Chris considers his third-place finish on that year’s Tour de France Automobile as being among his most satisfying results.
“On the last day there were 16 stages,” he recalls. “Martin Holmes and I were fastest on 11.
“I think we could have finished second, had we not had a problem with a split oil cooler early on, but there was no catching Michèle Mouton [who won in a Fiat-Abarth 131 Rally]. I am proud of how we went on the Tour.”
Retired rally ace Chris Sclater reminisces on what he rightly believes to be a golden era of rallying
“I did the San Remo Italy and the RAC Rally after that, but retired from both. All three DTV Chevettes died on the RAC.
“I decided while I was sitting in the car waiting for help that I had driven my last rally.”
But he had not retired from rallying. Instead, he regrouped and formed Chris Sclater Automotive to field cars for Chrysler Ireland.
He subsequently prepared the Sunbeam Lotus for the Italian concessionaire’s team, winning the national Group 2 title along the way in 1981, before switching his allegiance to Citroën.
He ran a variety of Visas in the British Open Rally Championship for the UK importer, only for a family crisis to abruptly call time on his motorsport in 1984.
Chris later moved into general engineering before making a return to farming. Rallying no longer holds an interest.
“I suppose every generation looks back and reckons they competed in a golden era,” he muses. “I think I probably did. Modern rallies, at least in the World Rally Championship, are essentially a series of sprints.
“It used to be that actually finishing was vital; you had to keep the car alive for five days and nights. If you crashed out, you were done. Now you can have your car rebuilt and rejoin the next day.
“I follow motorsport, but my main interest these days is NASCAR. I am a huge fan and have become an avid viewer. I never miss a race.”
Images: John Bradshaw/Sclater Archive
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Richard Heseltine
Richard Heseltine is a long-time contributor to Classic & Sports Car