WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK
Steve Magson (fellow Yorkshire rally driver)
“Bob is a gentleman and an inspiration to all who compete against him: always cheerful and happy to see you. Bob is still quick and it seems he has not lost any of his enthusiasm.”
Simon Wallis (Lotus Cortina rival)
“He’s an amazing competitor to rally against. He’s a total gentleman with unbelievable pace. Long may he continue!”
Malcolm Smithson (regular co-driver)
“We’ve been rallying together since 2006. He’s an absolute gentleman and he never has a bad word to say about anyone. Every rally is an adventure and we do have fun in the car. He’s still on it and knows exactly what he’s doing in the car. Rallying is in his bones. It all happens with thanks to John Gregson from King Street Motors and Mark Boulton, along with lots of support from friends and volunteers.”
Graham Wild (co-driver)
“I’ve known Bob since I first started in motorsport as a teenager and what can you say about him: the man is an icon! Of the few rallies that I’ve done with Bob, one particular event stands out in my memory.
“I was lucky enough to navigate for Bob in 1999 on the Network Q. I well remember a dark and foggy Resolven stage: the organiser-issued Bjorn Waldegard notes and they were far too detailed for our Group N Skoda Felicia, and most of the bends didn’t really exist to us. It quickly became obvious that the notes were pretty useless to us as I could neither feel nor see the faster bends in the fog. So Bob told me to just call anything rated over a six!
“I spent the rest of the 29-mile stage flicking the pages for anything bad and watching him catch and pass numerous cars: I think about five if memory serves, and all in virtually zero vision. He put the fear of God into a French crew we passed, who couldn’t believe that anyone could drive so fast in those conditions. The car was never in a straight line, even on the straights! Bob had the car constantly dancing and twitching to find the track edges and mostly flat in fifth!
“I’d always known Bob’s reputation in fog, but that day I had a real lesson in car control that I’ll never forget.”