Anne Hall, 83, former international rally driver
Michael Rhodes
2003, in Dorset. She was 83.
Anne Hall, formerly of Stirley Hill, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, had
driven in over 100 major rallies and spent 15 years on the
international circuit fighting against weather, time and fatigue.
She was the daughter of a prominent motor trader,of Huddersfield, West
Yorkshire, she learned to drive at her father's knee.
She first took the wheel at the age of 10, driving up and down the
long farm track to the family's home at Stirley Hill.
She acquired her first motor - a Wolseley Hornet sports car - on her
17th birthday, she was already a seasoned driver.
Mrs Hall started rallying quite by chance. Her father wanted to get
hold of a Jaguar XK120 and the only way in those days was to drive one
in competition.
She entered her first RAC rally in 1951, and was a member of several
works teams, including Ford and Rover, driving against and alongside
champions like Sheila van Damm, Roger Clark, Stirling Moss, Andrew
Clark and Graham Hill.
In 1964 she crashed during the Shell 4,000 Rally in Canada putting her
in hospital with 38 stitches in her head. She was resting in the
passenger seat at the time while her American navigator, Jean Steagal,
was driving.
Motoring columnists at the time heralded her courage as she set off on
the 2,000 mile Acropolis Rally - as the last stitch was extracted from
her wound.
But 40 years ago not everyone approved of this kind of free spirit.
For over 20 years she ran her own driving school. She has a prodigious
racing record. In the RAC Rally she competed 12 times, and won the
ladies award in 1951 and 1952.
In the European Rally Championship she was joint ladies champ in 1955.
She competed in over 50 British National rallies.
She won the Lancashire Rally outright in 1960 from 127 competitors.
This was the first time a ladies crew had won an national or
international event outright.
She competed with Jaguar in 1952, was with Sunbeam between 1953 and
1956, was with Ford for eight years in Ford teams with Roger Clark and
Andrew Cowan.
With TVR - in the Tulip Rally.
With BMC - drove Healeys in Liege, Rome, Liege rallies with John Gott
and Nancy Mitchell. She also drove MGs.
With Fords of America she drove in the Ford Falcon team with Graham
Hill and beat him in the moutnains, and by 6.6 seconds on the Monte
Carlo Circuit, being third fastest.
Mrs Hall drove a Mercedes in the 1964 East Africa Safari Rally.
She also raced with Fords of Canada - in the Trans Canadian Rally.
In the Monte Carlo Rally - she competed 12 times, & won the ladies
award in 1961.
She was predeceased by her husband, the late John Ronald Hall, &
leaves three children, Carol, David and Patricia.
A Memorial Service is to take place at Holy Trinity Church,
Huddersfield, 27 February, 2003.
--
Michael Rhodes
Michael Rhodes
> A former international rally driver, Mrs Anne Hall, died 19 January,
> 2003, in Dorset. She was 83.
According to the Daily Telegraph, 24 January, she was the former Anne
Newton, & was born at Huddersfield, 30 May, 1919, and educated at
Greenhead High School.
--
Michael