Ian Appleyard | |
|---|---|
 Appleyard'sCoupe d'Or-winning "NUB 120"Jaguar XK120 driven at theGoodwood Festival of Speed. | |
| Born | (1923-10-10)10 October 1923 Linton, West Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 2 June 1998(1998-06-02) (aged 74) Harrogate,North Yorkshire, England |
Ernest Ian Appleyard (10 October 1923 – 2 June 1998) was a Britishrally driver,alpine skier andornithologist. Driving aJaguar XK120, he won theRAC Rally in 1951 and 1953, theTulip Rally in 1951 and aCoupe d'Or at theAlpine Rally in 1952. In alpine skiing, hecompeted for Great Britain in the 1948Winter Olympic Games. After retiring from sports, he became a leading author on thering ouzel.
Appleyard was born inLinton,West Yorkshire, in 1923.[1] As a child, he shared an interest in birds and alpine skiing with his brotherGeoffrey, who died on an SAS mission during World War II.[2] Ian received his degree in mechanical engineering in 1943 and went on to become a Major at theRoyal Military College of Science.[2] In 1946, he accepted a job as a director of the family car dealership Appleyard of Leeds.[2]
The following year, Appleyard finished third in his class at the Alpine Rally in aJaguar SS100.[2] In 1948, he received factory support fromJaguar Cars.[3] Despite stopping to help an injured rival, he met all the target times and was awarded his firstCoupe des Alpes (Alpine Cup).[2] That same year, he competed in the Winter Olympics and finished 55th inmen's slalom and 91st inmen's downhill.[1] At the wheel of an XK120 and with his wifePatricia "Pat" Lyons, the daughter of Jaguar founder SirWilliam Lyons, as hisco-driver,[4] Appleyard finished the Alpine Rally unpenalized three times in a row from 1950 to 1952, becoming the first driver to win the covetedCoupe d'Or (Gold Cup).[5] Only two drivers would match this feat;Stirling Moss in 1954 andJean Vinatier in 1971.[5]
Appleyard went on to take his fifthCoupe des Alpes in 1953,[5] but achieved success in other rallies as well. In the Netherlands, he drove to victory in the Tulip Rally in 1951,[6] after having finished second two years earlier.[3] In his home country, he won the RAC Rally in 1951 and 1953.[6] In 1953, Appleyard also finished runner-up in theMonte Carlo Rally and the inauguralEuropean Rally Championship.[2][6] He later continued in motorsport more sporadically, taking second place in the 1956 RAC in anXK140.[7]
After retiring from rallying, Appleyard chaired the Appleyard Group until 1988.[2] He also rekindled his interest in birds and started studying the ring ouzel in 1978, eventually becoming a leading author on the subject.[2] In 1994, he released a book titledRing Ouzels of the Yorkshire Dales.[2] Appleyard died inHarrogate,North Yorkshire, in 1998.[1] An obituary inThe Independent wrote that "in his gleaming white Jaguar XK120, he became a sporting icon for his generation."[2]