Wayne was apprenticed as a motor mechanic. In 1969 a friend took him to watch a group 5 local rally and after that he decided to have a go himself. He joined the Newcastle Sporting Car Club and purchased an old Mk1 Cortina. This car was used in several club events including Group 5 Navigation Rallies.
“Members of the car club encouraged me as our times when on the right road were quite competitive," he said.
"I decided to purchase a brand new car, either a Torana XU1 or a Galant. Barry Ferguson had driven both and advised me to get the Galant, so $2400 later all under finance I drove out in the new sky blue Galant.”
Wayne’s first real rally was a State round. Barry Ferguson and Peter Lang in the HDT XU1 were competing. At the meal break he was leading by a minute, but was delayed by dust and finished 3rd outright. The Galant was campaigned for 4 years. “I had my first crash when a spectator covered a road advisory sign with a bag and I arrived too fast. It would be 18 years till I crashed my next rally car”.
Wayne then teamed up with David Boddy, a partnership that lasted 20 years.
“That year I drove at 110 % and only bad luck prevented me from winning the championship but we had done enough to impress George Shepheard and the following year I got the drive in the 2nd MHDT Gemini.”
Wayne also spent 12 months driving the Commodore development car, Old Silver, for the Repco round Australia trial. “The Repco was the greatest event I ever did. It was also the toughest. The team finished 1,2,3 - a fantastic achievement”.
Holden and Ford pulled out of rallying at the end of 1980 so Bell was without a drive. He then started a long association with Toyota, driving a T18. “This was a great little car and high tech for its time although a little unreliable”.
Then came the Japanese Connection with their Corolla. “This was the best car I had the pleasure of driving”. Wayne drove for Mick Krasinski for several years, coming very close to winning the championship.
Bell then acquired the ex Andrew Murfett Mazda 323 with support from Lovells. “We set off for the SA ARC round. I had never driven a 4 wheel drive car and the first stage was 16km of winding shire road in pouring rain.
“Wherever the wheels were pointing when I stood on the throttle that is where the car went - we were all over the road. At the end I said to David ‘well that was shit!’ He agreed, but came back from the control table grinning, We were 16 seconds faster than Greg Carr and we went on to win the event”.
A jovial Wayne Bell at the Hall of Fame presentation. Photo: Ian Smith
The Australian championship that year was between Greg Carr and Wayne. The final event was the Alpine. “I just needed to drive sensibly to beat the Alfa, but I clipped a bank and broke a suspension rod. That cost us the championship”.
Then Bell was approached by Hyundai Australia to build two Group N cars for the launch of the new Elantra. The launch was a success and as they now had 2 rally cars it was decided to run one in the ARC under Hyundai Australia. This was the start of a 10 year association with Hyundai.
“We went on to win the F2 class in the ARC that year. The Elantra was slow but handled like a RWD car and was fun to drive. Basically, the plan was never lift off!”
By this time Hyundai Korea were showing interest. They had never been involved in motorsport, so it was decided to compete in the Asia Pacific Championship.
“We went on to win F2 that year including the Hong Kong – Beijing Rally. A two car team with Greg Carr and myself entered the first ever WRC event for Hyundai Motor Company and we finished 1 -2 in F2.”
In Coffs Harbour after 18 years of crash free rallying, Wayne rolled the Lantra off the road and out of the event. “My speed was ok, the corner was just too tight. Ha ha.”
Dave Boddy stepped down after 20 years as co driver and Iain Stewart took over. “Ian had experience in pace noting but I was disappointed that I had lost my natural advantage of blind events in the night. Dave Boddy reckoned I was unbeatable in those conditions”.
During his career Wayne Bell competed in the Philippines, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong to Beijing (twice) Thailand, the RAC in the UK, Portugal, Sanremo Acropolis and Finland, mainly with Hyundai and with many good results
“I have been credited with being instrumental with Hyundai’s involvement in the sport and at one time I was better known in Korea than Australia! Hyundai has gone on to be one of the major teams in the WRC. It is only a matter of time before they win their first World Rally Championship”.
Wayne retired from driving in 1999 at the age of 50. His most memorable events were the Castrol International (3rd outright in Galant and then again in Gemini), Hong Kong – Beijing, Rally Australia 1-2 for Hyundai and competing at Portugal Sanremo, RAC, Acropolis and Finland. Just to be there!
Wayne Bell is regarded as the best Australian rally driver not to have won an Australian Championship. He is a welcome addition to the Australian Rally Hall of Fame.
NEXT: Barry Habgood* Citation reproduced courtesy of the Australian Rally Hall of Fame.
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