It’s been more than forty years since Russell Brookes and Andrews Heat for Hire signed one of the longest sporting sponsorships of all time. The seventeen years that followed 1974 saw him take on the world in a series of distinctive yellow cars, with our company branding prominently emblazoned across the bodywork.
Despite retiring from the sport more than two decades ago, Russell was recently reunited with arguably his most iconic car – the Opel Manta 400. The video below shows footage of him behind the wheel back in his heyday, as well as recent clips featuring British rallying prodigy Chris Ingram.
The beginning of 2016 saw Chris sign his first full factory drive with Opel Motorsport, and he has already been hailed a “future champion” by Russell following their encounter earlier this year. Between the 7th and 9th of April, Chris will embark on his first rally with Opel in the Circuit of Ireland – a course that Russell managed to win on three occasions during an illustrious career.
These vintage cars serve as a permanent reminder of the success enjoyed by both the company and Russell Brookes himself, with many acknowledging the role our partnership played in boosting turnover within the Andrews Sykes business.
It is fantastic for us as an organisation to look back on past achievements and acknowledge the significance of what was once a record-breaking sponsorship agreement.
We would also like to wish Chris the very best of luck for the future and hope he goes on to accomplish whatever career goals he may have set himself!