Deggers Posted March 10, 2023 Report Share Posted March 10, 2023 Literally . . . A battered Volvo P1800 gets a tow from a four-legged friend during the 1961 Liège-Sofia-Liège Rally. The rally would be won by Belgian racing legend Lucien Bianchi and Georges Harris in their Citroen DS-19. Treacherous conditions on the mainly unpaved roads in the then Yugoslavia took its toll on the cars, with only eight of the original 89 entries managing to complete the course. A film of the rally, now restored (and complete with french narrator), contains some great footage, including Pat Moss and Ann Wisdom in their Austin Healey 3000. Cheers, Deggers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tony_C Posted March 10, 2023 Report Share Posted March 10, 2023 Brilliant Deggers, the handful that finished appeared to have taken quite some battering ….. Saw the TR just past halfway through but not at the end? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Deggers Posted March 10, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2023 (edited) Rosseel and Colyns's TR would join the other 80 casualties, and retire before the finish. It proved to be a great rally for Citroēn: placing cars 1st, 3rd and 5th within the eight that finished. A full list of results can be found HERE Cheers, Deggers Edited March 10, 2023 by Deggers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted March 10, 2023 Report Share Posted March 10, 2023 Love the fact that an Anglia finished 7th! Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bleednipple Posted March 10, 2023 Report Share Posted March 10, 2023 Brilliant. Love seeing those Citroens and a win for Lucien Bianchi who although more a track racer than a rally driver would nevertheless go on to almost win the 1968 London-Sydney Marathon in a DS - they had a head-on with an Aussie Mini coming the other way down the very final leg. Tragically Bianchi died the following year, at Le Mans. Nigel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ianc Posted March 10, 2023 Report Share Posted March 10, 2023 (edited) he big Citroens had a lot of suspension travel and were the ideal beasts for this rough event. In the 1962 event, Triumph entered three of the Works' TR4, with Mike Sutcliffe and Roy Fidler in 4VC. On the return run from Sofia, some 30 minutes north of Novi Vinodolski (about 13 minutes into this film), 4VC was following another competitor on a dirt road in a cloud of dust (and the film shows just how dusty the roads were), the road went right, but 4VC didn't - it went down a steep bank, completely deranging its from suspension and almost colliding with a 3-litre Rover which had taken the same route. The TR was out of the Rally, and when the mechanics arrived, it took them a very long time to make the TR driveable - just! 3VC retired, and 5VC (Jean-Jacques Thuner and Jon Gretener) managed a very creditable 9th overall. Ian Cornish Edited March 10, 2023 by ianc Extraneous rubbish! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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