Once again it was a glittering showcase of historic rally cars. Run according to Slowly Sideways regulations, drivers were permitted to change cars and co-drivers and stage times were not recorded.
Thirty-one different manufacturers were represented and seventy-six different models of car among which there are thirty-six Group B cars and more than forty absolutely original rally cars. Drivers came from thirteen different countries. This year’s theme was the Safari Rally, bringing together the spectacular cars in desert spec from the ’60s to the ’90s.
The 3-day event took place on ten special stages all located in a 30 km radius of Daun. The city is located in the volcanic Eifel region, which also counts the Trier based Rally Germany and the daunting Nurburgring race track as its attractions.
The entry list was headed by World Champion Walter Röhrl, European Champion Jochi Kleint and the two German Rally Champions Harald Demuth und Sepp Haider. Ireland was well represented by Conor Falvey, Pat Horan, Enda Gormley, Mervyn Johnston and Dermot Simpson. (Conor Falvey and James O'Brien are pictured above).
Rohrl who was 1980 and 1982 World Rally Champion, drove four cars, an Audi Sport Quattro E2, an Opel Ascona A, an Opel Ascona 400 and a Porsche 911 SC. Stig Blomqvist, World Champion in 1984, participated in a Ford RS200, his original winning car from the South Swedish Rally of 1986 now newly restored by John Wheeler, the man who engineered the RS200s. Bjorn Waldegard, 1979 World Rally Champion, drove a Porsche 911 Carrera RS. In addition, on one loop of stages, he drove a Ford Escort RS1800, a replica of his winning car from the 1977 RAC Rally. Perhaps the rarest car was the Philippe Wambergue’s Citroen BX 4TC. The Frenchman is ex-works driver for Citroen and Mazda, and he brought his own Citroen BX, an original car from the Acropolis 1986.
From the Emerald Isle Conor Falvey and James O’Brien entered a Porsche 911, a replica of the car driven by Bernard Beguin in 1978 Monte Carlo rally. Pat and Noelle Horan drove the ex Fiorio Lancia Delta Integrale. Enda Gormley brought along an all too rare Peugeot 205 T16 while the halcyon days of DTV were recalled by Mervyn Johnston/David Mc Elroy in the Vauxhall Chevette HSR. San Remo 1984 was an epic Group B battle between Audi, Peugeot and Lancia and the Audi Sport Quattro of Dermot Simpson/Conor Lavery brought back happy memories of a great era.
Like a conventional rally there was a recce and shakedown on Thursday. The shakedown was the first opportunity for the vast throngs of spectators to appreciate the sheer variety of cars entered: from two-stroke Wartburg to modern WRC Subarus, the Festival was a mix of grace and technology.
Friday morning it was time for technical scrutineering followed by two stages. With temperature rising up to a Kenyan like 38°C the crews drove gravel Bosch Super Stage where the Safari cars could show their full potential on a 8.2 km stage with jumps, river crossing and mud. The second stage was held at dusk on the more hospitable surface of asphalt.
For Saturday morning four tarmac stages were on the menu and these were repeated in the afternoon. The weather however was not hospitable, thanks to a few hours of heavy rain. However this only made the show even more extraordinary to watch. With rivers on the road and greasy mud, the slides were even wider and more daring.
SAFARI STATS:
* The Safari Rally is considered by many to be the world’s toughest rally.
* It was first held in 1953 as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth2.. In 1960 it was named the East African Safari Rally and kept that name until 1974, when it became the Safari Rally.
* In 1973 it was a round of the first ever World Rally Championship (for manufacturers).
* In 2002 it last ran as a WRC round when Colin McRae in a Focus was winner.
* Toyota have won the rally 8 times followed by Peugeot 6, Datsun/Nissan 6.
* Local driver Shekar Mehta was the most successful driver in the event with five outright victories (1973, 1979–1982).Bjorn Waldegard has four victories followed by Colin Mc Rae and Juha Kankunnen (3 each).
* From the co-drivers seat, Ireland had its first victory when Terry Harryman won with Ari Vatanen in Opel Ascona in 1983, while Fred Gallagher has three victories: in 1985 with Kankkunen and 1986 and 1990 with Waldegard.
Comments are closed.
