The outrageous Group B cars from the World Rally Championship of the 1980s have been added to the Donington Historic Festival scheduled for the weekend of April 29–May 1. Ultimately banned from the sport for being too fast, the Group B cars were truly wicked machines that showcased what could be achieved by machines essentially unfettered by regulations. The “Killer Bees,” as they sadly came to be known, raced under rules allowing unlimited boost that produced high horsepower outputs while utilizing exotic construction materials to achieve minimum weights. The result was a category that generated staggering performance but proved difficult to contain. Consequently, the class was abandoned by the WRC in 1986 following a series of fatal accidents.
Since Donington Park served as a stage on the British WRC round, the RAC Rally, during the ’70s. ’80s and ’90s, the inclusion of these spectacular machines is a natural for the festival, and their return should be highly popular. Spectators can expect to see and hear flame-spitting Audi quattros, MG Metro 6R4s, Ford RS200s, Lancia 037s, Porsche 911 RSRs, Peugeot 205 T16s—and even an example of the exotic Group B Ferrari 308 GTB. The rally cars will strut their spectacular stuff on a specially designed, all-tarmac stage on the GP loop, with full, free spectator access. For complete information, visit www.doningtonhistoric.com
