Lombard Rally Bath
Rally retraces the route and recreates the ambience of the RAC Rallies of the Seventies and Eighties
Ex-toivonen Ford Escort sprays the gravel at Eighties recreation
Following the route of the 1976 Lombard RAC Rally, the second running of the Lombard Rally Bath also saw such greats as Stig Blomqvist, Kalle Grundel and Rauno Aaltonen take to the stages in Group 4 and Group B cars from the Seventies and Eighties. Although technically run as a regularity rally – without timing gear, thus allowing banned Group B cars to compete – it looked to the crowd just as it did in the era of Rothmans rally jackets and air horns, thanks to the use of high-speed forest stages.
Ford Escort RS1800
The last Ford to be campaigned by Henri Toivonen before his first full works drives was making its UK rally-stage post-restoration debut after a shakedown on Italian tarmac events.
‘It was prepared by Peter Clarke Autos, a Ford RS dealership in Skipton, which ran works-supported cars under the Team Total Gold banner from 1977-79,’ said co-driver Steve Andrews. ‘In 1979, they ran Group 4 Escort RS1800S for Henri Toivonen and Malcolm Wilson in the British Rally Championship. Toivonen was well-placed overall, but KWT 556V retired due to ongoing gearbox problems. It’s believed it was the last Ford rally car Toivonen drove.’ The Finn joined Talbot the following season.
Lancia Delta Integrale
John Whalley returned to the Lombard’s stages in the Lancia he originally campaigned when new, following a few lessons from 1989 RAC Rally winner Pentti Airikkala.
‘I was one of the Lancia dealers specialising in Integrales,’ Whalley says. ‘This car was originally a 1988 8v prepared by the Lancia works team but run as a chase car. It was brought into the country after the 1988 1000 Lakes as Lancia sold off its 8vs to make space for the new 16vs.
‘It appeared to be Group N [production] specification but the factory had worked magic on it. For example, rubber suspension bushes looked original but had rose joints hidden inside them, and the chassis was extensively welded. I suspect they prepared a number of chassis to Group A specification, then if they needed a chassis quickly they could pull a Group N in and change the running gear.
‘I tried to drive it for 18 months. Driven conventionally, it understeered. Then I found Pentti Airikkala, and after a couple of days with him I finally discovered how to drive it. Basically leave your brain at home, don’t brake before you turn in, then you can brake to the apex. Suddenly the car comes alive and stands on its toes.
‘An interesting observation was once made to me by the manager of Toyota Team Europe. “Did Lancia ever tell you how to drive them?” he asked. “We copied the car and even used their transmission but couldn’t get it to work.” I told him no, and he said, “That’s why they were world champions for six years. They never told anybody anything”.’