The return of group B

Group B, the combination of a word and a letter that, when spoken, makes rally-fans go berzerk, is back. Kind of at least, in the closest way possible.

An event called "rallye group B" taking place in Cheshire and North Staffordshire the 26-27. of this month will allow proper competitive rallying with those legendary group-B monsters once more. This is a very, very rare event since the group B was banned in 1986 due to the cars being pretty much undrivable. The original expression was "too fast to race".

a missile on wheels called the Lancia 037

All the legends that emerged from that era, Peugeot 205 T16, Lancia 037, Ford RS200 etc. haven't seen proper action since, except in historic classes where they appear just for show... until now. It's going to be a truly savage spectacle. A resurrecrtion of all that's primitive and brutal in men.

The event has already gained over 60 entries, so expect an amazing line-up of nostalgia and fury when the group B monsters among others are unleashed once more in the hands of europe's finest drivers.

This is the closest you will get to reliving "the good ol' times" when these sort of things still were legal, so if you have the chance, I strongly advice you attend!

For more information visit the website rallyegroupeb.com

Here is a small reminder of why the savage group B was originally banned. It's the last interview with Henri Toivonen at the Corsica Rally, before he died in an explosive crash in the second leg. In the video he complains about the cars being too powerful, saying "This rally is completely insane. We've done 4 hours of fast stages today, and with this speed and these modern cars it's impossible, your brain can't simply keep up. You can't simply do a race like this!"


-HS