Portugal 1993: Delecour, at last!

Twenty years after providing the backdrop to Jean-Luc Thérier’s first world class victory, the Rally de Portugal allowed another Frenchman to get his WRC record off the ground, namely François Delecour. That event also marked the maiden successes of co-driver Daniel Grataloup and the Ford Escort RS Cosworth. 

 

 Vingt ans après la première victoire mondiale de Jean-Luc Thérier, un autre pilote français a ouvert son palmarès WRC au Rallye du Portugal, François Delecour, avec Daniel Grataloup et la Ford Escort RS Cosworth dont il s’agissait aussi des premiers succès mondiaux.

 

In 1973, Thérier’s first win in the world championship came as a surprise to nobody given his acclaimed talent. He went on to claim three wins and would have been the world champion had a Drivers’ title been up for grabs that season.
Two decades later, Delecour’s first WRC win came as no surprise, either, since a number of near-misses – including the 1991 Monte Carlo – had provided eloquent evidence of his skill behind the wheel.
In 1993, Delecour and his co-drover Daniel Grataloup dominated the rally de Portugal from start to finish. They were only dislodged from the lead once, after SS4, and they went on to win 18 stages to finish clear of Miki Biasion and Andrea Aghini. Like Thérier before him, the Frenchman ultimately won three rallies in 1993 and ended up as the year’s vice-champion, behind Juha Kankkunen, despite only contesting nine of the 13 rounds because of budget reasons.
“It was a fine rally, almost tougher than the Monte Carlo, with a mix of asphalt and gravel, as well as night-time stages,” recalls Grataloup who today works as coordinator for Citroën-Total Abu Dhabi WRT. “The motorway up to Porto was lined with spectators on either side. It was François’ first finish in Portugal. He crashed out in fog in 1991 and we retired with a problem on the Lousada super-special while leading in 1992. Exactly the same thing happened to him in 1994…
“I remember one night-time gravel stage near Viseu… We were fortunate to be first on the road because there was a big problem with hanging dust. And I’ll never forget ‘Arganil’ at daybreak: the spectators had made fires which lit up the mountain. It was magical. We had come across ice during our recce of that stage. There’s a strong chance ‘Arganil’ will return next year. On the last stage of 1993, our electronic fuel gauge wasn’t working properly and we were really scared of running out of petrol!”

En 1973, le premier triomphe de Thérier en Championnat du monde des Rallyes FIA fut une évidence, tant le Normand était doué au volant d’une voiture de course. Cette année-là, Jean-Luc Thérier a remporté trois victoires et aurait été Champion du monde si un titre Pilotes avait été décerné.

Vingt-ans plus tard, le premier succès mondial de François Delecour fut également une évidence, tant ce pilote venu du nord de la France était doué au volant d’une voiture de course. En plusieurs occasions déjà François avait trébuché en montant la première marche du podium, comme au Monte-Carlo 1991…

Mais là, au Rallye du Portugal 1993, François Delecour et son copilote Daniel Grataloup, aujourd’hui coordinateur du team Citroën-Total Abu Dhabi WRT, ont dominé l’épreuve de bout en bout. Ils n’ont lâché la tête du rallye que l’espace d’une spéciale (ES4), remporté 18 épreuves spéciales pour s’imposer devant Miki Biasion et Andrea Aghini. Comme Thérier vingt ans plus tôt, François Delecour a remporté trois rallyes en 1993 pour terminer vice-champion du monde derrière Juha Kankkunen. Faute de budget, le Français n’avait participé qu’à 9 des 13 épreuves.

Nous en avons discuté avec Daniel Grataloup au parc d’assistance de Faro. « C’était un grand et beau rallye, presque plus dur que le Monte-Carlo avec de l’asphalte, de la terre, beaucoup de spéciales nocturnes. Sur l’autoroute vers Porto, on roulait au milieu d’une haie de spectateurs. Le Portugal n’avait jamais réussi à François : en 91, il était sorti dans le brouillard ; en 1992 on était en tête avant de tomber en panne dans Lousada, une Superspéciale. En 94, rebelote, toujours dans Lousada… »

« Je me souviens d’une spéciale sur la terre de nuit vers Viseu : on avait eu de la chance d’être en tête du rallye car la poussière restait en suspend derrière nous. Je me souviens aussi de la spéciale d’Arganil : on était les premiers à s‘élancer dans ce monument alors que le jour se levait. Les spectateurs avaient allumé des feux partout dans la montagne, c’était magique. En recos, on avait roulé sur la glace dans cette ES. Il y a de fortes chances pour qu’Arganil soit au programme l’année prochaine. Dans la dernière spéciale du rallye, la jauge à essence électronique ne fonctionnait plus correctement. Je n’avais qu’une hantise : tomber en panne d’essence ! »

from best of rallylive

GARB: TIGER AT THE MASTERS

After five long months, he's finally back on the course. Here's what Tiger Woods is wearing this week at Augusta. Beyond the bold stripes, the big news is his switch to the new driver. We're still waiting to hear if he's dropped his Scotty Cameron for the Method putter.

Nike Dri-FIT Diamond Texture Polo ($80). Nike Dri-FIT Open Stripe Polo ($85). Nike Dri-FIT Engineered Jacquard Polo ($90). Nike Dri-FIT Textured Stripe Polo ($90). Nike TW Stretch Dress Golf Pants ($110). Nike Dri-Fit Tour TW Glove ($23). Nike TW Air Zoom 2010 Golf Shoe ($230). Nike TW Tour Flex Fit Hat ($25). Nike Reversible Golf Belt ($36).Nike Victory Red STR8-FIT Tour Driver ($400). Nike Method Putter ($250).

Fiat 500 Abarth to gain an automatic transmission

Should appeal to women

The Fiat 500 Abarth has a lot going for it, but the lack of an automatic transmission is a deal breaker for a lot of American consumers.

Citing customer feedback, Fiat's North American President Tim Kuniskis has confirmed plans to offer an automatic transmission "at some point." Executives believed the model would be fine exclusively with a manual transmission but Kuniskis says enough people have requested an automatic gearbox so the company is "not opposed to doing it."

The move should help to broaden the model's appeal, particularly to women. As Kuniskis noted, 80 percent of Abarths sold in North America are bought by male drivers. This could change when the convertible is introduced but Kuniskis believes there won't be a huge influx of female buyers until the automatic is launched.

Source: Wards Auto via Jalopnik

via worldcarfans

OFFICINE ROSSOPURO MOTO GUZZI 850

If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that Filippo Barbacane is one of Italy’s leading craftsmen, specializing in classy Moto Guzzi customs. The builds coming out of hisOfficine RossoPuro workshop are refined, elegant and desirable, and I’d be happy to put one next to the V7 in my garage. This is Barbacane’s latest work, an 850 T3 christened ‘Metallica.’ (And no, that’s probably not a reference to the band.)

The T3 is an early Tonti-framed Guzzi that lends itself very well to customization. Torquey and reliable, it’s one of those motorcycles that owners often fall in love with and hang on to. And if you find one in the classifieds, it’s likely to be running just fine, despite tens of thousands of miles on the clock.

For this build, Barbacane has gone back to the basics. “I wanted to make a motorcycle that was light and with a retro look, but with modern technical solutions,” he says.

There’s little paint to obscure the metal, and the custom bodywork harks back to an age before designers fell in love with plastic. The tank and fenders are hand-made; the seat not only flows with the lines, but also looks comfortable enough for long trips—a traditional forté of the 850 T3.

The electrical system is completely new, and mostly hidden under the tank. In the small leather bag mounted on the side of the bike is a toolkit, including a set of wrenches that can be used to remove all the bodywork in minutes. The mounts for the engine and brake calipers have been redesigned, and the bike now rolls on 18” Borrani wheels.

The stock 850 T3 Marzocchi forks have been upgraded with new internals, including progressive-rate springs. The handlebars are Rizoma, and carry simplified modern controls. The sinuous exhaust system, snaking into one exit on the lefthand side of the bike, has been produced by Mass Moto to Barbacane’s own design.

‘Metallica’ is now cruising the streets of Monte Carlo, the home town of its new owner, a hardcore Guzzisti. Head over to the Officine RossoPuro website for more images of Barbacane’s builds, and follow his news via the company’s Facebook page.

with BIKEEXIF