Bill Richards Racing to Compete in 2011 Rallye Monte Carlo Historique

After finishing the 2010 season with a hard fought Class C win with his KAD powered Mini in the Dunlop Motorsport News Championship and setting new lap records at Lydden, Snetterton and Brands Hatch world-renowned circuit racer, Bill Richards, is hoping for the same level of success when he swaps the asphalt for snow-covered Alpine roads in the Monte Carlo Historique Rallye.  Together with navigator, John Morrow, and competing as “Minispares- Mad Dog Rallying” he will set off from the Reims start on 28th January 2011.


Richards, who runs a well-known engineering and engine tuning business in Ashford, Kent, will campaign a 1965 1293cc Morris Mini Cooper S owned by Seattle-based co-driver, John Morrow. The car is a very close replica to the fabulously successful vehicles built by BMC Competitions Department in the 1960s and which won the Monte Carlo outright on three separate occasions. Currently the car is in the Bill Richards Racing workshops undergoing extensive preparation for the event.


This Monte Carlo Historique is one of the most gruelling rallies in the world and the team will have to cover 2500 Km including a number of special stages over narrow, snow and ice-covered, mountain roads before they reach the sunshine of the Mediterranean. Richards and Morrow will be competing against more than 320 other cars including a dozen classic Minis. Co-driver Morrow says, “2011 is the Centennial anniversary of the Monte Carlo rally and there will be a lot of interest in the event. It is also 50 years since a Mini first competed on the rally and it will be fascinating to see how the car can perform against its rivals half a century after it was first produced; the Monte is an extremely competitive event but we are very well prepared and are hoping for at least a class win”.

For this special occassion, the Mini Cooper Register has six Minis being entered:

The team entries are:
Bill Richards/William Morrow GB 1965 Morris Mini Cooper S Reims
Peter Barker/Willy Cave GB 1965 Austin Mini Cooper S Reims
Jean-Paul Burnier/Patrick Alibaux F 1975 Innocenti Mini Cooper Glasgow
Christophe Gandy/Stephane Campo F 1969 Austin Mini Cooper S Glasgow
Anthony Hart/Graeme Allan GB 1965 Morris Mini Cooper S Glasgow
Alastair Vines/Peter Moss GB 1964 Austin Mini Cooper S Reims

In addition MCR Honorary member and 1967 Rallye Monte Carlo winner Rauno Aaltonen will be contesting the rally from Marrakech with Helmut Artacker SF/A 1969 Austin Mini Cooper S.

For further information contact Bill Richards (bill.richardsracing@btconnect.com; 01233-624336) or John Morrow (wjwmorrow@yahoo.com; 00-1-425-442-7111)

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