34 years ago Rallying lost a big talent.

[Twingo 1??]

34 years ago today Henri Toivonen lost his life on the road from Corte to Taverna on the Tour de Corse. Toivonen and American co-driver Sergio Cresto died when their Lancia Delta S4 failed to make a left-hander, went off the road and burst into flames.
In the blink of an eye, one of – if not the – most talented drivers of a very special generation was gone.
It was the 80s rac rallys going through Hamsterley forest that I can remember as a kid the sights and smells as the sunbeams and escorts flew by.

 

[White16valver]

34 years ago today Henri Toivonen lost his life on the road from Corte to Taverna on the Tour de Corse. Toivonen and American co-driver Sergio Cresto died when their Lancia Delta S4 failed to make a left-hander, went off the road and burst into flames.
In the blink of an eye, one of – if not the – most talented drivers of a very special generation was gone.
It was the 80s rac rallys going through Hamsterley forest that I can remember as a kid the sights and smells as the sunbeams and escorts flew by.

Was that the incident that pretty much knocked Group B on the head? I think it was mentioned on a Top Gear piece once.

IIRC he had commented earlier in the rally about death - was a bit spinechilling.

 

[Steve]

Was that the incident that pretty much knocked Group B on the head? I think it was mentioned on a Top Gear piece once.

IIRC he had commented earlier in the rally about death - was a bit spinechilling.

No the playboys with too much money & not enough talent killed group B.
Various vids of cars ploughing into large crowds was the end of the mega cars.

I preferred the two wheel era cracking to watch & marvel at the skill levels involved.

 

[Twingo 1??]

Attilio Bettega's crash was one of the ones that killed group b, loads of spectators standing on the outside of a corner he lost control and spun off and killed people. He was a playboy who had hired a 037 had no testing and killed people.

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

The Joaquim Santos one was bad too. I'm not sure I would really blame any driver's to be honest though. The whole thing was badly managed by the FIA, spectator control was beyond hopeless and many of the fans were ignorant of the risks of standing so close. It was a disaster waiting to happen sadly.

Toivenen's loss was a sad one. A great talent.

 

[New2RS]

From what I’ve seen you were the “man” if you got your fingers on the paint work of a passing group B rally car. A period of unlimited horse power and courage that I look back on in admiration and disbelief.
Maybe Henri Toivensen wasn’t a massive player in that arena but any man/co driver who takes the wheel deserves big respect.

 

[djp66]

I remember the moment I heard about it, a huge loss and a very sad time. Henri Toivonen is the reason that I've lusted after a Lotus Sunbeam and still do today.

 

[BoatNonce]

What killed Group B was Group B. The cars were undriveable messes, 600bhp cars with 300bhp suspension and brakes. These days you’d piss yourself if you saw someone building a 600bhp clio with the factory brakes but that is basically what Group B was. Engine technology had jumped forward massively with turbocharging but a big engine does not a great car make.

Not only that, but they weren’t even that fast. Group A caught up and passed the pace of Group B very quickly with half the power. Arguably Toivonen would have achieved far more if it weren’t for Group B taking him from us.

From what I’ve seen you were the “man” if you got your fingers on the paint work of a passing group B rally car.

That didn’t go too well for one person...

 

[New2RS]

What an awesome spectacle. Rally driving at that level truly is an art form. Such a shame accidents like that were allowed to happen.