perhaps!!
Holm and Schnache I know had more than one car aswell.
Would be great to find ouyt what has happened to them all

Ooooo, I've just thought of a great one, totally untouchable IN the UK when he won the title...... Michael Shield. He did come back in Group N I think but was costing him too much money.
Saw him at an autograss a while ago, very errrrmmmm large!!

Michael Shield's was a bit boring. Nah dont want Shield'd back.

It would be nice to see Rob Gibson give his 6R4 an easter outing

I agree. Shield was horrible a bit like alamaki (obviously not as good). He was always Jumped up and ignorant just cos his dad George owned croft. HE bought the sierra from Nick Jones in 1994 to race in Group N and spat the dummy cos he wasnt competitve with the group n cossies so he chucked it in. Yes his build isnt exactly suited to that off a motoracing driver either, i think thats the best complement i could pay.

Funny how your individual experiences of a driver are different. I always found Michael a very nice bloke. Used to chat to him ever time I saw him.
I rememebr one time at a small meeting up at Croft he saw me standing next to the car when he was warming it up, gestured to me and told me everyting that was going on and what gauges did what and all the rest of it.
It seems Peter that you and I have very differing tastes in rallytcross drivers.
His Dad was a genuinely top bloke aswell. A friend and I tried to set up a sort of rallycross supporters club and George sent us loads of videos to run on club nights, we got freee admission to the track an everything. He was one of the nicest people I knew in rallycross actually.
I found Rennison to be a bit cool out of all of them to be honest, always in his bus!!!

I agree George shield was a top man. He did a marvelous job with Croft, back from when it was an airfield.

Rennision was a top guy as well.ALthough no one has ever come close to will gollop. He has always had the time of day and was always very freindly. I was in the supporters club from day one, and there were some great days and barbeques especially lydden hill for the european in 1991

My faviroute 5 british drivers were:

1. Will Gollop
2. Barry Squibb
3. Tony Bardy
4. John Welch
5. Ian Sandwith

Big up the V8 Rover SDi.

Stephen H- I'll have a word with a good friend of mine who is Rob's mechanic. He has been promising to get the 6R4 out for ages, maybe this'll be the year.....

Originally posted by Danster
Stephen H- I'll have a word with a good friend of mine who is Rob's mechanic. He has been promising to get the 6R4 out for ages, maybe this'll be the year.....

Fingers crossed, cos it would be great to see Gibbo and his 6R4 return to the track. Don`t think I`ve see the car out since Blyton in July 2001.