Short description of this amazing sport:
Group B is a set of regulations in rallying. It's main point was to include cars which were capable of reaching speeds comparable with Formula 1. Doesn't sound too bad, right? It's worth mentioning that it mostly took place on dirt roads, in forests and contained many tight corners. Group B lasted only for four years (1982-1986), because of how dangerous it turned out to be, but still managed to revolutionise rallying we know today.
Cars were mostly rear wheel drive and had to have a road legal variant which was available to customers. However, this is when first 4 wheel drive cars were being widely introduced, which later revolutionised the motorsport we know now. Today, almost all sport cars are 4WD, while back in the day it was reserved only for trucks and no one thought about putting it in a car, except for Audi, which gave us a magnificent Quattro on which all other cars in Grup B were based.
However, nothing amazing lasts long. The cars were capable of reaching 100km/h in just 3 seconds! It meant that they were hard to control, had a tendency to oversteer and hard to control overall. It was just a matter of time until a fatal accident happens. On May the 2nd of 1986 Henri Toivonen, along with his copilot, Sergio Cresto, had an accident in which they both lost their lives. Their car fell out of a corner, hit a tree and immediately burst into flames. This horrible accident resulted in Group B being cancelled because of how dangerous it was. It is still considered one of the most exciting type of motorsport. It is a real pity we don't get to enjoy it now, but is it really worth risking our lives for entertainment of other people?
Cars were mostly rear wheel drive and had to have a road legal variant which was available to customers. However, this is when first 4 wheel drive cars were being widely introduced, which later revolutionised the motorsport we know now. Today, almost all sport cars are 4WD, while back in the day it was reserved only for trucks and no one thought about putting it in a car, except for Audi, which gave us a magnificent Quattro on which all other cars in Grup B were based.
However, nothing amazing lasts long. The cars were capable of reaching 100km/h in just 3 seconds! It meant that they were hard to control, had a tendency to oversteer and hard to control overall. It was just a matter of time until a fatal accident happens. On May the 2nd of 1986 Henri Toivonen, along with his copilot, Sergio Cresto, had an accident in which they both lost their lives. Their car fell out of a corner, hit a tree and immediately burst into flames. This horrible accident resulted in Group B being cancelled because of how dangerous it was. It is still considered one of the most exciting type of motorsport. It is a real pity we don't get to enjoy it now, but is it really worth risking our lives for entertainment of other people?
Audi Quattro S1 - the main contender
Lancia Delta S4 - in a car like this Toivonen and Cresto spent their last moments
Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2
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