Autocar’s favorite races: 1987 RAC Rally Car News

You know you’re working in a nice (admittedly remote) office when an email for writers’ favorite errands is sent and all responses arrive in under five minutes.

Spanning the world and a lot of different eras, it’s amazing to see what memories stand out, whether it’s the individual performances of the pilots or the little details like how a pilot cocked his head in a corner. . There’s even a near-riot in NASCAR on our list.

Let us know which was your favorite in the comments below.

Lombard RAC Rally 1987

For many, 1987 was sort of a nadir for the World Rally Championship. The first year after the incredibly powerful, fire-breathing Group B machines were made history following a series of tragic accidents, it saw the faltering first steps of Group A, which lacked the power. speed and drama that had made rallying almost as popular as Formula One. Not only that, the manufacturer’s interest was somewhat lacking, only Lancia’s slim-hip Delta HF 4WD having the right combination of turbocharger, four-wheel drive and an unlimited lire budget.

Yet for a 10-year-old me who was largely unaware that the legendary Group B era had only just become addicted to the sport, there was real excitement to be found in 1987. Yes, Lancia had the opposition rolling, but there had been a few exceptions. Mazda won in Sweden, BMW won in Corsica and, remarkably, Kenneth Erikkson’s giant-killer performance in the VW Golf was rewarded with a victory over grueling Ivory Coast. Or how about Jean Ragnotti’s jaw-dropping speed in his Renault 11 Turbo in Portugal, a rally he might have won had Lancia not carried a load of spare shock absorbers for the Alen Delta?

I had been following all of these events through the pages of Autosport or Motorsport (whatever I could persuade my dad to buy), but by the time the Lombard RAC Rally season closed, it all turned out. so exciting on TV, with William Wollard giving me ad hoc daily updates. To say I was excited would be an understatement.

In fact, it was a two Lancia horse race for the championship between Juha Kankkunen and Mr Maximum Attack himself, Markku Alen. It was a victory or a failure – whoever won the rally also won the title. In the end, Kankkunen took overall honors with relative ease, becoming the first driver to win back-to-back crowns. Alen was faster, but the brash Finn suffered more than a few time-consuming rolls in his desperation to secure what would prove to be an elusive World Championship.