Rally of the tests

Three-pointed stars Fennel and Savage top in Tests

The combined talent of Frank Fennell and Kevin Savage was the dominant force in the second running of the Rally of the Tests.

The experienced crew had guided their 1962 Mercedes Benz 300SE into a commanding winning margin by the time the surviving crews arrived at the Blackpool finish after three days of special tests and regularity sections.

This second running of the event re-lived the RAC Rally as it was run in the 1950s, and comprised more than 30 special tests and a dozen regularity sections over public roads.

From a start in Cheltenham, crews had to contend with heavy rain and strong winds as the route headed into the Peak District for an overnight halt at Buxton. After a second overnight stay at Harrogate, the rally concluded with a pair of special tests on the Blackpool promenade.

Fennell and Savage took a firm hold from the start and had a clear lead at the end of day one. That was extended over the remaining two days to make them clear victors, while the Porsche 356 of Neil Wilson and Alan Smith took second.

A missed passage control in Catterick Garrison dropped the Triumph TR3A of James Warner and Colin Francis from second to eighth, allowing the Jaguar MkII of Geoff Breakell/Nigel Raeburn to take third.