stan_the_man
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Registered: 14th Feb 07
Location: Perth, Western Australia
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So me and a mate a just discussing the fact that Group B rallying died in 1986/7....
What if it hadnt, and was still going today, what cars would we be seeing on our roads and in the rallies themselves.......?
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Robin
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Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
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Group B was going to evolve into Group S which would have been insane. Not really sure the road cars would have been much different from WRC homologation ones to be honest, the Group B road cars were quite tame in comparison to their rally equivalents, WRC cars like the Impreza and the Lancer still had to be sane enough for the road but there's a lot of tuning potential, that's how they would have got round it.
Think about when Ford sold the Sierra RS500, that had a massive turbo, huge intercooler and 8 injectors as a road car. 4 of those injectors didn't work on the road car and it made 225bhp as opposed to 500+ for the touring car. Can't see why it would be different to that tbh.
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M16KE B
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Registered: 24th Feb 04
Location: Stirling
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some manufacturers built Group S cars, or concepts of which at least. So you can see exactly where group B would have went.
Off the top of my head i can think of the Lancia ECV, Astra 4S, Toyota 222D and that mad Audi prototype thing.
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chris_uk
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Registered: 8th Jul 03
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Group B died because the drivers refused to drive as it was getting too dangerous for them and the spectators..
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DannyB
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Registered: 6th Feb 08
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It was cancelled after the deaths of a driver and co driver wasn't it?
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chris_uk
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Registered: 8th Jul 03
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not sure if it was the exact cause but i know the drivers had an input into it.
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neil h
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Registered: 28th Sep 06
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Think both were contributing factors tbh, the drivers didn't wanna go out with such a high risk of death to racers/spectators and the FIA werent keen on the publicity it bought.
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3CorsaMeal
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Registered: 11th Apr 02
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Speak to John Boosh for cat d rally car scene.
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jrdn7
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Registered: 14th Feb 11
Location: Ireland
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Modern Group B regs would be very interesting, modern suspension, brakes & tyres. Modern safety equipment too, so no matter how daft the car is.
Ford Fiesta WRC with 1200bhp hammering through a Welsh/Finnish forest, yes please. 
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M16KE B
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Registered: 24th Feb 04
Location: Stirling
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quote:
Originally posted by DannyB
It was cancelled after the deaths of a driver and co driver wasn't it?
Attilio Bettega's death in an 037, Marc Surers crash in an Rs200 that killed his codriver, another Rs200 killing spectators in Portugal and finally Henri Toivonens death in an S4 combined with most drivers being reluctant to drive at 10-tenths killed group B.
An awesome area, albeit shortlived.
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SVM 286
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Registered: 13th Feb 05
Location: pain
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A golden era that should have had it's short comings rectified, rather than being killed off.
F1 was superb at the time too.
Both sports are now shadows of their former selves, to my mind.
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SVM 286
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Registered: 13th Feb 05
Location: pain
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Half an hour of bliss...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAbv07cJC9A
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M16KE B
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Registered: 24th Feb 04
Location: Stirling
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quote:
Originally posted by SVM 286
Both sports are now shadows of their former selves, to my mind.
Not to mention what has become of BTCC when compared to the mid-late eighties.
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Robin
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
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The BTCC had the biggest viewing figures and crowds last year than EVER before.
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M16KE B
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Registered: 24th Feb 04
Location: Stirling
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quote:
Originally posted by Robin
The BTCC had the biggest viewing figures and crowds last year than EVER before.
....and last years British F1 had the highest attendance on record. So what? I wasnt making a comment on how popular these sports are.
In my humble opinion 80s and early 90s F1 were better than the current state of affairs, whilst group A and the supertouring eras were better than this current crop of MGTC rubbish we have in the BTCC.
Whether people are going to it / watching it doesnt change my opinion or detract from the fact that it used to be better.
[Edited on 18-02-2014 by M16KE B]
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Kyle T
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Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
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quote:
Originally posted by SVM 286
Half an hour of bliss...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAbv07cJC9A
Awesome.
Must resist urge to buy mudflaps 
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
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Robin
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by M16KE B
quote:
Originally posted by Robin
The BTCC had the biggest viewing figures and crowds last year than EVER before.
....and last years British F1 had the highest attendance on record. So what? I wasnt making a comment on how popular these sports are.
In my humble opinion 80s and early 90s F1 were better than the current state of affairs, whilst group A and the supertouring eras were better than this current crop of MGTC rubbish we have in the BTCC.
Whether people are going to it / watching it doesnt change my opinion or detract from the fact that it used to be better.
[Edited on 18-02-2014 by M16KE B]
I know what you're saying but it's obvious that the Gowmeister is doing something right. Yes the supertouring stuff was amazing and the group a stuff too but the ngtc cars are ever so slightly quicker, the grids are massive, 32 cars, same as 1995... The racing is closer than it had been for years...
It's easy to say its not as good but the only thing which is different for the worse is the lack of manufacturer support.
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