MOTORSPORT MEMORIESfrom the off, Auriol set about building a
commanding lead in the opening leg of the
rally, using the superior tarmac pace (not to
mention his spellbinding pace on Corsica’s
off-camber crests and countless corners) to
put the chasing Deltas of Bruno Saby and
<YHV/RXEHWRQWKHEDFNIRRWb
Auriol also had local knowledge on his
side – or as ‘local’ as someone from the
opposite end of France could ever be!
He’d eventually be confirmed as the most
successful driver in the history of the Tour
de Corse and retire with a staggering 6
outright wins to his name, but in 1988 he
had his first - indeed his first ever WRC
victory - in his sights.
Auriol’s closest challenge came from
Beguin’s M3, plus his team mate and fellow
Frenchman Francois Chatriot. All three were
faster than the established opposition from
Lancia and, making its debut, the Celica GT-
4s of Kenneth Erikkson and Juha Kankkunen.
A minor ‘off’ on stage 12 put Auriol on
the back foot but he fought on valiantly,eventually winning by 3 minutes and 5
seconds. In doing so he ended Ford’s WRC
drought, one that had stretched right back
to the days of the David Sutton prepared
Mk2 Escort RS, and also netted his own,
maiden victory.
Very nearly as impressive was Auriol’s
Sierra drive in Finland some months later
when the Frenchman came home a battling
3rd overall on this, the most specialised
event on the WRC calendar and one which
had (at that point in time) eluded the grasp
of all non-Finns. Auriol would go two better
in 1992 by becoming only the second non-
Scandinavian to win the 1000 Lakes, but his
drive from behind 4 years earlier was every
bit as impressive.
There was no sugaring the truth anylonger come 1989, that being the Sierra’s
ineffectiveness as a WRC car. Lancia had
finally developed the Delta Integrale into
a viable tarmac rally car and it was able to
win anywhere, and on all surfaces. Toyota
had also unveiled its Group A car, the Xtrac-
shod ST165 Celica towards the end of the
previous year, and both of these machines
effectively overwhelmed the Sierra and
forced its retirement. In any case, Ford
had already switched focus to the Sierra
Sapphire Cosworth 4x4 as we entered the
‘90s...MOTORSPORT
MEMORIESNEXT TIME
ESCORT RS1700TTurbo restrictors did limit power to
around 300bhp from 1990, but in
previous years, unrestricted cars
reportedly produced an awful lot moreSEPTEMBER 2019 FAS T FOR DѴѴfrom the off, Auriol set about building a
commanding lead in the opening leg of the
rally, using the superior tarmac pace (not to
mention his spellbinding pace on Corsica’s
off-camber crests and countless corners) to
put the chasing Deltas of Bruno Saby and
<YHV/RXEHWRQWKHEDFNIRRWb
Auriol also had local knowledge on his
side – or as ‘local’ as someone from the
opposite end of France could ever be!
He’d eventually be confirmed as the most
successful driver in the history of the Tour
de Corse and retire with a staggering 6
outright wins to his name, but in 1988 he
had his first - indeed his first ever WRC
victory - in his sights.
Auriol’s closest challenge came from
Beguin’s M3, plus his team mate and fellow
Frenchman Francois Chatriot. All three were
faster than the established opposition from
Lancia and, making its debut, the Celica GT-
4s of Kenneth Erikkson and Juha Kankkunen.
A minor ‘off’ on stage 12 put Auriol on
the back foot but he fought on valiantly,
eventually winning by 3 minutes and 5
seconds. In doing so he ended Ford’s WRC
drought, one that had stretched right back
to the days of the David Sutton prepared
Mk2 Escort RS, and also netted his own,
maiden victory.
Very nearly as impressive was Auriol’s
Sierra drive in Finland some months later
when the Frenchman came home a battling
3rd overall on this, the most specialised
event on the WRC calendar and one which
had (at that point in time) eluded the grasp
of all non-Finns. Auriol would go two better
in 1992 by becoming only the second non-
Scandinavian to win the 1000 Lakes, but his
drive from behind 4 years earlier was every
bit as impressive.
There was no sugaring the truth anylonger come 1989, that being the Sierra’s
ineffectiveness as a WRC car. Lancia had
finally developed the Delta Integrale into
a viable tarmac rally car and it was able to
win anywhere, and on all surfaces. Toyota
had also unveiled its Group A car, the Xtrac-
shod ST165 Celica towards the end of the
previous year, and both of these machines
effectively overwhelmed the Sierra and
forced its retirement. In any case, Ford
had already switched focus to the Sierra
Sapphire Cosworth 4x4 as we entered the
‘90s...MOTORSPORT
MEMORIESNEXT TIME
ESCORT RS1700TTurbo restrictors did limit power to
around 300bhp from 1990, but in
previous years, unrestricted cars
reportedly produced an awful lot moreSEPTEMBER 2019 FAS T FOR DѴѴ