CASTLE COMBE RALLYDAY

Lancing the rain

Ex-works Lancias starred at Castle Combe Rallyday, despite heavy rain. The cars shrugged it off – it’s what they were built for.

Lancia Delta Integrale

Miki Biasion’s 1991 Acropolis Rally Lancia Delta Integrale made its first appearance since that year. ‘We’re not running it, because it’s in completely original, untouched condition – we will need to refresh everything and make some minor modifications to things like the seats and the fire extinguisher system before it can be driven,’ said restorer, Simon Ayris of Rally Preparation Services. ‘It’s been hidden in a Greek collection since the end of the 1991 season.

‘Biasion finished third on the Acropolis that year, and then the car was used by his Argentinian teammate Jorge Recalde on his home rally, although the collector wanted it in Acropolis identity. It’s a higher-riding car than the other works Integrales, designed for rocky terrain. We’ve had it since February and we’ve got the ex-carlos Sainz Repsol-liveried Integrale coming, so it’s exciting times.’

Lancia Stratos

Autocross and X-sport founder and rallycross pioneer John Cross was displaying his recently-restored rallycross Stratos.

‘It’s a special, but it’s based on a genuine car and it’s still a Lancia in the logbook! I’ve altered just about everything, but kept the original chassis to ensure it has an historic identity for classic rallycross.

‘It doesn’t have the Dino V6 and rules state we had to use a pre-1990 V6 of the same displacement, so it has a turbocharged VW VR6. The clamshells are altered to add downforce at the front and to accommodate the intercooler.’