Rally star Rockey, 74, passes away

Nigel Rockey, one of Britain’s leading rally drivers of the 1970s, has died aged 74 after an illness.

The Bristol motor trader started rallying in a Ford Anglia in the mid1960s but it was in Ford Escorts that he enjoyed most success. Co-driven by Paul White, he won the 1973 Motoring News Rally Championship and was a leading contender on national stage rallies through the 1970s. He finished 11th overall on the 1974 RAC Rally.

He stopped competing at the end of the 1970s due to lack of finance and in later life Rockey lived in Bourtonon-the-water.

“He was a hardworking guy and a great character,” said White.