The home of the Historic Marathon Rally Group. The Historic Marathon Rally Group (HMRG) is a friendly UK-based network of enthusiasts dedicated to reuniting historic rally cars, competitors, service crews, and supporters from around the world. Our mission is to celebrate and promote the legendary Marathon Rallies and Classic Car Endurance events of the past while fostering a shared passion for motorsport history.
The CORVID-19 virus outbreak has lend to many car events being cancelled this year. Our headline event WCR50 had to be cancelled. As at the time of writing this is current outlook for events in 2020.
WCR50+1
WCR50 has been postponed until next year. We now have a date in the diary for holding our show WCR50+1 at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon on 18 April 2021.
BMC/BL Day
6 September 2020 at the British Motor Museum is the rescheduled BMC/BL Day along with the 50 years since the closure of Abingdon Reunion. HMRG are hoping be there with a few cars if lockdown rules allow. Read more details here.
Classic Car Restoration Show
We are supposed to be at the Classic Car Restoration Show on August 7th to 9th but this is looking doubtful, partly because of the large number of people who attend and part of the NEC being a Nightingale Hospital. You can check out more details here.
The target time to get from La Paz in Boliva to Buenaventura in Peru a distance of 1150 miles was 25 hours. The required average speed was 46mph
This section of the World Cup Rally took place between May 17th and 21st 1970. There were two Primes 14 and 15. A total of 13,450 road miles would be completed by the end of this section.
This post is closely based on post to our facebook group by Ted Taylor.
Today is the appropriate day because this is the day it all happened – and the World Cup Rally came close to having an appalling incident though what happened was bad enough.
At the time of my organising WCR40, out of the blue Ted received a massage from Marcelo E Virgili about the Cowan/Coyle.Ossio accident.
He wrote “In 1970, I lived in Salta, Argentina, and worked as a surgeon in Emergency Services of Hospital San Bernardo there. I had just graduated from medical school the year before.We received the ambulance that brought Andrew Cowan, Brian Coyle and Ulderico Ossio, from the site of their accident in the tortuous roads along the slopes of the Northwestern Andes Mountains.”
The following is what Andrew said to Marcello which I have edited a very little for easier reading (though his English is excellent …… better than my non existent Spanish!)
I had just taken the driver’s seat from Ulderico Ossio We were driving along a straight road at more than 100mph and catching up with Jean Denton’s Austin 800. My vision was obscured by the dust lifted by the car’s wake – the typical red dirt from the Calchaqui Valleys. I slowed down to 70mph to take a turn. Coming out from that turn the sun, which was just coming up over the horizon, hit me right in the face and I couldn’t see another turn immediately following … and we went straight over the cliff.
news clipping showing the photos
The news clipping showing the photos talks about the accident and their ensuing medical care. I am endeavoring to get it all translated into English.
Marcello says that eventually Andrew, Brian and Ulderico were air-lifted to Buenos Aires and they all made good recoveries. They sent him a case of good Scotch!
the doctors from the hospital
The picture of medical team are the doctors from the hospital where Macello worked – he is in the youngest one in the first row on the left in the glasses. I did pass this on to Andrew at the time and had hoped Andrew would still be with us so that he and Marcello would perhaps meet up at WCR50.
Another account of this crash written by Brian Robins in his book ‘The Great Rally’ follows over the page.
12th May 1970 50 years ago. Timeline: Buenos Aires 0700 Daily Mirror London-Mexico World Cup Rally.
Buenos Aires back in 1970
We dried our tears and set off back to Buenos Aires…we are now out of the rally, but decide we have to go back to Buenos Aires as there is absolutely no chance of catching up with the rally through Argentina and on to Santiago.
6 hours and c 400 miles later we arrive in BA and find our British Leyland dealership. The lovely rep Mateo booked us into a hotel in the centre. We settled into the hotel and now had to decide what to do next. As Puff seemed to be running so well still, Tish and I were keen to catch up with the rally, but Tina wanted to go home as she was desperately missing her two children. She was helped and advised by some of the guys in the army and navy teams who said they could get her back on a service flight – little did we know then how circuitous that would be – but that is a story for Tina to tell. Eh, Katrina Kerridge-Reynolds??
Now officially out of the rally, I rang England to let my family know I was safe. The newspapers were already reporting that we were missing apparently. Tina was busy getting ready to leave, but Tish and I sat down to discuss what we would do next. We did not want to go home – yet! And Puff seemed to be running so well now that the manifold issue had been sorted. After all, we already had flights home booked from Mexico City, so “ c’mon – let’s get there”
Touring Automobile Club of Peru folder
Touring Club of Peru Map
Tish and I poured over our maps, and decided we could catch up with the rally as it crossed back into the north of Argentina on its way to Bolivia, and then we could drive over the Andes to the Pan American highway with that ‘easy’ run up to Lima. Now we had a chance to follow the rally route all the way to Mexico City. Decision made, we would leave tomorrow……no time to lose if we were to catch up……
11th May 1970 50 years ago. Timeline: Montevideo-Buenos Aires Day 4 x restart – 2000 miles from Rio
Daily Mirror London-Mexico World Cup Rally
A not-too-early start thank goodness as we only had to reach the ferry at Colonia by midday some 110miles away. We noticed on the way that Puff was not sounding quite on-song, but knew there will be a British Leyland service point before the next Prime at Saladillo – only some 250 miles driving. The ferry crossing would take 3 hours roughly- gosh the River Plate is vast, and it took longer than crossing the Channel!!
Ferry across the River PlateLoading onto the ferry
We arrived into BA with a band playing and thousands of people lining the pier to greet us – great excitement in the air with the rally about to get serious. Such a long way still to go. We got police motorcycle escorts through Buenos Aires and again hundreds waved us on our way.
Drove 100 miles to the service point in Saladillo, some 12 miles from the start of the Pampas Prime – first car due away at 2100 so enough time for servicing. This was going to be a 200 mile blast through the huge paddocks of the virtually treeless pampas on domed roads (deep drainage ditches either side). 200 miles in 3 hrs 30m (57.14 mph!). It would be easily cleaned by nearly 20 of the survivors.
Puff coming off the ferry – MarkHeathCollectionGetting onto the ferryBand to welcome us to Buenos Aires – Mark Heath CollectionOn the ferry
Pics x various cine films – stock pics – pics newly discovered
