Wednesday 15th October 2014

Brands Hatch Rallycross 1983: Time For Tea?

Ever wondered what a 500hp 4WD Mk3 Escort would look like at Brands? Wonder no longer!

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Extend the tea break this afternoon. You must see every second of this video's 19 minutes. It has everything you want in a classic motorsport video: speed, skids, controversy, drama, fantastic cars and Murray Walker commentating. It's absolutely bloody brilliant.

The British Rallycross Grand Prix at Brands Hatch in 1983 was notable for the debut of Martin Schanche's Mk3 Ford Escort. Four-wheel drive and with over 500hp, it promised an awful lot being driven by a rallycross legend. It was well ahead of the field in one qualifying session and then... well, that would spoil the surprise. Let's just say it involves a racing driver strop.

But there's so much more that makes this video so engrossing. Flame spitting Quattros, 650hp 911s backing their way into every corner, a Volvo 340 and RWD Escorts with the most outrageous rear wing. A rallycross circuit at Brands Hatch doesn't sound that challenging; just wait until you see the yumps, bumps and corners. Superb.

Watch the vid here.

 

[anonymous-user]

'He's still got that door problem'

[NotNormal]

Loved watching Rallycross at Brands as a kid

With regard to the Mk3 Escort, the sister car to the one in the vid was at this years Brighton Speed Trials following a recent engine rebuild. Runs a 560bhp Zakspeed BDT engine coupled to full Xtrac 4WD running gear. Fastest 1/4 mile it's done is 10.6sec.

So awesome to watch off the line coupled with the associated pops and bangs of serious turbo power.

[soad]

Rallycross is one hell of an exciting form of motorsport to watch!

[Usget]

His accent is fantastic - sort of Dick Van Dyke meets Swedish Chef.

[Caddyshack]

I was there aged 10...loved it and became friends with Trevor Reeves 20 odd years later, he taught me a lot on track...also had my first off with him in the car lol.

[MC Bodge]

Rallycross is superb. It should be on TV more prominently.

[Buff Mchugelarge]

Absolutely fantastic!

[tortop45]

Watched this footage before,fantastic, you can,t beat a gartrac escort for blowing away the compation thats what go me into building a gartrac back in the 80,s.This was the begining of the group B cars.

[Frentzen]

Any Gartrac G6's still about??!!

[Leggy]

Happy days at Brands.
After all these years I don't think any other Motorsport is as entertaining.

[Victor Hugo]

Couldn't agree more with everyone here, used to love watching rally cross at brands around this time. Just the best sporting action ever? Didn't the national circuit just turn right after Paddock hill then rejoin somewhere near Cooper/Surtees? Anyone remember?

[firebird350]

Whoa! Camera crews standing on the track directly behind around 2,000 BHP about to be launched off the startline? Jesus, hadn't these guys ever heard of Health & Safety?!!

Whoa! Franz Wurz's Quattro arriving at the startline belching oil smoke even before the race start? Jesus, hadn't these guys ever heard of climate change and CO2 emissions?!!

What a great era, eh? Ok, the 4WD cars were dominant but, for the most part, they didn't seem to leave the 2WD machines totally for dead.

Impressed also that Schanche's Escort engine was actually north/south mounted way back in '83 and, from the look of it, Keith Ripp's 2.2 litre Fiesta appeared to be FWD. Again, impressive as Ford quickly gave up on FWD Fiestas in rallying after a poor official outing on the '79 Monte Carlo Rally where Ari Vatanen and Roger Clark could only manage 10th and 13th places respectively.

Presumably, the rallycross regs allowed far more 'build and specification' leeway at the time than rallying.

Anyway, great days, great video!

[Caddyshack]

Victor Hugo said:

Couldn't agree more with everyone here, used to love watching rally cross at brands around this time. Just the best sporting action ever? Didn't the national circuit just turn right after Paddock hill then rejoin somewhere near Cooper/Surtees? Anyone remember?

Yes, that's right. I saw a 6R4 roll all the way down the hill, it was smashed to bits but the driver got out as the cage saved him.

Thunder saloons were brilliant too.....happy days.

[Caddyshack]

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=453...

Lovely G6 thread

[JMF894]

Fantastic! Everything motor sport should be.

Does anyone else remember the Keith Ripp mini accident?

Remember watching it one Saturday as a kid back in the day.

Puts F1 into perspective as a spectator event for me...............

Jimbo

[shoehorn]

I was at that race as a 13 year old boy,as a guest of my eldest sisters boyfriend who was a marshalling.
Im actually in the TV footage and on that video at 4:20 standing on the top of that hill with my dad

[rex]

That was great. How Motorsport should be. Reminds me of watching the RAC rally at sutton park in the mid 80's. Group B rally cars flying through the woods as unbelievable speeds in the dark wet November nights. Could go pretty much where ever you wanted with exception of the outside of a bend. That was my fathers advice. You could stand there if you wanted to.

[Olivera]

Awesome!

This was back when racing took real skill, no paddle shift or ABS here. In particular the yellow 911 lighting the rear tyres up, going sideways, whilst the driver was simultaneously trying to shift up and close the door at the same time!

[Arsecati]

THAT WAS BRILLIANT!! What a fantastic excuse to break from work for a bit - whoa did that bring back some memories as a kid (though reading through all the other replies here - I reckon there's quite a few of us here who are 'of an age'!!) Loved every second of it! :0)

[ianwayne]

I'm sure that was Mark Evans commiserating about the blown turbo. The bloke from Pet Rescue and the 'Car is born' series, a good 10 years before he was a TV regular.