Can’t say I follow rallying these days, but as a kid rallying was my thing. Used to buy rallysport magazine and spend ages dreaming of MK2 escorts and the mods I could do
Anyway, some great videos of the ‘golden era’ up on YouTube along with great photos out there ... so why not have a thread
The cars might be slower than modern wrc, but there is more elegance to the long slow drifts of back the .
This video from British championship is all my local Yorkshire stages ... used to get my dad or grandpa ( neither had any interest in rallying ) to drive me up to Dalby and stand in the wet mud shivering in the cold
Cheers James. Sounds similar - I used to go to Clumber Park with my Dad. Cold, muddy, standing on a corner waiting for the cars to come flying past. Then suspect tasting burgers with fried onions from the van.
I remember enjoying it a load but being very cold.
I think a lot has to do with where you were living - most of the people that I know who were rallying fans were from the rural areas (or close to) where the rallies took place.
When I lived in Mid Wales I met/knew many fanatical rally fans who reminisced about seeing/hearing the cars roaring through the forests.
Coming from London - & hence not having such events 'on the doorstep' - I couldn't see the attraction of standing for hours in damp/freezing conditions in the middle of the night spectating i!!
On the other hand, I loved watching sports & saloon car racing (especially the likes of Gerry Marshall et al) at Brands Hatch ...
.
Andy
“Adding power makes you faster on the straights; - subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere”
For us in Ireland with closed road rallying it was always on your doorstep, my dad used to compete on the Circuit of Ireland and then when he stopped we marshalled in it. It was usually 1500 miles with 55 or so stages, all run without pace notes. It started Friday lunchtime and finished on the Monday morning, with only two night’s sleep in between, a bit different to today’s WRC sprints.
hot66 wrote:You cant deny that a rally car at full chat sliding about is a glorious site and sound
1972 RAC rally, 2am'ish, marshalling deep in Dalby forest, which was snow covered (it nearly always snowed in November for the rally!) and bloody freezing. Utter and complete silence apart from us playing tag in an effort to get warm.... and then there was the the bark of a works Escort somewhere in the woods.
Roger Clarke was close to his first RAC Rally win and we all knew. Sights upon sights... works Escorts at full chat; Waldegaard in his rolled Stratos (no screen and no rear engine cover) and many more iconic cars.
Wonderful!!
I lost interest after WRC GP4. They had to abandon it because it was simply far too dangerous, but the cars were truly fantastic.
Between 1974 - 92 Lancia dominated with 10 constructors championships and 75 stage wins. Lancia stopped rallying in 1992
and nobody has caught up with them to this day. Lancia had nothing more to prove.
Chris Harris tests the Pirelli P7 and a handful of wild Lancia GP4 cars.
The mental Delta S4 making 500 BHP with a supercharger and turbo charger working in synch.
10 mins into the video 6 times Italian rally champ takes the rear wheel drive 037 for a gentle cruise.
Turn up the volume for this vid.
“Much of the social history of the Western world over the past three
decades has involved replacing what worked with what sounded good "..
1971 911 2.2T sold
1970 911 2.2S Sold but remains within DDK
1959 Lancia Flaminia PF Coupe
911hillclimber wrote:Stunning driver, stunning car, nutty navigator to be in there.
I've never yet met a slow Irish competition driver.
Sadly, I think he is no longer with us?
Graham, I can assure you the Frank Kelly is alive and still very sideways
You are probably thinking of the much missed hillclimber Simon McKinley in the Warrior powered Escort, who we lost not that long ago. Frank has taken over his mantle as the YouTube Escort star, anyway I know it's not rallying but here is Simon full chat on an Irish hill.
Yep, that was the gent I was thinking of, thanks Mike.
10 years ago I had an Irish nutter in a Darrian in my class at Epynt hill climb in the Brecon Becons.
I was in my Impreza and did well, but struth, he was so bloody quick.
He took ftd so I got the class win.
Magic hill.
A stage that Roger Clark ran many times, spooky place, you could hear Clark coming across the humpy back straight.
Happy days.
73T 911 Coupe, road/hillclimber 3.2L
Lola t 492 / 3.2 hillclimb racer
Boxster 987 Gen II 2.9
