Fast Ford – September 2019

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Things didn’t begin especially positively

in the Sierra’s first season, 1987. The WRC

landscape might’ve been remodelled by

the demise of Group B but one thing had

remained the same - Lancia’s potency.

Turin had campaigned a Group A variant

of the Delta throughout the previous

season and could therefore count upon a

fully developed, fully reliable rally car. Ford,

on the other hand, had two variants of the

Sierra on its books: the Cosworth for faster,

sealed surface events, and the XR4x4 for

gravel work. The latter was of course all-

wheel drive, though its big, lazy V6 was no

match for the Delta’s boosted four-pot. It

didn’t take long before the four-wheel drive

car was quietly retired for good.

‘CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR’

Even with the XR4x4 programme shuttered

and the Cosworth one thrust to the fore,

headline results remained hard to come by,

though Ford’s roster of world class drivers

did manage to grind out some deeply

impressive podiums. Case in point, the

1000 Lakes. Here, Ford put in something of

a masterclass, with Sierras occupying 2nd

and 3rd, Ari Vatanen and Blomqvist keeping

the winning Delta of Marku Alen more than

honest. The team would repeat the result on

the RAC some months later, this time with

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The following year was just as tough, not

least as the Delta had become an even more

complete proposition and could now put up

stiff resistance to Ford’s tarmac challenge.

There was also Toyota’s much vaunted

Celica ST165 project, a car slated to compete

with one of Xtrac’s most sophisticated all-

wheel drive systems and due to debut in the

year. It all added up to a worrying picture

from Boreham’s perspective and meant that

the Sierra was running out of time to earn its

place in the annals of WRC history.

That the Sierra was finally able to etch

its place in history was largely down to

the roster of up and coming drivers given

the chance to shine at its wheel. One Colin

McRae cut his Group A teeth in the family’s

RS, as did his future sparring partner and

team mate, Carlos Sainz, so you could make

the case that the Sierra played a small

but significant role in forming the rallying

landscape of the ‘90s too.

TOUR DE FORCE

Yet it was the incomparable Didier Auriol

who really made his mark on the WRC with

the three-door Cosworth, and his did it on

‘home’ turf on the 1988 running of the Tour

de Corse. Now, it should be noted that it was

not unknown for a two-wheel drive car to

cause an upset on tarmac at this time, with

Bernard Beguin having taken an E30 M3

to a popular victory on Corsica 12 months

beforehand, but such was the pace with

which the all-wheel drive opposition was

maturing that many deemed the days of the

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In that, they were correct, but Auriol’s

drive that year would at least give the

powered back axle brigade something to

celebrate, and in some style. On the pace

Jimmy McRae

piloted the Cossie,

as did his sons

Alistair and Colin

Auriol made the

Sierra his own,

winning an epic

battle on the Tour

de Corse in 1988

MOTORSPORT MEMORIES

Ѵ FAS T FOR D SEPTEMBER 2019

WKDQWKH\PLJKWRWKHUZLVHKDYHEHHQb

Things didn’t begin especially positively

in the Sierra’s first season, 1987. The WRC

landscape might’ve been remodelled by

the demise of Group B but one thing had

remained the same - Lancia’s potency.

Turin had campaigned a Group A variant

of the Delta throughout the previous

season and could therefore count upon a

fully developed, fully reliable rally car. Ford,

on the other hand, had two variants of the

Sierra on its books: the Cosworth for faster,

sealed surface events, and the XR4x4 for

gravel work. The latter was of course all-

wheel drive, though its big, lazy V6 was no

match for the Delta’s boosted four-pot. It

didn’t take long before the four-wheel drive

car was quietly retired for good.

‘CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR’

Even with the XR4x4 programme shuttered

and the Cosworth one thrust to the fore,

headline results remained hard to come by,

though Ford’s roster of world class drivers

did manage to grind out some deeply

impressive podiums. Case in point, the

1000 Lakes. Here, Ford put in something of

a masterclass, with Sierras occupying 2nd

and 3rd, Ari Vatanen and Blomqvist keeping

the winning Delta of Marku Alen more than

honest. The team would repeat the result on

the RAC some months later, this time with

%ORPTYLVWLQQGDQG-LPP\0F5DHUGb

The following year was just as tough, not

least as the Delta had become an even more

complete proposition and could now put up

stiff resistance to Ford’s tarmac challenge.

There was also Toyota’s much vaunted

Celica ST165 project, a car slated to compete

with one of Xtrac’s most sophisticated all-

wheel drive systems and due to debut in the

year. It all added up to a worrying picture

from Boreham’s perspective and meant that

the Sierra was running out of time to earn its

place in the annals of WRC history.

That the Sierra was finally able to etch

its place in history was largely down to

the roster of up and coming drivers given

the chance to shine at its wheel. One Colin

McRae cut his Group A teeth in the family’s

RS, as did his future sparring partner and

team mate, Carlos Sainz, so you could make

the case that the Sierra played a small

but significant role in forming the rallying

landscape of the ‘90s too.

TOUR DE FORCE

Yet it was the incomparable Didier Auriol

who really made his mark on the WRC with

the three-door Cosworth, and his did it on

‘home’ turf on the 1988 running of the Tour

de Corse. Now, it should be noted that it was

not unknown for a two-wheel drive car to

cause an upset on tarmac at this time, with

Bernard Beguin having taken an E30 M3

to a popular victory on Corsica 12 months

beforehand, but such was the pace with

which the all-wheel drive opposition was

maturing that many deemed the days of the

UHDUZKHHOGULYH*URXS$ZLQQHUQXPEHUHGb

In that, they were correct, but Auriol’s

drive that year would at least give the

powered back axle brigade something to

celebrate, and in some style. On the pace

Jimmy McRae

piloted the Cossie,

as did his sons

Alistair and Colin

Auriol made the

Sierra his own,

winning an epic

battle on the Tour

de Corse in 1988

MOTORSPORT MEMORIES

Ѵ FAS T FOR D SEPTEMBER 2019