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Group B was a rally racing series set up by the FISA in 1979, with the intention to be the ultimate of the racing series, with very few restrictions placed on the cars. But, as cost skyrocketed, the performance of the cars proved too much, resulting in a series of catastrophes remeniscent of the Le Mans disaster of 1955. The series was finished after 1986.
The sheer and raw power of the Group B cars brought excitement and danger to rallying in the early 80's.
But the ban of these cars was inevitable a few years later after a heavy number of deaths and injuries.
History
After the FISA legalized all wheel drive (AWD) in 1979, few car companies were keen on using it on their cars. This prejudice changed when Audi launched the now famous Audi Quattro in 1980. Audi driver Hannu Mikkola demonstrated the full potential of AWD during a demonstration at one rally: He would have won by nine minutes had he actually competed!
The Quattro was officially entered in the 1980 Janner Rally in Austria and easily won. Audi kept on winning throughout 1980 and 1981 seasons, becoming the team to beat by 1982. The team's victory at the 1981 Rallye San Remo was particularly historic: Piloted by Michèle Mouton, it was the first time a woman won an international rally. Mouton placed second in the drivers' championship the next year.
Finally, in 1983, the FISA decided to separate the rally cars into two classes: Group A and Group B. Taking on the Quattro in Group B was the Lancia 037 Monte Carlo.
Although the 037 was still rear wheel drive (RWD), Group B had few restrictions: weight was unrestricted, high-tech materials were permitted, and there was no limit on horsepower. The low homologation production requirements brought numerous manufacturers to Group B, and the performance level of the cars increased at an enormous rate.
The cars reached a point where many people feared that the cars had reached a point where the drivers could not fully control them.
In 1984, a new player came with the arrival of the Peugeot 205 T16. This car, allied with a strong team composed of Ari Vatanen and Jean Todt, was extremely successful. Peugeot continued to dominate the season in 1985, even though Vatanen was injured in a near-fatal crash.
A series of new cars were also introduced in 1985: Lancia Delta S4, Ford RS200, Austin-Metro 6R4, Audi S1 Quattro and Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 2. 1985 also allowed new components like spoilers to improve aerodynamics.
The performance of these purpose-built cars was incredible: Henri Toivonen drove a Delta S4 around the Portuguese Grand Prix track, Estoril, so quickly that he could have qualified just five places from the pole in the 1986 Grand Prix race! This same car could accelerate to 100 km/h on gravel in just 2.3 seconds.
After a crash at the Port Wine Rally in Portugal, where an RS200 drifted onto a crowd killing three and injuring many more, and the crash of Henri Toivonen in the Tour de Corse rally, Group B was finished. The cars were too powerful and risky: There would be no 1987 season.
The Toivonen crash was particularly gruesome. As the car went down a hillside, it hit trees and rocks, caughting fire. All that remained of the car was a blackened frame, and Toivonen and co-driver, Sergio Cresto, were killed.
Cars
Two of the most-famous Group B cars never actually competed in the series: The Ferrari GTO and Porsche 959 were both designed with Group B in mind but neither was ever entered.
Drivers
External links
Group B (http://www.stormloader.com/groupb/index.html)
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