Five big names from the sport of rallying will be celebrated at the 2017 Ignition Festival of Motoring, to be held staged 4-6 August on the streets of Glasgow in and around the SEC. All five ‘Rally Gods’ — Markku Alén, Miki Biasion, Stig Blomqvist, Timo Salonen and Ari Vatanen — are World Champions and all five are from the epic Group B era, still hailed by many to be the sport’s most extreme and exciting period.
The Group B regulations were introduced for the 1982 season with only a few restrictions and allowing almost unlimited power. Cars could be mid-engined two-seaters and manufacturers only had to produce 200 examples that bore no more than a passing resemblance to showroom models to meet minimal homologation requirements.
As a result, in the four years between 1983 and 1986, rallying developed further and faster than it had done in the previous three decades. Group B took the sport to the edge of performance. When FISA, the then world governing body, culled the category following a series of accidents, Group B was immortalised. Though ultimately short-lived, the Group B era has since acquired legendary status and brave-hearted drivers such as Alén, Biasion, Blomqvist, Salonen and Vatanen been revered right around the globe.
The 2017 Ignition Festival of Motoring will see all five behind the wheels of the fearsome cars that they campaigned in their heydays. Twice a day — as the climax to each Track Show — the Rally stars will also be renewing old rivalries competing against-the-clock in the Street Stage Shoot-Outs racing sports cars on a special gymkhana circuit.
“We are hugely honoured to be welcoming five of rallying’s greatest names to IGNITION,” said Cat Stanford, IGNITION Festival Director. “Scotland has an incredible motor sport history and the presence of these Rally Gods and their idolised Group B cars is going to be one of the stand-out highlights of this year’s bigger, faster and louder show.”
Building on the huge success of last year’s inaugural Ignition which attracted more than 26,000 visitors, other notable features for 2017 include: 70 years of Ferrari — a tribute to the history and legacy of the Prancing Horse; the 60th anniversary of Ecurie Ecosse’s famous 24 Hours of Le Mans victory with a line-up of the team’s finest machinery; a bike stunt zone; a supercar grid featuring Lamborghinis, Porsches, McLarens, Mustangs, Mercedes’ and more; plus, hundreds of exhibitors showcasing the latest releases with the opportunity for visitors to buy their next car or bike at the event.
For further information, visit Ignition Motoring Festival.
[Source: Ignition Festival]
