Classic Audi - Rally Tales

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I've brought this over from another forum...

There was a tale years ago I was once told about Walter Rohrl (I think) on the RAC with an S1E2... The story goes, that it was twilight, the roads were wet and heavily congested heading into a stage and the cars were coming in from a road section, the S1E2 had been delayed and wanted to avoid penalties. The line of road traffic was moving at about 20mph in it's usual spacing, when the chap who told the story said he saw in his mirror a very, very bright set of lights dance out and in again to allow oncoming traffic to pass. He said he watched, mesmerised, as the S1E2 would launch out, take 3 or 4 cars, stand on it's nose and drop back in again to let oncoming traffic pass. Leaving a gap ahead, he waited for the inevitable, the S1E2 shrieked past and erupted a ball of fire as it came into the gap... Physically hopped up and down as an oncoming van passed and then drilled it's arse back into the tarmac and resumed it's fiery progress up the queue.

There must be some superb memories and tales out there, have any of you good folk got any?

Just be great to hear some of them.

As you know ian i had a conversation with Phil Short about my dissertation thesis and some of his personal experiences from the era..

An extract from his email to myself about the PDK gearbox and the subsequent roll on that rally with walter rohrl.

Quote:

Yes, I did co-drive for Walter Rohrl on 1985 RAC Rally. And yes, the car had the PDK gearbox in it. To be honest, Walter didn't really want to do the rally (he was never a fan of the event), He wasn't over fond of the gearbox either - not because of what it could or could not do, but because he felt it upset the balance of the car.

The activation of the box was OK, but not entirely trouble-free. In one long stage, the gear-switch (it was a puny little thing) snapped off, so we ran in full automatic mode for a while. Then I found a small screwdriver in my co-driver's bag and jammed that in the slot, which worked until we got to service.

Eventually we went off in South Wales. It was a long right-hander, which I called out OK, but as we exited the corner, the left rear wheel was in the ditch. This is a regular situation, which quite often you get away with, but on this occasion there was something in the ditch (a log, or rock) which caught the rear wheel and pulled us sharp left, over a bank and down a hill-side. Fortunately all the trees has been taken out, so we just rolled 80 metres down. The car came to rest on its wheels, engine still running, but all the plastic panels gone - doors, bonnet, boot, etc. That was typical of Group B - they weren't the safest of things to have an accident in. Walter said: 'I think our rally is over!' It was.

My girlfriends uncle has been rallying and racing for many years, last time he saw my S2 he said it brought back memories: "Being in a ditch somewhere in south wales as the sun came up with an Audi quattro coming towards us at huge speed!"

Im certain he will have some photos from the era, I will have to ask when we go down to see him soon

well guy , this is all true back in the rac rally 1985, both my first wife and myself where up in treherbert mountain ranges on the inside of that right hand bend, as the car came towards us we could sense something was wrong, yep the car went off on its roof down the steep slope and came to rest against some trees, we run down to see if all where ok, the car bodypanels where bumped, and car still on its roof, There where some who tried to take photos of the car but asap when the car came to rest a helecopter came down and took film off people as to protect thay new as i call it fly by wire gearbox, but you cannot blame audi for doing this as yet again audi where at the fore front of devolopment of there group b cars, where are thay now

not audi rallying days but classic none the less

my friends father who recently passed away was a Works rally specialist and owned/restored some of the most famous mini cooper S Works cars in the hay day

when he died he left the cars to his daughter who has kept one of the works cars and sold the other 2 at bonhams (one of which went to the Chef, james martin)

heres a few pics of the ones she had

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._8089742_n.jpg

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._8166527_n.jpg

and

the most famous one which went to auction

http://www.redandwhite.it/GRX555D.htm

people such a timo makkeinen, Rauno Aaltonen, paddy hopkirk etc have drivem these cars so they have a lot of history, the 555 reg plate mini won the monte carlo but was disqualified for the spot lights one year

i think phil short had GRX 310D once

who was your friends father as i know a few guys from the leyland /bmc comp works ,like Basil wales ,Kyle, and yes a few other i was up there a few times with bob fowden, when he picked up the tr8 oom 512r and also parts from fowden like rads he sold to bl which where made in llanelli

his name was dave gilbert, his daughter took on his affairs, was very sad,

over the last 20 odd years all he done was restore minis, he left behind over 30 minis

i think i remember as thay did a 1500 cc 8 port engine for fowden back in late 70s , i look in my bl book for refence

I think the funniest little quote I have ever heard ( on one of my DVD's somewhere ) was Michelle Mouton. The windscrren had been misting up very badly and she had lost a lot of time, so to make it up she went for it in Kielder............big time. On asking Michelle what Fabrizia Pons thought of her, 'everything forward, trust in the Lord' style of driving, Michelle retorted " it ees probably a good thing she cannot see too much when I drive through Kielder"!! Classic.