Gerald 'Gerry' Burgess, RAC Rally winner 1959

[FastDB2s]

Does anyone have any photos of Gerald Burgess, RAC Rally winner in 1959 in a Ford Zephyr.
Although his picture is on his Burgess Furniture website, that must have been many years after his rallying days.
Chris Adams

[FastDB2s]

I have contacted his co driver in 1953 & found out something about him.
He was a prewar bicyle sprint British champion who was interested in all kinds of wheeled racing. He eventually had a second on the Monte & a win in on? the Liege.
Still missing photos.

[FastDB2s]

In Motorsport 50s Archive CD, December 1959 copy of Motorsport there is the article on the RAC rally.
On the way to the last stage at Brands Hatch Lyndon Sims in his Aston Martin DB2/4 and Burgess clouted each other going in opposite directions in the lanes at the back of Brands Hatch at around 70mph.
On Burgess's Zephyr this was repaired with sackcloth & tank tape (good to see this in use then)
Ford's were obviously the car to have as 26 cars started & 14 finished (mainly Anglia's & Zephyr's), 19 Triumphs started & 6 finished, 12 Austin Healeys & Sunbeams started,with 3 & 6 finished respectively.

[Fred Gallagher]

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This is from the 1960 RAC Rally programme.

While the story is about the crew of car 66, the number he and Sam Croft-Pearson had when they won the 1959 RAC, the car in the photograph is number 88 and appears to be their car before the start of the 1957 liege-Rome-Liege.

Fred

[FastDB2s]

Interesting as he says he was introduced to rallying on the RAC in 1953, I wonder what the date was of that rally & what car did he use as he did the Alpine Rally in the DB2 in July 10th to 16th 1953.
He used a Frazer Nash in 1954 but went out with oil leaks.

[MGDavid]

Originally Posted by FastDB2s

Interesting as he says he was introduced to rallying on the RAC in 1953, I wonder what the date was of that rally & what car did he use as he did the Alpine Rally in the DB2 in July 10th to 16th 1953.
He used a Frazer Nash in 1954 but went out with oil leaks.

'53 RAC was 23rd-28th March...
HTH

[FastDB2s]

Thanks David, I should have put that Burgess used the Fazer Nash in the 1954 Alpine Rally.
Chris

[KA]

He also drove for BMC from time to time, particularly in Austin Westminsters in 1955/6- According to the results listing in the Bill Price BMC Competitions Department book:

1955 Tulip (Austin Westminster)-DNF
1955 Liege (Austin Westminster)- 31st/13th class
1956 Monte Carlo (Austin Westminster) - 82nd (accident)
1956 RAC (Austin Westminster)- team prize
1956 Tulip (Austin A90 Westminster)- ?
1956 Liege (MGA)- DNF
1958 Liege (Austin-Healey)- 10th/4th class
1959 Liege (Austin-Healey)- DNF

Peter Browning's 'Works Healeys' book describes him as 'a big man who liked big cars. His first drive for the BMC team was in 1955 with the giant Austin Westminster which he had handled with great verve on events such as the Monte, Tulip, Liege and RAC. He had driven an MGA on rhe 1956 Liege and went on to win the 1959 RAC in a Ford Zephyr'

[FastDB2s]

Anyone got an entry list for the 1953 RAC Rally, I guess it would be in Autosport for those dates

[Fred Gallagher]

1953 RAC Rally
Car No.66
G.N.Burgess & A.N.Smith
Austin A70
Reg. RPE 313
Started: Hastings
Touring Class 1601 to 2000cc
101st overall
39th in class

Fred

[FastDB2s]

see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_A70 - i assume as A70 Hereford - a huge car

[KA]

I also tripped over a reference in a Ford Zephyr/Zodiac book about him driving a Mk1 Zephyr on the Monte in either '54 or '55. Fits well with the comment in the Browning Healey book that GB 'liked big cars'- Zephyrs, Westminsters, A70s...

[FastDB2s]

Originally Posted by KA

I also tripped over a reference in a Ford Zephyr/Zodiac book about him driving a Mk1 Zephyr on the Monte in either '54 or '55. Fits well with the comment in the Browning Healey book that GB 'liked big cars'- Zephyrs, Westminsters, A70s...

Wonder why he drove a DB2, Healey or an MGA (even smaller still) as all are tiny by comparison with Zeph's &
A70's, 50s Westminsters

[KA]

Originally Posted by FastDB2s

Wonder why he drove a DB2, Healey or an MGA (even smaller still) as all are tiny by comparison with Zeph's &
A70's, 50s Westminsters

True- though with the Healey and MGA being works drives, I guess you'd be less concerned about whether the car was to your taste or not so long as it was competitive...

The Monte Carlo Mk1 Zeph was in 1955. According to 'Consul, Zephyr, Zodiac, Executive: Fords Mk1-4' by Michael Allen (Motor Racing Press 1990), Burgess finished 4th overall in a privately-entered Mk1, winning the Stuart Trophy for the highest-placed British car & crew combination.
Co-driver was Peter Easton- a late replacement for the originally-nominated Ian Walker.

There are a couple of pics of the Burgess/Easton Zephyr: Reg no. TPG825, Rally number 329.

According to the book, he'd also appeared as a co-driver in J. Risk's Mk1 in the previous year's event, being sufficiently impressed by the car that he bought one himself

The same book includes a full-page reproduction of a contemporary Ford advert celebrating the '59 RAC win, showing his RAC-winning Mk2 Zeph '155LVX'

[FastDB2s]

Originally Posted by KA

True- though with the Healey and MGA being works drives, I guess you'd be less concerned about whether the car was to your taste or not so long as it was competitive...

thats a similar thing to what Peter Riley said when being a paid Ford Mk1 Lotus Cortina driver - He thought 'well now I am a paid driver so I better perform' & promptly put it off - in the Safari, not sure which year.

Chris