Tony Fall

Who was Tony Fall?

Richard Anthony Fall was a British rally driver. He was born in Bradford. He began his rallying career as a club rally driver in a Mini. He was considerably better than his peers, however, and was soon spotted by the BMC team; this led to a drive in their works team alongside Paddy Hopkirk, Timo Mäkinen and Rauno Aaltonen. His first major international victory in the Mini was the 1966 Circuit of Ireland, where his co-driver was Henry Liddon.

Tony worked as Salesman for Appleyards Bradford, a BMC dealership which sold Austin and Morris Mini Coopers. At that time, Appleyards supported the privateer rally drivers and employed ex BMC Competitions Manager Marcus Chambers in their Service Department. Tony gained permission from Appleyards to use one of their Cooper 'S' demonstrator cars AAK 500C to use as his rally car in the 1965 season. It was at this time that Tony was discovered by the BMC Competitions Department in Abingdon. The Competitions Manager at the time was Stuart Turner and he offered Tony a drive with the BMC Team. Tony accepted and became one of the most celebrated BMC Works drivers.