[URL]http://www.rallye-info.com/article.asp?sid=0&stid=7567[/URL]
What a fucker, I like WRC & Subaru have been a main part of the sport for many years. One more goes & it's fucked really.
IMHO, the purpose-built (Group 'S', was it?) cars, the 'Forest Racers' ruined stage rallying. The Quattro was only the start of it - the 6R4, the RS200, the Stratos, they required huge investment and, TBF, better drivers than they got. All of a sudden, an air of preciousness, of elitism, came over the upper echelons and the drivers became exalted prima bloody donnas. You can see what happened by the way that the once-mighty RAC rally, that supreme test of man and machine, was emasculated and watered-down to a series of showpiece rallysprints run in daylight. Now it doesn't exist any more. British forest rallying got so expensive that only the big teams or wealthy/well-sponsored individuals could afford to compete. This was justified by the steeply increased charges from the Forestry Commission, who argued successfully that they had to re-grade every track that was used by the uber-powerful 4WD cars after the single use that they got. Having seen the damage and having co-piloted cars (much, much) further down the order and having to suffer the deep trenches left behind, I'm forced to accede that point. Not only that, but the condition of the tracks was so poor after a single use, that they couldn't be re-used, as they so often were - sometimes as a section later on in the day, sometimes in the reverse direction. This increased expenses again, obviously. The big national and international events were always expensive, to enter and to organise, but the increases were in orders of magnitude once the supercars came into use. Rallying may have improved the breed, but it ultimately became a self-destructive beast.
I wonder, if the works teams pull out, will we see some opportunist privateers enter the WRC. Perhaps a well heeled Italian bearing no 46?
I wonder, if the works teams pull out, will we see some opportunist privateers enter the WRC. Perhaps a well heeled Italian bearing no 46?
Gets better every year IMO. The full sleeping in a Scottish forest in a car old RAC Rally style if you want. We just went down or rather up for the day to Langdale on the Saturday in a mate's lad's Subaru. Two rallies to be watched with everyone coming through twice at a civilized hour. We found an excellent vantage point where you saw every car twice (two 90 degree bends back to back) for double enjoyment. A few Porkers, loads of Escorts, a two stroke Saab, several Beemers. Followed by a visit to the wonderful Tardis-like, gas lit, White Horse hostelry in Beverley. A grand day out. Only marred by coming back to the Subaru parked in Beverley, to find a couple of locals from a coach trip just finishing pissing up the back wheels. Norvern monkeys eh? A bit far oop north for you these days though perhaps. http://www.rogeralbertclarkrally.org/ -- +----------------------------------------------------------------+ | Pete Fisher at Home: | | Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest * 2 Yamaha WR250Z | | Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" | +----------------------------------------------------------------+
RACMSA National for the main event. Just a club level licence for the support events (Kall Kwik etc.) I think, plus membership of an invited motor club. Have you got an old Escort Mexico tucked away somewhere then? -- +----------------------------------------------------------------+ | Pete Fisher at Home: | | Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest * 2 Yamaha WR250Z | | Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" | +----------------------------------------------------------------+
Probably depends on how bonkers you want to go. A decent E30 3-series, around 1k-1.5k. You'll need to strip it out (free, it's just work), get an approved cage, seats and harnesses (that's probably then next 1k-1.5k), fire equipment (surprising cheap - around 200-300). Some suspension work, skid plates etc - how deep is your wallet? Another 1k, poss. I wouldn't bother with engine tuning, make the car strong enough so it'll survive being chucked around the forest and safe enough to keep you alive if you decide to go hunting for trees. So I'd say you can probably build a working club-level rally car for around 5 grand or less. Then it's the cost of the event and possibly the support team (aka the usual UKRM suspects). AFAIK Classic Motorsports in the US built their SAAB 99 rally car for that sort of budget or less, as their main expense was getting a custom cage fitted, but then again I think they did most of the other work themselves.
One of my uncles used to do rallying in a (slightly tricked-up) Morris Marina. He used to get through about 1 engine every two races.. And it cost him next to nothing.. Phil
He often described it as a public service - destroying Marina engines wholesale and Marinas piecemeal. Phil
