Tony and Tom Purdy
MOTORSPORT PARTNERSHIPS we were getting into, but as soon as we had committed to it, we were rolling, and it was then so easy just to keep going back.”
The pair started off by marshalling on a 12-Car event last March. As it is a winter sport, that was the last chance to participate before the summer break, so they took part in‘ Tabletop Rallies’ through the off season to bridge the gap and learn the skills of navigating and have since completed their first full season of competition.
Tony and Tom Purdy
Navigational 12-Car Rallying Beverley and District Motor Club
Tony and Tom Purdy competed in their first 12-Car Rally last year, not long after the now 18-year-old Tom had passed his driving test. Inspired by stories of his dad participating in local rallies while on Royal Air Force duty in Cyprus in the 1970s, Tom decided it would be nice for the pair to do it together and, after a bit of research, they both decided to join their local Club.
“ The hardest thing was actually signing up and turning up on the first week,” admits Tom.“ We put it off a bit at the start because we didn’ t know what to expect, we didn’ t know what
“ We had no idea what it was all about at first, but when we did the marshalling, we saw how exciting it was and immediately knew it was something we wanted to do,” recalls Tom.“ It was a bit of unfortunate timing, but doing the Tabletop Rallies really helped, so when we did finally start this season, we were already very well practiced.”
The 12-Car Rallying events involve driving at night on local roads and lanes through a series of checkpoints, within the legal speed limits. Teams only receive the route card for the next checkpoint when they arrive at the previous one and must quickly work out the best route to get through the course in the scheduled time.
The Tabletop Tallies mimic the navigation side of 12-Car rallies and Tom explains:“ You get the route cards and have to plot the course on the map, against the clock. The only
Navigation is an essential skill in 12-Car rallies
Blue Passion
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Revolution- August 2025