The Greatest Years of Rallying 80s. Presented by BHP. On VHS. That was the reason I got 31% in my mock GCSE math exam. Or one of them.
Barrie Hinchcliffe (above, far left) had a lot to answer for in terms of my education. Undoubtedly, he cost me marks when it came to trigonometry. But who cares. He was front and center in my real education in rallying. BHP videos became the soundtrack to my youth.
Which made it all the more sad to hear of Barrie’s recent passing last week.
I’d tried to get hold of him in recent years, just to try to capture some of the incredible stories he would have collected through his time in the sport. I didn’t manage it.
Hinchcliffe was a pioneer in the art of rally – and motorsport – film making. He was a genius. Without a doubt, he could teach plenty of folk a lesson or two today. Forget living life live, a BHP-delivered 12-minute film on the 1982 Rally of Portugal remains as engaging today as it did almost 40 years ago.
That World of Sport screened its WRC reports a couple of weeks down the road from the finish, didn’t matter. Barrie had the ability to take you on a journey and make you feel part of the action.
He was a master of his art.
And it’s not just us who think so. Our friends at VHS Rallies have found plenty of BHP films. So sit back and enjoy some of his finest work on the 1983 Circuit of Ireland. And then share some of your favorite Barrie memories in the comments section below.
Rest easy Barrie and thank you for changing my world.
