rally group B

[Nick The Bubble]

I recently discovered this awesome racing series from the 1980s that I never knew existed. It was basically an unlimited version of WRC, with really light (made of Kevlar), really powerful (>400hp) road cars racing round on tracks and public roads. Have a look at these videos, mostly of the Audi Quattro Sport S1, especially the ridiculous 4 wheel drift on dry tarmac at 1:50 in the first, and the amazing speed it is going on a dust track at 1:30 in the second. The series was canceled due to some deaths, but I have never seen a motorsport so extreme.

YouTube Video

YouTube Video

[A-10Warthog]

lol at 400 hp being alot

rally is fun. im more about anything track/drag though


my fav. rally though is the baja 1000. it aint group b but its cool as hell

[Polka]

Ah the Audi Quattro, epic win.

[SiN|ScarFace]

Originally Posted by A-10Warthog

lol at 400 hp being alot

Umm, that is a lot of power for a rally car dude, and rally takes far more skills than track/drag, esp in a 400+ hp car on various road and weather conditions.

[Nick The Bubble]

Exactly, look at the first 50 seconds of the second video, see how quickly the corners come up and how hard the driver is having to work (at around 40 sec you can see him doing left foot braking). Also, in terms of power, the last version of the audi quattro had over 600bhp, and the Lancia Delta S4 went from 0 - 60 in 2.5 sec and lapped a circuit only 4 seconds slower than the F1 cars of the day. Kevlar composites, 4 wheel drive on road cars, sequential gearboxes and combining super- and turbochargers were all invented for Group B. Plus, a little known fact, seeing as the drivers could only be the bravest in the world, special seats had to be fashioned to accommodate their enormous steel balls!!

Toivonen (the driver who died): "With a modern car like this, in my opinion, you can't drive a race like this."
Interviewer: "Is it hard physically?"
Toivonen: "Yes it is and my brains can't keep up with this job."

[A-10Warthog]

i know im jus givin ya a hard time

for me, its about the EVO and STi
dont think those are Group b though

[SiN|ScarFace]

There is no group b now and there was no evo sti in group b.

[[R-MOD]Bob_Marley]

Its all about the RS200.

Mind you, close second and third and the Delta S4 and the Metro 6R4.

But the Quattro was good too.

[Lexus@[gp]]

I am fortunate enough to be old enough to remember the group b days, and actually went to a couple of rallys and saw them in the flesh.
They were unbelievably fast, and nothing now compares to them. Marshalling was nowhere near as strict as it is now, and you could really get up close to the cars. The trick was to stand near a big tree ready to dive behind as they tended to disintergrate when they hit one!

And if you think a modern scooby rally car sounds loud, then you have never heard a group b car. The modern cars are quiet in comparison.
I sort of agree that they were to fast, and were bodering on dangerous, but hell, they were better to watch than anything nowadays.
We used to go to the woodyard in dolby forest (yorkshire, uk). Each car came flat out down a steep hill, then round a tight hairpin. They would then dissapear for a couple of minutes and reappear and drive right around the outside of the woodyard which was like a large ampi theatre.
The true golden days of rallying, it will never be the same again
Some good links are here:

Just look how close the crowd is at 4 mins 12 secs as the lancia jumps.
YouTube - Group B Rallying - Tribute

Just listen to this thing.
YouTube - Group B Lancia Delta S4 Rally Supercar 0-60 2.5 sec [in-car]

And finally, one of the reasons groub b sadly came to an end.
YouTube - Ford RS200 Crashes and Burns

[Polka]

Forgot about the Delta S4, f*cking epic.