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9 Feb 2002, 07:06 (Ref:212872)
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Veteran
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,417
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R.I.P Tony Pond
I read on the Autosport page that Tony Pond had passed away on Thursday after a battle with cancer. I have witnessed all be it on video footage of Tony in and out of the car and have to say that the sport has lost another huge talent. A sad day with the world another rally driver less. Condolences to his family, friends and fans
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10 Feb 2002, 00:05 (Ref:213429)
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Veteran
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 561
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Tony was one of my heroes along with Toivenen Brookes and J McRae. He never seemed to be happy with a car but he could make them go. I remember footage of him on the IOM doing the stages in thick fog in a V8 Rover. The camera just showed grey and he was doing 80mph. Condolences to all his family. He may be gone but memories of him will last a long time yet.
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Cowspeed
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10 Feb 2002, 13:27 (Ref:213702)
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#3 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,043
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Tony Pond was a great rally driver, and it's a pity he didn't get a proper attack on the WRC. His drive in the MG Metro 6R4 in it's debut on the '85 RAC Rally was an awesome effort.
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11 Feb 2002, 04:50 (Ref:213910)
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Veteran
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 561
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Somehow I don't think that the WRC would have appealed to Tony Pond. He seemed to enjoy life too much to spend most of his life going round the world rallying. I am not saying he wasn't committed or bad at testing because the reverse is true. Somehow rallying seems to be more business-like and less friendly and I don't think TP would have liked that. Perhaps it is just my rose-tinted racing goggles and my age showing.
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Cowspeed
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11 Feb 2002, 08:34 (Ref:213945)
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#5 | ||
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Ten-Tenths Hall of Fame
Veteran
Join Date: Nov 1999
Posts: 3,797
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Poor Tony. He was one of the characters that made rallying fun in the late seventies and early eighties.
When he took a spill, it always seemed to be so memorable, be it the Rover Vitesse in Chatsworth, or taking on the lions' feeding table in a TR7 V8. But he was quick - my goodness he was quick. The lap of the Isle of Man that Alpina mentions is an awesome bit of footage. The thing that always impressed me was that Tony seemed perpetually to have the cars that had missed the boat in terms of development, but still had them at the sharp end of the leaderboard through sheer tenacity. Like Roger Clark before him, he left us far too soon. |
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11 Feb 2002, 09:17 (Ref:213952)
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#6 | |
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Veteran
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 1,083
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Definitely a star; he will be missed.
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12 Feb 2002, 00:31 (Ref:214336)
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#7 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 561
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I had forgotten about the Chatsworth incident. Classic piece of rallying film. I think he claimed that they slid on lion ****. Would have made a good insurance claim!
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__________________
Cowspeed
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12 Feb 2002, 00:33 (Ref:214338)
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#8 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 561
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Wow I am not allowed to write ****. How about lion faeces instead?
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__________________
Cowspeed
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12 Feb 2002, 17:52 (Ref:214683)
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#9 | ||
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Rookie
Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 22
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I saw Tony's driving first hand in 1985 and the memories are still clear to this day.He will be missed by many.
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12 Feb 2002, 18:21 (Ref:214705)
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#10 | ||
 Race OfficialVeteran
Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 4,010
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His legacy? a household name - to many people my age he was rallying in the late 70s, early 80s. People who have no intrest in the sport knew who Tony was when I mentioned it.
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__________________
Andretti, Mario: Auto racing legend owns the rights to an unspecified Spinal Tap song, which he purchased when former manager Ian Faith secretly sold the band’s catalog
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14 Feb 2002, 13:35 (Ref:215832)
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#11 | |
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Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 1,081
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Fantastic memories. Chevettes and TR7s in Clipstone, Wykeham, grizedale etc. End-of-season TV rallysprints at Donington. Always happy to sign autographs and chat with folk.
For all the fury required to drive a Group B car in the mid 80s, remember he was also human to refuse to continue in San remo (was it?) because the crowds were spilling onto the stage and he couldn't bear the thought of hitting someone ... That really took some courage, to say no. Absolutely smashing bloke. |
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14 Feb 2002, 18:28 (Ref:215957)
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#12 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 561
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Wasn't that the time when the press hid mikes under a trolley of drinks?
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__________________
Cowspeed
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16 Feb 2002, 20:48 (Ref:217335)
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#13 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2000
Posts: 936
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Very Sad, my first real hero outside football. I managed to get an autograph off him when I was very young, still framed on my wall today.
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11 Jan 2022, 23:16 (Ref:4093360)
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#14 | |
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Rookie
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 13
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Hello to all!!
I have just finished this article about Tony Pond. It's the first version, it will be updated after some more research, and I thought it would be appropriate to post on this topic. I hope it's a fitting tribute to the man and driver: https://realmofmotoringhistory.blogs...ectionism.html |
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13 Feb 2022, 19:34 (Ref:4098521)
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#15 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,646
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Quote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhurF49VKRw |
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