Tony Mason (co-driver)
Encyclopedia
Tony Mason is a British
former rally
co-driver
and television presenter. In 1972, he navigated the late Roger Clark
to victory in the RAC Rally and the team also finished second in the event twice in 1974 and 1975, the only British crew to do so in a period spanning 35 years. He has also competed as a driver himself, and was recently co-driver for Finnish
driver Hannu Mikkola
with whom he competed for Ford in a recent Classic Rally in New Zealand
.
Following his retirement from rallying, he became a presenter on the BBC Two
motoring programme Top Gear between 1986 and 2000, where he commented on motorsport, as well as presenting general interest items about items such as fire engines, Leyland
buses, vintage Rolls-Royce
s and high-performance Jaguars through to Eddie Stobart trucks and Volvo's £15 million concept bus - the most expensive vehicle that he, or anyone else on Top Gear, has ever driven. A particularly memorable report was when Mason teamed up again with Roger Clark to test an exact replica of his Ford Escort RS1600 on the programme at full speed through a forest.
He was also regularly seen on Top Gear Motorsport
and the BBC's coverage of the World Rally Championship
, particularly the RAC Rally, as well as coverage of the Goodwood Festival of Speed
. Mason is currently appearing in two ten-part series on the Sky Discovery Channel
entitled Off the Road and Classic Car Club.
Mason has also written four books and occasionally writes articles for newspapers and magazines, such as the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Express
. He is often seen as both a compere and after-dinner speaker.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
former rally
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
co-driver
Co-driver
Co-driver is the term given to the navigator of rally car in the sport of rally racing, who sits in the front passenger seat. The co-driver's job is to navigate, by reading off a set of pacenotes to the driver, often over a radio headset, due to the high level of noise in the car...
and television presenter. In 1972, he navigated the late Roger Clark
Roger Clark
Roger Albert Clark, MBE, was a British rally driver during the 1960s and '70s, and the first competitor from his country to win a World Rally Championship event when he triumphed at the 1976 RAC Rally.-Biography:...
to victory in the RAC Rally and the team also finished second in the event twice in 1974 and 1975, the only British crew to do so in a period spanning 35 years. He has also competed as a driver himself, and was recently co-driver for Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
driver Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Olavi Mikkola is a retired world champion rally driver. He was a seven time winner of the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland and won the RAC Rally in Great Britain four times.- Career :...
with whom he competed for Ford in a recent Classic Rally in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Following his retirement from rallying, he became a presenter on the BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
motoring programme Top Gear between 1986 and 2000, where he commented on motorsport, as well as presenting general interest items about items such as fire engines, Leyland
Leyland Motors Ltd
Leyland Motors Limited was a British vehicle manufacturer of lorries, buses and trolleybuses. It gave its name to the British Leyland Motor Corporation formed when it merged with British Motor Holdings, later to become British Leyland after being nationalised...
buses, vintage Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce (car)
This a list of Rolls-Royce motor cars and includes vehicles produced by:*Rolls-Royce Limited *Rolls-Royce Motors , which was owned by Vickers between 1980 and 1998, and after that by Volkswagen...
s and high-performance Jaguars through to Eddie Stobart trucks and Volvo's £15 million concept bus - the most expensive vehicle that he, or anyone else on Top Gear, has ever driven. A particularly memorable report was when Mason teamed up again with Roger Clark to test an exact replica of his Ford Escort RS1600 on the programme at full speed through a forest.
He was also regularly seen on Top Gear Motorsport
Top Gear Motorsport
Top Gear Motorsport was a British television programme, covering various forms of motor racing, broadcast on BBC Two from 1994 to 1998. It was a spin-off programme from the popular motoring series Top Gear. The programme was presented by former Formula One driver and Top Gear presenter Tiff Needell...
and the BBC's coverage of the World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
, particularly the RAC Rally, as well as coverage of the Goodwood Festival of Speed
Goodwood Festival of Speed
The Goodwood Festival of Speed, commonly abbreviated as FoS and referred within the United Kingdom as simply the Festival of Speed, is an annual hill climb featuring historic motor racing vehicles that is held in the grounds of Goodwood House, West Sussex, England.Typically held in late June or...
. Mason is currently appearing in two ten-part series on the Sky Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
entitled Off the Road and Classic Car Club.
Mason has also written four books and occasionally writes articles for newspapers and magazines, such as the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
. He is often seen as both a compere and after-dinner speaker.