Once again, we had acting as Marshals an elite band of ECF - VIPs from the Golden Days of Rallying.

For 2022 we had

Sue Bloxham - Carol & Robin Tyler-Morris - Mike Sones
Peter Valentine - Cec Offley - Ray Dale

What is ECF
or
ECURIE COD FILLET

Since inception in 2004 an annual unique feature of the Tour of Cheshire is the involvement of Ecurie Cod Fillet members who assist with the organisation, marshalling and social aspects of the event. ECF is an invitation-only Club formed in the 50s by Roy Fidler and John Hopwood for leading British rallyists. Indeed the bulk of the membership was formed in the 1960 era through participating in the Motoring News Championship, which bred some formidable crews from competing in those epic 200-plus mile night rallies.

Initially it was primarily for British rallyists but famous names from other countries - Erik Carlsson, Timo Makinen, Rauno Aaltonen, Simo Lampinen and Hannu Mikkola (all winners of the RAC Rally) - soon became members! Today's membership is still an exclusive "under 300" and is a veritable "who's who" of the good old days of British rallying in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s. Messrs Fidler and Hopwood also started the first "closed-road" rally when they founded the Manx in 1963.

Reunions are held every few years, the most recent being in December 2021 at the Cranage Business Centre, Holmes Chapel. The Tour of Cheshire again look forward to welcoming a good number of these rallyists of old to the 2022 Tour of Cheshire.

Sadly as each year passes the ECF membership diminishes in numbers but the old traditional spirit of ‘Press on regardless’ lives on.

I became an ECF member in 1959 and I can certainly claim to be the oldest member to date.

Don Barrow - January 2024.