The Group B Years

Rallycworld • mondero • weltss • värld #40 – April 2007 Peugeot 205 T16E2 Lancia Delta S4 MG Metro 6R4 The Group B years + Quattro Tony Todd Tony Group B 20-years after it opened a golden era and RS200 photos: world • monde • welt • värld 3 Rallycross New deals for British championship Old and new Junior Rallycross has been a big deal in Britain the wonderful Group B cars that sparked a over the last four years and looks like being renaissance in Rallycross at the end of the strong again in 2007. 1980s. Writer and photographer Daniel Moffatt had The longer features we’ve run over the last never driven a racecar before we despatched few months have been well received and we him to Blyton in March to try Matt Roach plan to continue with these, but next month we Racing’s arrive and drive service. Sampling both will also introduce some changes to Rallycross the Junior Rallycross car and a Minicross car, World, nothing too dramatic and much more Moffatt got a full day on the track and gained evolution than revolution. a valuable insight into what it’s like to drive in All being well, that next issue will be with you Rallycross. on the eve of the ERC opener at Montalegre in He tells the story in this issue, the rest Portugal. of which is given over to a celebration of [email protected] subscriptions • abonnement Click it! subskription • abonnera Copyright Advertisements in Rallycross Rallycross World is a Myriorama World are interactive – click on production published by Tim them to jump straight to the Now Whittington. advertiser’s website. This publication may not 4 And make sure you check be redistributed, copied or the whole advert as some free at reproduced in whole or in Famous five – a look at the cars have multiple links – and part in any form without you wouldn’t want to miss the written consent of the that led the Group B boom in Rallycross anything, would you. ERC24 copyright holder. Unless There are also links from otherwise stated, all text and Rallycross World is now free some editorial items and we photographs are © copyright to registered members of will always try to offer a live Tim Whittington 2007. ERC24.com 14 17 link wherever we quote a Contributors: Eddi Laumanns, To register click here and website address in editorial Jacques Privat, Jan Kåre Rafoss, then follow the instructions Junior Rallycross and Minicross. The Rallycross World content. Robert Chambers. on the site. Rallycross World is also This issue published Apr 6 If you prefer to subscribe Daniel Moffatt tries the arrive and drive option poster – Mark Flaherty featured at the recently Next issue published May 2 without joining ERC24, visit launched website [email protected] www.RallycrossWorld.com with Matt Roach Racing and Terje Schie www.myriorama.com www.myriorama.com Briefing The combined circumstances of success Rallycross has turned 40 this year and now we enter a period when the anniversaries will come thick and fast. It is now 20 years since Group B cars arrived en-masse in the European Rallycross Championship and these refugees from World rallying gave rise to a period of great competition that lasted until the end of 1992. In this issue we take a closer look at the five types of car that starred in those six seasons and highlight some of the top drivers and their achievements. The feature also makes comment of the fact that the arrival of Group B cars in Rallycross coincided with a period of economic prosperity. The boom that came with Group B cars was not down to the fact that a particular type of car was banned from one form of motor sport and allowed to continue being used in another. In theory the cars had been available and eligible for a couple of years, but, even if a manufacturer could be persuaded that allowing a Rallycross driver access to one was a good idea, the price was beyond most of those involved in the sport. The rallying ban meant that the cars were of no use to their manufacturers. As far as Ford and Austin Rover were concerned that meant it was time to get ride of them. Audi also had a bit of a sale, but Peugeot and Lancia were a little more New deals for BRC choosy about who they sold too. At the end of 1986 Europe and Scandinavia had been enjoying a period in which the economy was good, and this Kumho becomes title sponsor, BRDA gets new contract meant that drivers either had access to money to go racing or were able to find sponsorship for it. It was also quite easy The British Rallycross Drivers Association enters the 2007 The renewal of the contract to organise the BRC has to be to make a Group B car competitive in Rallycross, so we had British championship season with a new contract from the MSA seen as a vote of confidence in the BRDA by the MSA. a ready supply of suitable cars and a market place in which and a commercial partnership with Kumho tyres. The two new In the wake of the two announcements, the BRDA has also the potential customers had buying power. It’s difficult to see arrangements cover the 2007, ’08 and ’09 seasons. confirmed an expanded television package for the BRC which the circumstances repeated again; if there was ever a sudden The deal with Kumho gives the Korean tyre manufacturer title will be aired across Europe on Motors TV while also extending decision to change technical rules in rallying, would it coincide to the championship and the supply of control tyres. This is the its British and Irish coverage via Men & Motors, Setanta Sports, with a strong economy? And without a pool of available and first time control tyres have ever been employed in the BRC and Chorus Sport and TV3. Each round will be covered in a one- competitive cars just waiting to be bought, it seems unlikely that the deal covers the Supercar and SuperModified classes with hour show and the range of broadcasters involved means the Rallycross could benefit to the same extent from a boom. immediate effect and will expand to include the Stock Hatch and 2007 BRC will receive more than 380 hours of airtime. Then again, no-one would have predicted what happened Junior categories when the existing deal covering them expires The eight round 2007 BRC includes three events at Lydden, 20-years ago. at the end of the 2007 season. but is expected to return to Anglesey on a new track in 2008. Rallycross World #40 – APRIL 2007 | 3 Glory days The Group B invasion examined France 1987, Olle Arnesson, Seppo Niittymäki and Matti Alamäki do battle in Audi, Peugeot and Lancia Group B cars. It is now two decades since Group B cars, exiled from Group B was introduced to rallying in 1983 when it replaced What about the Quattro? international rallying, poured into Rallycross and sparked what is the previous Group 4 designation. It, along with the planned As far as this story is concerned, Group B means the pure- now seen as a golden era for the sport. replacement – the even more extreme Group S, was then bred Group B cars. Audi first homologated the Quattro in in In plentiful supply, at least as regards the Ford RS200 and MG banned from international rallying in 1986 following the terrible Group 4 in 1981. When Group 4 was replaced by Group B the Metro 6R4, affordable to a large number of competitors, and as accidents that marred that year’s World championship, including manufacturers had to re-homologate cars into the appropriate close to an off the peg racecar as Rallycross had come since cars the deaths of Lancia crew Henri Toivonen and Sergo Cresto. new group. became specialised, the arrival of Group B cars also coincided Group B cars had already been used in Rallycross prior to The ‘long’ Quattro became a Group B car at this point – after with a period of economic prosperity across Europe. And that, 1987, Briton Mark Rennison the first driver to use one when his Franz Wurz had won the 1982 ERC – and only the 1984 Audi happily, meant that lots of drivers had the money to buy and use sponsor DSRM bought an RS200 from Ford for the 1986 British Sport Quattro S1 and the 1985 winged evolution version of the the cars. championship season. ‘short’ Quattro were real Group B cars. Rallycross World #40 – APRIL 2007 | 4 Sparco OMP Sparco Tecnica Plus Sprint 6 Sponsor 6 2 Layer 3 Layer £412.00 £195.00 £435.00 Alpinestars Alpinestars GP 2 OMP GP Pro 2 layer Trend 2 3 layer £331.87 £233.00 £510.60 Arai GP-5K full Mag 6 open face helmet, face helmet, Snell Snell SA2005 approved from SA2005 approved £199.00 from £449.00 Sparco Pro Jet open face helmet, BS6658-85 approved from £165.00 OMP Mugello Sparco Top 3 £65.00 OMP £79.95 Wins Top glove £61.29 Matti Alamäki leads Martin Schanche, a very common sight through the 1989, ’90 and ’91 seasons in which the Peugeot driver ruled. Sparco Alpinestars Speed Tech 1-R High £97.83 £26.50 We could argue about how to measure the was sent to Paris to broker the deal and then to Corbeau AP Racing Brake Revolution, FIA Bias adguster success of Group B cars and by which method assist Peugeot engineers in devising a Rallycross approved from lever type we should determine the most successful car.

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