Wednesday 1st July 2015

'Jean Ragnotti, the God': Time For Tea?

We've all seen Monsieur Ragnotti in a Renault 5, but what about a Clio? Get set for sideways!

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Ten seconds. That's all this video will take to put a smile on your face. There's Jean Ragnotti, a very pretty old Clio and a snowy, slushy tarmac rally stage. Then it's backwards. Properly crossed up, out-the-side-window sideways. Then it's gathered up in a flash and Jean and his Clio are off to face their next adventure.

There's nine minutes of that here, car and driver always at maximum commitment with great style. Crowds roar, tyres shriek and that little Clio growls its way round France. This is why tarmac rallying is brilliant. And doesn't that Clio, very nearly 25 years old now, just look marvellous?

There are a few spoken sections in this and our French can't even begin to decipher those. The rest of the vid is - best accent now - super though. And PH can't be held responsible for any failed handbrake turns on the way home.

Enjoy the video.

[bcadou]

1st "interview"

Et la boite sequentielle n est pas retenue?
C est pas qu elle a pas ete retenue, c est qu on a pas essaye

And the sequential gearbox is not kept?
it's not that it is not kept, it's just that we havent tried it

[andrewrob]

What a legend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Ekiu7lOjk&fe...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZWeue-NPhY

[iloveboost]

andrewrob said:

What a legend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Ekiu7lOjk&fe...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZWeue-NPhY

Wow he makes it look easy, and that last 360 is really impressive.

[Gandahar]

Watched him at Goodwood and started laughing. Smallest car there with lots of bhp and sort of out did a Yank with the Hornophone.

Message to Ken Block.. leave it to the maestro, Harry Hill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMyfN5D0s2k

[andybu]

Very quick hands, the man has.. Usually is always ahead of his car, which is not so easy on the tarmac stages - less room for error.

[neil-935ql]

You gotta love the Renault sport clios still good today all the years on

[k-ink]

This is why compact old school real hot hatches are so damn good! You wouldn't get a large family car (insert any modern fat so called hot hatch) being able to corner like that.

[pardonmyenglish]

I wonder what his career would have been if he had not been faithful to renault.

[Beno66]

Where's the keys to my Clio Williams.......

[Gandahar]

Proper cars are rear wheel drive and that's why most PH prefer them. Although driven more slowly

There's a lot to be said for 7/10th's of course. Cough.

[zeb]

Possibly the fastest ive seen a renault clio driven without the words 'stolen' in the title.......

[dannodj]

I love the clips of road rallying, the rate of change of direction so much more impressive on tarmac.
Found another great clip of a crazy italian 'legend' Rosato Toccaceli on the 12o rally in a Sunbeam Lotus, mostly sideways and occasionally with the co-driver waving the crowd on while giving pace notes. (9:30 and others)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBObCMqy2AI

[RacerMike]

I love that one of the people in the crowd actually shouts 'Oohh La La' at one point.