Tributes to ‘one of the leading Welsh rally drivers of his era’

Feb 4 2010 by Judith Phillips, North Wales Weekly News

ONE of the most successful rally drivers to emerge from North Wales has died after a short illness.

Colin Mack, from Deganwy, who was 65, was a former winner of both the Welsh Road Rally and Stage Rally championships and the first Welsh competitor to win a class on the RAC international rally.

He worked at the former Red Garages in Llandudno with a long period as sales manager.

Colin started in motorsport in the late 1960s and competed as a navigator, winning the novice class on the 1969 Cambrian Rally with John Braid in a Mini Cooper S.

He joined the committee of North Wales Car Club and served for many years, and was responsible for negotiating the Red Garages sponsorship of the club’s Cambrian Rally.

In 1973 he teamed up with Dave Thomas from Llandudno Junction to contest the Welsh and North-Western Championships.

The partnership was so successful that awards were won on each of the first 12 rallies contested together.

A top ten placing in the final event of 1974 secured the Welsh Road Rally Championship for Colin.

Colin and Dave also took the North-Western Rally Championship that year.

The following year the team won the first ever Welsh Stage Rally Championship.

The team also contested four internationals during rallies.

“Colin was a very consistent driver who because of his mechanical knowledge was sympathetic to the car and as a result experienced very few mechanical breakdowns,” said Dave.

“He was definitely one of the leading Welsh drivers of his era.”

In 1976 Colin concentrated on the forest stage rallies, gaining success in various national championship events.

Keith Williams was now the co-driver, and together they entered a newly-built Chrysler Sunbeam to contest the 1979 RAC Rally based in Chester.

A hard fought class battle was settled over the final stages through Clocaenog Forest where fast times on home ground resulted in a class win and 24th overall from a capacity entry of nearly 200 cars, the first time in the history of the event a Welshman had won a class.

Colin retired from competitive rallying after that success, but returned to motorsport in the mid-1980s when he won the ANWCC Trials Championship driving a diesel-engined Peugeot 205.

Recently his interest had moved to classic cars, and his last competitive event was the 2008 Three Castles Rally around North Wales in a Sunbeam Alpine.

He leaves wife Rose, two sons and four grand-children.