Video of the week- RAC rally 1985 review
Henri Toivonen and the Lancia Delta S4 seemed made for each other. A flamboyant and immensely talented driver, Henri first made his name on the world stages at the wheel of a Talbot Sunbeam Lotus before progressing through GM and Porsche products, finally reaching the pinnacle with a works Lancia drive. 1985 was a largely trying year for Henri and the Lancia Martini team, their outdated rear-wheel drive 037’s being left behind by the new generation 4-wheel drive, turbocharged Peugeot 205 T16’s.
That all changed with the competition debut of the Delta S4 in the last world rally event of the year, the RAC in Great Britain. Mid-engined with 4-wheel drive, the Italian engineers came up with the brilliant idea of supercharging the S4’s turbo 2 litre to overcome the throttle lag inherent in turbo motors of the time.
But it was Henri that stole the show, with a dominating first time out victory in the RAC ahead of team-mate Markku Alen. Come 1986, the Toivonen/S4 combination was vastly superior to the competition in pure speed, prompting many an observer to say that he was the only man to truly master a Group B car.
In light of this, his fatal accident on the tarmac of Corsica that year (that also saw his co-driver Sergio Cresto perish) was all the more shocking and signalled the true death of Group B rallying. Upon reflection, Group B was a crazy era, with 500bhp and out of control crowds, (not to mention fuel tanks under the seats….) but it provided rally fans with a truly unforgettable blend of brutish machines and brave, skillful maestros guiding them.
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2 comments for “Video of the week- RAC rally 1985 review”
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What an era! My favourite aspect from the Group B era was the sound from the turbocharged fire breathing rally monsters cars that were the ultimate automotive expression of what could be achieved on and off the road in a rally environment. From 500hp+ Quattro to the nimble but less powerful Peugeot 205 T16 – the howl of the Group B rally cars will stay with em forever. I just wish to have seen them in real life.
You just cannot believe the skill of these guys, controlling all those car’s aggression on low grip surfaces, whilst having to contend with throngs of over-excited fans actually ‘watching’ from on the road itself! How more people weren’t killed I have no idea.
There was definately distinctiveness to the sounds back then, something that seems to have died in modern rallying. Also, and this goes for other motorsports as well, it was nice to see certain car/driver combinations being relatively stronger or weaker depending on the rally. Now in F1, rally, V8’s etc, it seems as though the same combinations do all the pace setting no matter the circuit/stage. Freeze needs to get onto his new development of Group A formula.