Colin McRae & Crazy Spectators- WRC Portugal 1997

Portugal 1997

[@WindmillStalker]

You can hear Colin saying at the end "I should never have been allowed to run" Wise words, that was insane.

[@jaxvanhalen5150]

That should never have been allowed to run. From a Scotsman

[@yoowan3437]

that should never have been allowed to run

[@therustylegacy]

Group B pilots: first time ?

[@iansteelmatheson]

@@therustylegacy and look what happened to group B

[@ossisuomalainen]

Imagine how stressful it must be to drive like that, one wrong move and 20 people are dead

[@ameralsamman]

Minimum

[@MikePlacer]

Greatest sport In the world nothing has this much pressure and adrenaline

[@Maestr077]

Some dumb people here commenting... you can enjoy the rally with all the passion without standing on the track, this was just insane. And also the reason why the WRC left Portugal and it's wonderful tracks.

[@wertor666]

Group B 1986 Race Portugal, anyone? Nothing has changed after 11 years. And they banned Group B partially because of this. I call it bullshit.

[@ibrahimsanta726]

nem mais.... :D

[@juststuff5216]

@@wertor666 I've never seen a Formula 1 race or NASCAR race, where the crowd is standing in the road .... why would people think its a good idea here?

[@BillPapakyriakou]

@@juststuff5216 Formula 1 in the 60s was wild

[@Snipershootful]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXzadXVjlrZ5qK8

[@hitek9]

This needs to be in a video game. Would be awesome to play at night.

[@fitty77]

+hitek9 Years before this video, rallys were raced at night also. Portugal was not exception. And yes, it was like that.

[@darkcrusher-jt1dr]

Try WRC7 or Dirt4. You get penalized if you hit a spectator though.

[@BenBrawn]

It was nearly like the game carmageddon.

[@ReanimatorsMutilations]

@@darkcrusher-jt1dr v rally 2 on the ps1 had that lol

[@zardians_of_galaxy]

Wrc rally evolved have this kind of spectator

[@RealitAtckontrolle]

Portugal, San Remo, Monte Carlo and Greece, insane spectators!

[@marciocarvalho9847]

Córsega também

[@octavioconcha9186]

Finland 1984...

[@RuiFrias]

This is why Portugal stayed out of the WRC for many years after 1997... People did't learn anything with the accidents in the 80's with the Group B cars...

[@kalakouentin]

Group B cars were surface-to-surface missiles with a steering wheel.

[@NecroAnjelis]

You really were the best Colin McRae. Never forget! :')

[@testy462]

I'd say a gold class standard for knowing your doing something dumb or dangerous is to have a rally driver say "This is crazy". Dude with the biggest balls on the planet flinging a car 150+ mph thru turns on (public at that) gravel roads tells you something is too dangerous it would behoove you to listen lol.

[@Angel-fz8dr]

Well said!

[@zeinmets3550]

And not just any rally driver. Probably the craziest ever.

[@chriswray9825]

Since when did rally cars do 150+mph 🤣🤣🤣

[@F1Legend33]

​@@chriswray9825I was wondering the same

[@pseud420]

@@chriswray9825 Wondering if they meant kph maybe :P

[@joaooliveira7016]

eram "feriados nacionais" no norte de Portugal.. o público era mesmo louco mas era o melhor rali do mundo nessa época!

[@martins1986]

Não havia escola nesses dias

[@Jeffgordonfan24hesthegoat]

Y’all are crazy I love it 😂 🚗 💨

[@sergiorolo3721]

This was insane 😂😂😂 but at least we have this spectacular images that will live forever

[@TheInconcinnity]

Enough about the spectators having balls. That's just stupidity. The ones with the balls are the drivers. Can anyone here honestly say you could fully commit to a blind corner at race pace knowing that the slightest mistake is going to result with blood on your hands, and the blame squarely on your shoulders?

[@Pyllymysli]

It's fun reading these comments almost 10 years past. Did someone actually say that these spectators had balls? I mean fuck. Were people stupid back then a decade ago.

[@MasterYoda389]

​@@Pyllymysli wouldn't bet on it. Most likely still dumb, or dead.

[@leruty]

0:28 "Now this is crazy"

[@FABIAWRC]

I WANT THIS IN FULL INCAR!!!!

[@spear8492]

the group B ended beacuse of Portugal we were full of maniacs here

[@FablestoLearn]

Yeah, but the real reason was cars were getting absurd. Lancias had turbo and superchargers, which caused shit loads of turbo lag. The cars were hard to drive even by experienced drivers, that's why lancias killed attilio bettega in 1985 and in final race of groub b, they killed toivonen and crespo. Either way, they blame us, but the cars are the ones to blame, way too fast, formula ones on the rad is the recipe for disaster.

[@lotusraptos]

@@FablestoLearn Lancia's twincharging method was used to CANCEL OUT turbo lag, as one would cancel the other out (the supercharging was used to cancel out the turbocharger's lag, and the turbocharger worked to provide much more top-end power as a supercharger would not have the large power that a massive turbocharger would be used for in the car. The end result being, the supercharger provides a near-instantaneous response and lots of torque on the low-end (of the RPM scale), whilst the turbocharger gives the car more high-end horsepower. This resulted in the Delta S4 to produce over 1000PS in extreme conditions, round about 500-700 on the rally stages). Not sure where you're getting that from, as the torque was near-instantaneous. Also, the last Group B event was Olympus Rally in America, not France. Bettega's crash was an accident. Considering the circumstances of the crash and the fact that his co-driver walked away unharmed was probably either due to the road or a miscalled pace note. Portugal in 1986 was ridiculous, and to blame it on the cars and/or the driver is unfair. Everybody knows that you're not supposed to stand on the inside of a corner, and why they were standing there of all places is beyond me. Santos saw the people on the inside and made a split-second decision to turn off in the other direction to avoid them, but didn't stop in time and hit the spectators. It's tragic knowing people have died because of it, but it's a natural reaction to have in that situation, and without hindsight, you and I would probably have done the same thing. The outcome would have been a similar story had it have been a Group A car. But with Toivonen? That's where you completely miss the mark. Blaming Toivonen and CRESTO'S (you said Crespo) death on the car is also crass to say the very least. Toivonen had the case of a cold at the time, so his senses and awareness were not as up-to-scratch as they normally would. Combine this with the fact that the roads were extremely narrow and the fact that no skid marks at the scene of the crash, as well as Malcolm Wilson (former rally driver and M-Sport team boss) claiming later in an interview with Motorsport News that since the neck injuries sustained in his 1985 Costa Smeralda crash, Toivonen had suffered from random blackouts but *did not tell his team* because he did not want to lose his place at Lancia is a recipe for disaster. (Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Toivonen#Death) Besides, having looked at the results of the stage times, I am baffled as to why Toivonen didn't just slow down. If he felt like it was too much for the condition he was in, he could have easily just relaxed a bit and he would still have been in the lead because he was leading the rally by at least a minute, if not more.

[@dankake]

​@@lotusraptos I just saw a video with Henri Toivonen complaining about the super characteristics of this monster vehicles, and to think they had to do it 3 stages a day, i can only imagine how strenuous that would have been. Of course the main reason was the public behavior, but lets not forget that FIA banned a class, not the rally of Portugal, so that´s an indicator of how much of a factor the cars/rally organization specifications may have been in this outcome

[@BloodruneEnt.]

@@FablestoLearn What? While the cars were unruly beasts to control, Lancia’s design was to CANCEL turbo lag with the twin turbo setup, not cause more of it. What made these cars hard to control was smaller wheelbases meant for turns, not long straights at high speeds and the real issue group b really had came mostly from spectators and very long rally stages causing racer fatigue. Lancia had their issues because of how they treated Toivonen, but from most of these old rally clips not even involving group b at all still had spectators from Portugal showing a lack of discipline and many interviews with the racers would repeat that, they hated racing there as much as they loved the countryside.

[@dannym1882]

It was all the factors involving safety that ended Group B, not just Portugal. And Toivenen's death was the last straw.

[@menteanimal5390]

Portugueses tem ADN rallye no sangue, pura adrenalina...caralho

[@clintstewart5545]

mais sangue de azeiteiros com as suas seat ibizas a matarem pessoal e alguns que nem gostam de aceleras

[@juststuff5216]

I don't know of any other motorsport where the crowd is effectively allow to be on the track!

[@tankmaster1018]

Maybe the Isle Of Mann, but NOTHING like this where they are standing directly in the way and moving at the last second like its the Tour De France... At the IOM, people are allowed really close to the track in some areas, but are still always behind barriers. This is just a whole new level!

[@CZRaS]

they are not allowed, they just didnt follow the safety rules. Stupid spectators like these are the reason, why there are more and more restrictions on WRC

[@JoCo480]

​@@tankmaster1018 The isle of mann scares me shitless, I would need atleast a few walls between me and the road to consider spectating never mind participating.

[@tankmaster1018]

@@JoCo480 Can you even begin to imagine a motorcycle hitting a spectator at the speeds they travel at during the Isle Of Mann? At least it would be instant lights out for both the rider and spectator, which obviously wouldn't do whole lot of good for the spectators who just got showered in blood and human body parts...

[@Ryzard]

For good reason...

[@karelpipa]

i miss you Colin

[@ajtronic]

If I were a driver, I would be furious.

[@johngardner529]

that's well scary its surprising that way more drivers didn't crash into more people just goes to show how great these drivers skills was back then

[@secto97]

One of the huge reasons why group B ended, Spectator safety. It clearly hadn't improved 10 years on.

[@bondedwithpotatoes0076]

This isn't even group B, it's WRC 2.0.

[@secto97]

@@bondedwithpotatoes0076 that's what I'm saying. Nothing changed

[@DenRowe12057]

Bring this back. More ppl want it back like this

[@sergiorolo3721]

This was epic! A crazy fantastic moment of its time!

[@jalbertseabra2283]

Amazing, fabulous!

[@kurjahko]

what did they say at the very end?

[@gerryff]

"That should never have been allowed to run"

[@Turner9090]

Glad you asked cause I was wondering the same thing

[@vika0194]

Ger Foley ”I should...”

[@Kinlochbervie50]

@@vika0194 No, "that should..."

[@netako]

"Now this is crazy."

[@fabio5165]

Once upon a time in 1997, the land of Portugal was abuzz with excitement and trepidation as the rally season approached. The Portuguese, with hearts ablaze, prepared to witness the adrenaline-fueled spectacle, a battle between man and machine that would push the limits of courage and skill. As the sun kissed the horizon, casting a golden glow upon the rustic countryside, a solemn scene unfolded in the humble homes and villages. Families gathered, their eyes filled with a mixture of pride and concern, for they knew the dangers that awaited their beloved ones. It was a time of both joy and sorrow, as they prepared to bid farewell to their courageous warriors. In the flickering candlelight, wives clung to their husbands' strong frames, their touch conveying unspoken words of love and support. Children, with hopeful eyes sparkling, clutched onto their parents' hands, their innocent hearts unaware of the dangers that lurked beyond the realm of their village. Tears welled up in the eyes of mothers and fathers, silently praying for their sons and daughters' safe return. Brothers and sisters, linked by an unbreakable bond, exchanged glances filled with unspoken promises of protection. Grandparents, wise and weathered, bestowed blessings upon the adventurers, invoking ancient spirits to guide and shield them from harm. Amidst the bittersweet farewells, a sense of unity and determination permeated the air. The Portuguese people, ever resilient, understood the risks their rally warriors faced. Like a band of brothers and sisters, they knew they must face the trials ahead, standing united against the formidable challenge that lay before them. With final embraces, tender kisses, and whispered words of encouragement, the families released their beloved ones to the open road. The warriors, adorned in their racing gear, embarked on their epic journey, their engines roaring to life, echoing the collective heartbeat of a nation. As dust settled on the deserted village streets, the families gazed into the distance, their hearts heavy but filled with hope. They knew that their loved ones would venture into a world where danger and triumph danced upon a knife's edge. Yet, their unwavering belief in their warriors' strength and determination kept their spirits alight, fueling a flickering flame of anticipation deep within their souls. And so, with tear-streaked faces and hearts intertwined, the Portuguese families bid farewell to their rally heroes, sending them forth to face their destiny. It was a chapter in the grand tapestry of the rally history, where ordinary men and women became legends, and the Portuguese spirit soared high, unyielding in the face of adversity.

[@marciocarvalho8975]

Estas enganado mesmo escrevendo em inglês! A batalha era entre piloto/s e um público que não colaborava nada em prol do desporto! Foi banido e bem!

[@minibus9]

man thats insane, i would not feel cofortble as a spectator c=with crowds that large

[@STICKlaPISSSE]

bons velhos tempos :)

[@Maccattack77]

@CatTerrist see the ford badge on the bonnet and in the grille? its a ford escort cosworth

[@scotlander32]

There is a difference between "crazy" and just plain "stupid"

[@iuriqv9359]

This kind of mental behavior was absolutely normal in the 80-90's. Not only in Portugal...

[@alphajet]

Would be great to have such a massive crowd in Dirt rally video game!

[@Tuoppi_97]

Won't have balls much longer when someone goes a bit wide 150 miles per hour and rips them apart.

[@L-8]

They could have removed the roll cage for weight reduction seeing as there was a nice cushion of spectators

[@fraserbell2666]

That’s crazy - not sure I heard him touch the brakes though. Legend 😊

[@Friendroid]

Everyone criticizes the spectators but these are the videos you come looking for.

[@Wasakracker79]

@ImoonPeople You mean at the first stage ? Driver Mirco Schultis wasnt up for manslaughter. Police said that those people where on private property and weren't allowed to be there.

[@chuckyboy6977]

Can you imagine if this was present day, every one of them would have a bloody smart phone standing in the middle of the road with their back to the cars trying to get a f##king selfie.

[@rubengomes4337]

So true!!!!

[@fitty77]

I must say... I was one of those stupid guys. Year after year, i tryed to stay safe. But as soon as i started to hear those sounds echoing through the forests and mountains... My heart starts to pump like 180bpm, the adrenaline started to rush, and there is no way... I got to feel it just as close, i wanted to smell the exhaust, wanted to feel my heart inside the engine, feel my brain connected to the driver. You can say that was just stupid. I have to agree with that... But in no other place you live the rally like in Portugal. Now, we still those people. We just get wise, because we know how it hurts to lose something we love. There is no way we will put our loved rally again at risk, Damn... Saying this and i start to feel tears in my eyes. I know that some of you just can't understand. I'm not asking you that. But this is who we are....

[@vertigoride]

fitty77 Been there, mate! You´ve nailed it!! :)

[@mrtumulo]

fitty77 Damn i agree with you! If it was today, on this same road with this many people, drivers would take some lives with them, the road is terrible and very litle visibility. Sometimes i like to drive there, and push the car to the limit, but once you reach the zone where in this video is the end of the stage its impossible to drive.

[@reforma8258]

+fitty77 I have to agree with you it is just common human stupidity that we are drawn to such absurdities. That is why people go to bull runs, football games, fighting matches etc... and the same stupidity pushes us to destroy our environment and wage war with each other and as the number of people grows the more stupidity we shall see. Sad but true. As Albert Einstein said it: 'Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity ; and I'm not sure about the universe.'

[@fitty77]

+m tk really think that you are seeing it wrong. Do you consider love for a son, stupid? Because you will love him, uncondicionaly. You will support him no matter what. And you will do irracional things, that you will not do it for anybody else. There is no need to bring Einstein to the subject. Because it is really simple. In the end, is just life, is just passion. Don't compare this with hate, war, or environment. So many years, so many ocasions, so many people (as you can see), united by the same passion, and i never saw anyone have a fight in there. NEVER. Just joy, just passion, just light a fire, invite whoever is there for a beer and have fun, waiting for that moment. Because rally is not just cars. Is that "thing" that you feel, that forces you to think of that day in the next year, just as soon as the event ended. As i said before, i'm not asking for anybody to understand it. You go there and feel it, or you don't. So the majority of us, Portuguese guys, can feel it. Who's to blame? :D ;) Peace

[@ajnode]

+fitty77 Your awesome poetic comment made me watch this video in a whole new light.

[@monogramtube]

But not the only... It was not only in Portugal that existed bad things with the public. Often it is forgotten.

[@AJS86]

Looks similar to Baku pitlane in 2023 lol

[@MrSaemichlaus]

Oh so that's where my imported minced meat comes from ...

[@macaulap]

insane 🇵🇹

[@ibrahimsanta726]

portugal :D

[@ClaudioAsensio]

portugal needs respect. people are crazy

[@Arty288]

@puls4r1 that crash was the final straw not the single incident that banned Grp B..

[@ii.homelander]

This is a real Rally !

[@lotusraptos]

@Epsilon Theta Yes, exactly. This is not a rally: it's INSANITY.

[@Highskill3r]

does anyone know where i can find the full run of this?

[@MentalGentlemen]

what documentary was this from?

[@miked8805]

Portugal the beast

[@Arty288]

@SennaHamilton4ever if you disagree with me fine, but listen to McRae's own comments, he seems to agree more with me than with you - that's all the affirmation i need.. it's possible to have passion with out stupidity - and what these guys are doing is plain stupid - I've been involved in organizing events and I full well know the impact of even 1 injured spectator... the Finns are one of the most passionate motor-sports nations there is and they don't exhibit such irresponsibility.

[@maf2528]

"Left 6, care, care care, CARE, CARE, STOP THE CAR YOU'VE JUST HIT THREE PEOPLE!"

[@tgchan]

I love how he doesn't give a fck and still drive like colin lol

[@Rhet0rik]

Insane, I'd be standing there

[@ryanyates7264]

Portugal is gutter slime

[@Spyker8921]

I just realized Colin wasn't driving the Escort

[@randomness17388]

I never knew this accident happen in Portugal

[@powersurge001]

portuguese rally fans were always the best, i miss this...

[@fieldmalik]

Nah this was outrageous

[@rbagel55]

This is batshit insane. Do these people have a deathwish?

[@Maccattack77]

@CatTerrist yea the car ithat mcrae is driving is a subaru, i thought u were referring to the shot at the start outside the car, which is a ford escort cosworth. calm down lol

[@paparucoontour]

Now I understand why everyone in Portugal drives the way they do.

[@TheGoncas2]

O povo não aprende.

[@andrepipo4542]

não

[@finhor8689]

If You wanna See death wish Spectators...Type In Colin McRae Wrc 1997....Unreal....

[@goncalodvd]

Figueira da Foz rules !!!

[@lukmanfirdaus8497]

Those spectator having the balls made of adamantium

[@ReanimatorsMutilations]

And brains made of potato

[@UpYerBallix]

@altimetrooo It was more than just Henri's death which ended the greatest era in rallying.

[@tazzerama]

@TheInconcinnity You do know it's more complicated than a few crazy fans?

[@emplastro69]

Still... the best rallying in the world was made in portugal those days..

[@FablestoLearn]

True, they can blame us, but still use our images in every video of group b instead of images from africa rally or whatever where there is no crowd.

[@lotusraptos]

@@FablestoLearn Yeah, I wonder why that is... I mean, it's not like the Safari Rally was held in the middle of nowhere and spectators couldn't watch. It's not like they use these images to show that the rallies are dangerous, especially with the spectators here using their combined total of five brain cells. It's not like there's other footage from other rallies which were actually better, like Finland, Rally GB, Sanremo, Acropolis or Corsica. Oh, wait a minute... All of what I just said is actually correct!

[@MrDopeddoped]

legend says mechanics found one finger inside a motor from a fan. Portuguese people liked to try to touch the cars.. insane!

[@spectre1209]

@gyroflame I don't think many of us would.

[@camerongreenwoodcrampakacgc.]

Crazy

[@KonaneStyle]

this isen't rally.. this is madness.. you wonder why there are so many deaths in rally and people question the safety at this sport, this is why...

[@PspowerNeGATiV]

I love 006

[@What8Bit]

That's why they got copilots.

[@mattiapresti7295]

When a single stand on a racetrack gets called dumb, when a crowd stands on a racetracks gets called epic age. If aliens will invade the Earth, will need their best scientist to understand humanity

[@ishamael0]

fuck it. temporary speed bumps.......

[@puls4r1]

@Arty288 as i said it contributed to the banning of group B I did not say it was a single incident, as you rightly say it was the final straw, but i cant see why poor spectator control would influence the fia's decision to disestablish group B, surely affective measures should of been taken to control these spectators because it quite obviously wasn't just a problem in group B as this video illustrates.

[@kamisakea]

0:29 There's a guy that almost gets in his way.

[@MikePlacer]

The exicemnt of the crowd the sounds smell and dangers for crowd and both drivers is just only compared to maybe like the roman collisum. No sport is as crazy

[@McGillus]

Lol then you've never seen a soccermatch in places like serbia or guatamala. Or a basketball match in serbia, or a volleybal match in serbia. (I believe its fanclubs who go to all great sports teams of their city, and national teams) The greatest sports riot was the revolt of Nika in 532, fun read on wiki. I won't spoil it.

[@gOODBEER1337]

no this is Patrick

[@poliuyttyrrr]

sim é verdade mas Grupo B nao havia essa ordem e é por isso tambem que era tao dourada a epoca

[@jrgm3]

portuguese and SPANISH ... it's important to say that.

[@Arty288]

@SennaHamilton4ever clearly you are not being serious about safety - if you say ONLY 4 died.. it's fine, no need to discuss further.. just think what you want..

[@andresantos6618]

For those tha complain, came to Portugal and watch the Rally live, and then... you say anithing

[@alexm7627]

Somos malucos lol

[@hatamakoto]

Any one played Dead Rising lately?

[@janitorial-engineer2286]

Theres a clip of this on Instagram, and someone called it photoshop 🤣 I really hope they were just trolling.

[@Arty288]

@SennaHamilton4ever if you think that standing in front of a rally car that's doing above 180khp on loose gravel is safe, then i don't know what to say to you.. you call it passion, i have another word for it.... anyway i'm not talking to you anymore after this post.

[@JRRacing64]

Definition of Balls - is knowing what your doing is extremely dangerous and do it anyway. Definition of Stupidity - is standing in or near the path of high speed racing cars blissfully unaware of what might happen if that said car doesn't make the corner. You be the judge of which apply here...

[@MarkRai-ko1sk]

Definition of a good, fulfilling life - dying of old age in a home for old people reminiscing about when they were hot shit never having been stupid in their whole life.

[@markec9960]

5 killed and 15 injured at the finish line

[@JohnSmith-it9tv]

fucking crazy

[@zmk8587]

legendary. we breed wrc down here.

[@Doobee666]

crazy ppl

[@Cachicochip]

Indeed :/

[@menasswholeasswholeneye]

Back in the day..the rally cars were way faster also..insanity

[@Pyllymysli]

They weren't faster. They had more horsepower. If someone tells you they were faster, these people are full of shit. Nowadays rallycar can beat any group B on any stage. Easily. It's just, the power was so brutal on them.

[@gx1tar1er]

​@@Pyllymysliand better technology

[@dddddddgggggggggg]

These spectators have no fear

[@Vuusteri]

It's just a miracle there wasn't bad accidents back then. Any driver going bit off there would have killed 30 people in an instance.

[@rijkemans5114]

There was an accident 11 years prior, resulting in the death of three spectators. But people were too stupid to learn.

[@ThePistos]

@chalkley3 not all the rally fans are insane, i'm a rally fan but in the lot of race that i watch i don't stayed in dangerous positions

[@TheTripol]

This is not allowed nowdays, right? This is fucked up

[@PavelDrotar]

+TheTripol Define "not allowed". Because I was under the impression it is not allowed at Tour de France either, but apparently, "fans" cause terrible accidents everywhere, and the organizers are unable to do anything with it.

[@DaCensored]

they banned WRC in Portugal since XD

[@Naratikk]

since '09 the wrc is back in portugal.

[@RayathF]

+Pavel Drotár More like unwilling to do anything about it, since this and the related accidents and potential deaths is what draws more attention to their respective sports.

[@PedroAlves19_]

...and now is the most secure rally in the calendar... we learned with our errors...

[@chumbitaecorrupto]

You are right, but was not only in Portugal that spectators were insane. It occured almost everywhere. Nowadays you see in Monte Carlo people realy close the road and nobody talks about that...

[@scotlander32]

balls?! Well ok, if vinho verde & Superbock makes your balls grow... I guess we can call it balls! :p

[@fergus1494]

it would of prob been blamed on him if he hit an idiot spectator.. it would of only taken one tiny mistake or even some idiot not getting off the road fast enough. cant imagine he would of driven hard with idiots walking on the road.