Jump to content


Photo

How are the mighty fallen


  • Please log in to reply
15 replies to this topic

#1 john aston

john aston
  • Member

  • 2,682 posts
  • Joined: March 04

Posted 29 January 2014 - 12:52

Came across my RAC Rally programme- 1973. 80 stages over 5 days; two overnight stops.Entry? Just the 241 entrants and six manufacturer teams...

 

2014 Monte Carlo- 68.entries.



Advertisement

#2 Rupertlt1

Rupertlt1
  • Member

  • 3,038 posts
  • Joined: October 10

Posted 29 January 2014 - 13:20

The Monte Carlo Rally has never recovered from the fiasco in 1966 - lost all credibility in the UK - has been on a steady downward slope ever since. How to take a peerless franchise and let the 'blazers' water the brandy!



#3 RS2000

RS2000
  • Member

  • 2,572 posts
  • Joined: January 05

Posted 29 January 2014 - 15:04

 

Came across my RAC Rally programme- 1973. 80 stages over 5 days; two overnight stops.Entry? Just the 241 entrants and six manufacturer teams...


Two overnight stops - it had gone soft by then! (one night stop in 5 days up to 1971)
73 also had reduced mileage because of the fuel crisis - it was lucky to be able to run at all that year. I had to withdraw my entry - both my parents died within 3 weeks and I was otherwise engaged.

73 was probably another all time low for the Monte - the year of "l'affaire Burzet" - but a high in that a co-driver won it. J-C Andruet effectively gave up - backed off - on victory after a puncture but his co-driver "Biche" (Michel Petit) gave him a verbal slap round the head and he speeded up again.

#4 Tim Murray

Tim Murray
  • Moderator

  • 24,591 posts
  • Joined: May 02

Posted 29 January 2014 - 15:25

I rarely missed an RAC Rally in those days - either spectating or marshalling in one or other Welsh forest, and then ringing the GPO results line (remember that?) many times daily to find out the current positions. These days I'm vaguely aware that there's still a 'British' event in the WRC but have no idea who any of the recent winners may have been. :well:



#5 BRG

BRG
  • Member

  • 25,897 posts
  • Joined: September 99

Posted 29 January 2014 - 16:22

 80 stages over 5 days

 

This is of course why the Roger Albert Clark Rally was devised, but they found that times have changed.  Quite a lot of those 80 stages were less than 3  miles long.  If you need a rescue crew and medical team for each stage, as you do, you can't afford to run that many stages (even over several days).  Not to mention the Forestry Commission (or Enterprise or Trees'R'Us or whatever they call themselves now) charges which have escalated far above inflation rates.

 

I went to every RAC in thiose days, and it was great, but you can't turn the clock back.  Be thankful that in 2013, Rally GB at least went to some of the good old favourites like Dyfi, Penmachno and Clocaenog.

 

As for the Monte, I would not want to return to the 'good old days' of endless road miles driving from Murmansk or Istanbul or Glasgow to Gap with no competitive mileage at all.  The Monte tried to stay unchanged for too long and shot itself in the foot.



#6 RTH

RTH
  • Member

  • 6,064 posts
  • Joined: January 03

Posted 30 January 2014 - 07:32

Who is it that is in charge of shaping world ralling at present ?



#7 2F-001

2F-001
  • Member

  • 4,244 posts
  • Joined: November 01

Posted 30 January 2014 - 10:09

For anyone wanting a glimpse into really tough rallying, I recommend a reading of "A Mini and the Last Liege" by Mike Wood - who was co-driver with John Wadsworth on the 1964 Marathon de la Route (the Spa-Sofia-Liege version, before it became the 84 hours of the 'Ring).

Edit:
Ah… search has shown that I've mentioned this here before - but it was eight years ago and the discussion went nowhere…

http://forums.autosp...ge-sofia-liege/

Edited by 2F-001, 30 January 2014 - 10:12.


#8 Allan Lupton

Allan Lupton
  • Member

  • 4,051 posts
  • Joined: March 06

Posted 30 January 2014 - 10:29

Quote from BRG
I went to every RAC in thiose days, and it was great, but you can't turn the clock back.  Be thankful that in 2013, Rally GB at least went to some of the good old favourites like Dyfi, Penmachno and Clocaenog.
 
I too went to many RAC Rally stages, both as spectator and marshal and I remember marshalling a TC on a Welsh hillside and recognising (and being recognised by) several club rallymen who were taking part in their country's premier event
In those days I also went to the British Grand Prix Friday practice - and if it seemed as if there would be a good race on the Saturday I'd buy my ticket for a seat in the Stowe grandstand on the way out.
Both are aspects of why I and others of us are here on TNF and can't be doing with modern manifestations of what was once a sport.
 
Edited because cutting down the "quote" bit loses the format.

Edited by Allan Lupton, 30 January 2014 - 10:31.


#9 Lee Nicolle

Lee Nicolle
  • Member

  • 11,038 posts
  • Joined: July 08

Posted 30 January 2014 - 12:33

Zillion dollar cars and entrys.There is your problem!

#10 RS2000

RS2000
  • Member

  • 2,572 posts
  • Joined: January 05

Posted 30 January 2014 - 15:14

 

I rarely missed an RAC Rally in those days - either spectating or marshalling in one or other Welsh forest, and then ringing the GPO results line (remember that?) many times daily to find out the current positions.

Not sure whether 1971 was its first year but it was worth the cost of the call to hear that someone named Gene Luke Turrur was leading.



#11 RogerFrench

RogerFrench
  • Member

  • 688 posts
  • Joined: February 08

Posted 30 January 2014 - 15:33

I marshalled a few times on the RAC and Welsh rallies, in North Wales back in the late 60s and early 70s.

Somewhere I have those little medals with bars they used to give us. Anyone else remember them?



#12 RS2000

RS2000
  • Member

  • 2,572 posts
  • Joined: January 05

Posted 30 January 2014 - 19:32

 

I marshalled a few times on the RAC and Welsh rallies, in North Wales back in the late 60s and early 70s.
Somewhere I have those little medals with bars they used to give us. Anyone else remember them?


Got 4 red bars (as Service Crew - same colour went to Marshalls) and 5 blue bars (as finisher - and, note, NO white ones for non-finisher)
and wasn't it a right pain to get the badge out of the RAC/RACMSA in the first place, to hang the bars on...

#13 BRG

BRG
  • Member

  • 25,897 posts
  • Joined: September 99

Posted 30 January 2014 - 21:08

 

Both are aspects of why I and others of us are here on TNF and can't be doing with modern manifestations of what was once a sport.

It's still two guys (or gals) and a car on a special stage with the clock ticking.  Just like it always was.  Well, once they invented special stages anyway.



#14 IanG

IanG
  • Member

  • 57 posts
  • Joined: December 08

Posted 02 February 2014 - 10:26

Not sure whether 1971 was its first year but it was worth the cost of the call to hear that someone named Gene Luke Turrur was leading.

Remember it well. That was when Tim MacKinnon was lying second after putting up the fastest time through Clockyogyognog 2

#15 Tim Murray

Tim Murray
  • Moderator

  • 24,591 posts
  • Joined: May 02

Posted 02 February 2014 - 10:34

IIRC the phone line people were never too sure how to pronounce your name, Ian. ;)

#16 AAGR

AAGR
  • Member

  • 397 posts
  • Joined: November 11

Posted 02 February 2014 - 12:33

It wasn't only the drivers who were heroes in those days. Don't forget that there were no central service parks (except pre-start and pre-night halt), so service 'points' had to be set up at the side of the road, in farm yards, garage forecourts, and even industrial car parks. All arranged in advance - but the service crews often did as much mileage as the rally cars, in big estate cars or in vans, and got about as much/little sleep.

Cue 'Monty Python' remarks about : 'Luxury, that were luxury, etc ....'