Previously on this channel, we've already discussed arguably the largest crash of the Group B,
which was in 1986, in Portugal.
In the immediate aftermath of that incident, there was already discussion of drastic changes needing to be made, especially due to the number of spectators being caught in the action.
Footage Credit:
• Tour de Corse 1986 new...
• Video
• Accidente de Henri Toi...
The final nail in the coffin came shortly after, at the 1986 tour de corse,
when Henry Toivonen and Sergio Cresto both lost their lives to one of the most dramatic
crashes in racing history.
This, is Group B Rally's Final Crash.
Henri Toivonen was a finnish rally driver, born in 1956 into a family of skilled professional drivers. His father, Pauli, was the european rally champeon for porsche in 1968, and his brother Harri found a fufilling career as a circuit racer.
The Toivonen family were exceptionally talented drivers, even in one of the most fiercely competitive areas in the world for racing.
Naturally, Henri was brought up around racing, and he learned to drive when he was just 5 years old. Although going into rally seems like the natural progression he would have taken, he actually first discovered his love of racing through competing in circuit racing. Starting in karts, and moving up over the years, Henri won the finnish cup in touring cars,
and then moved over to formula vee and then super vee.
Interestingly, Toivonen's parents became concerned about the safety of this series, and this is what ultimately led to his shift into rallying instead.
After making the switch to rallying full time instead of Karts, Toivonen's Kart was sold by his family to Mika Hakkinen's parents. Mika was 6 at the time. When they say everyone in Finland can drive, they mean it.
Over the course of the following several years,
Henri went from strength to strength in the rally scene,
before landing his first contract with a major car maker in the 1980 season, where he raced in a Talbot Sunbeam Lotus. He'd shown a lot of skill, but was known to take risks, crashing often which cost the team considerably. Talbot still saw Toivonen as a brilliant driver though, and opted to pair him with a range of co drivers over the season.
Keeping Henri was a worthwhile investment for Talbot, after he won the Lombard RAC Rally, alongside his co-driver Paul White. Henri and Paul weren't even in consideration for being potential
winners of this rally, so this shock result was huge news in the scene.
Even Toivonen himself didn't expect a win.
In 1983, Henri got a win at the Manx national rally, on his first attempt.
He also won the mille pistes rally in France, although the event's organisers banned Group B cars halfway through.
Then, in 1984 he had the privilege of driving a legendary 911 SC with the iconic Rothman's livery in
that year's season.
After a mixed start, he won 5 rallies in a row in the European rally championship, coming second overall.
Henri's career under Lancia began in 1985, where he was put at the wheel of a 037. The season didn't begin particularly well, after he smashed into a brick wall in the European championship, which gave him a serious back injury, and 3 broken neck vertebrae. In August that year, Henri was back behind the wheel, coming fourth at the 1000 lakes rally.
Henri didn't get on particularly well with the comparatively underpowered Lancia, and he was happy when it got replaced by the legendary delta s4, just in time for the season's last
race. Although the claim's hard to verify, the S4 was thought be be capable of 0-60 in barely over 2 seconds, even on a gravel road.
The S4 suited Henri much better, and he won the final rally of the season with it. His final season, 1986, began much better than the year prior.
With a Monte Carlo Rally win alongside his co-driver, an American by the name of Sergio Cresto, cemented the pair as a favourite to win the series. Unfortunately, after a retirement from the Swedish rally and a withdrawal from the infamous Portugal rally, which we've covered before, the title was still anyone's to claim, although Henri continued to remain a favourite, especially with the dominant Lancia at his disposal. The 1986 Tour De Corse, ended up tragically being Henri's last race. The rally, held on the island of Corsica, was notoriously challenging to navigate, with tight corners and a mountainous backdrop.
The rally began on the first of may.
Toivonen had been under the weather in the lead up to the event, reportedly having a flu and a sore throat.
Rather than pulling out and resting, Henri really wanted to race, especially since the championship lead had been taken.
6 сен 2023
