ROBERT G. McBURNEY 1939-2005.

Posted: August 17, 2005 1:32 AM

Robert McBurney was all things rallying. An excellent driver, superb mechanic, very good navigator and an attention to detail organiser.

It was this combination of attributes that earned him a place in the works Avenger team alongside John Bloxham in the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally. Unfortunately they retired in Boliva with terminal mechanical problems.

After completing his degree in Mechanical Engineering at Belfast Technical College he honed his mechanical skills in the workshop of his father’s Volkswagen dealership in Ballymena. His father Roger had the foresight to acquire one of the first VW dealerships in Ireland in 1953 and Robert soon became an expert on all things VW. He could change a Beetle engine in less than 30 minutes

His rally career started at 11 when his father took him in the back seat of a Singer on the Ulster Automobile Club’s Boxing Day Rally. He started rallying on his own in 1957 with school friend Derek Surgenor and on his first attempt as a driver in the Circuit of Ireland in 1959 they won the Novice Award. It was an eventful rally since someone ran into the back of him while parked at a control near the hamlet of Lenane in County Mayo. They were pushed into the car in front and broke the windscreen as well as sustaining a lot of bodywork damage. There was no servicing in those days and Lenane was and is still not, the metropolis of the world. The local priest happened to come along in his Beetle. Robert waved him down and asked the priest if he could “borrow” his windscreen. The Good Samaritan duly obliged and Robert quickly whipped out the screen and replaced his broken one. Robert repaid the good deed a few weeks later and delivered a new screen to the priest. This epitomised Robert’s ‘never say die’ attitude.

He went on to become Ulster Rally Champion in 1959 at the age of 20 and was to win it again four more times. Other co-drivers included Frank Main, Dr. Esler Crawford and Terry Harryman.

He shoehorned a Porshe Super 90 SC engine into the Volkswagen and had wins all over Ireland including the Circuit of Munster, Circuit of Down and the Red Hackle and Snowman rallies in Scotland.

He and Reggie McSpadden finished 21st in the 1965 RAC rally in a VW and 4th overall in the 1968 Circuit of Ireland in a Lancia Fulvia. He was 4th again in the Circuit with Norman Smith in 1970 in a BMW 2002ti. Perhaps his greatest achievement was 3rd overall in the 1970 Scottish Rally behind Paddy Hopkirk and Brian Culceth, both of whom were in works cars.

He was a very good autotester and represented the victorious Ulster team in the Ken Wharton Television Trophy.

In between times he was Chairman of the Association of Northern Ireland Car Clubs for two years, played a prominent role in the Mid Antrim Motor Club for many years and organized one what was considered one of the best ever local rallies at the time.

Not well known, perhaps not accidentally, was that he showed the Volkswagen factory how to convert a Golf GTI from left to right hand drive. There was a clamour for right hand drive GTI’s in the UK but Volkswagen said it couldn’t be done. Robert made the conversion himself from the standard parts available and the car was presented to the incredulous VW hierarchy in Germany. The GTI became a roaring success in the UK.

He was a cancer survivor. In the early 90’s he was diagnosed with very bad lung cancer and had one lung removed. Miraculously he never had a recurrence. He died suddenly while on holiday.

He is survived by Kathleen his wife and constant companion for 40 years, his brother Roy and sisters Marion and Carol. He has three children, Karen, Kirsten and Denzell.

Dr. Beatty Crawford.