|
On Sunday 21st January 2001, in a tragic helicopter accident, Bertie Fisher, Irelands most successful rally driver, his son and his daughter were killed.
By the 1980’s the Opel Manta 400 was the car to have in Irish rallying and DIL 2307 gave Bertie a number of tarmac rally wins and fierce battles against the likes of Billy Coleman, Pentti Airikkala, Tony Pond, Russel
Brookes and Stig Blomqvist. A lightweight version, DIL 9482 was also used by Bertie. During the 1980’s Fisher competed on the British Rally Championship, becoming an accomplished forest rally driver as well as
tarmac specialist back at home. He retired from top line rallying briefly when ,in 1986, the brakes failed on his 400 on the Galway Rally and he overshot an escape road packed with spectators at 120mph. When he
returned to rallying, by winning the 1987 donegal, Bertie moved on from the Manta 400, but continued to drive top spec cars for the rest of his career, having just ordered a new Impreza WRC to use on the 2001 COI in
Easter just before his accident.
Our heartfelt sympathy to Gladys and Roy, the sole survivors of his immediate family, who were also seriously injured in the crash.
|
