All hail the YouTube algorithm. On a recent dive down the rabbit hole of vintage rally footage, the ones and zeros responsible for recommending videos served up a goldmine of dirt-flinging action.
VHS Rallies is the channel responsible for these videos and taking up more of my free time than I’d like to admit. The channel has been hard at work digitizing and uploading VHS tapes containing mostly British coverage of rally events from the 1980s to the 2000s.
Important work, as the magnetic tape in VHS cassettes decays over time, leading to a deterioration of quality or, worst case scenario, a total loss of the video. You’re not going to see footage of a pre-Subaru Colin McRae hustling a Ford Sierra Cosworth through Welsh forests on the average YouTube rally compilation. I’m sure the BBC has some of this footage archived somewhere, but coverage from channels like Sky Sports or ITV might not exist in its original form.
There are hours of sideways shenanigans to watch, but one of my favorite gems from the VHS Rallies collection is coverage of the 1988 Motaquip British Rallycross Grand Prix. The late ’80s was a special time for rallycross—a half-dirt, half-tarmac, wheel-to-wheel circuit sprint race.
Group B died in 1986, and the turbocharged, four-wheel drive monsters were suddenly all boosted up without a place to race. However, the no-holds-barred unlimited classes of European rallycross welcomed the cars, and teams took it a step further than even what the FIA allowed in the infamously loose regulations of Group B. The most competitive cars of the day were making around 700 horsepower.
Needless to say, the high horsepower cars and short race format made for an exciting combination. In the video above, Tiff Needell gives a turn-by-turn analysis of the course behind the wheel of a 440bhp MG Metro. The late Murray Walker, the long-time voice of Formula 1, excitedly calls 50 minutes of close racing from the broadcaster booth.
If you’re a fan of the golden years of rally and are looking to add more to your YouTube watchlist, definitely check out VHS Rallies. Just make sure your schedule is cleared, as it’s easy to get sucked down the rabbit hole.
