WRC Drivers REACT to Classic Safari Rally Footage!

RALLY REACTS: WRC drivers watch the 1972 East African Safari Rally! What will they think?
All Rallying. One Source. #DirtFish #WRC #safarirally
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[@DirtFish]

Who wants to see more ‘Rally Reacts’? 😍

[@leunex6042]

Yes.!

[@samuelebarberi8631]

Definitely

[@meowiguess903]

YES ABSOLUTELY

[@ljt3084]

Yep and old footage. 1970's Lombard please or 90's Australia/New Zealand.

[@fairrodthecapacitor]

Yes pls!

[@MrLolx2u]

And this is why, out of all rallies, the Safari Rally is the one that everyone fears on the calendar. Not only is it tough, the stages are dusty, humid, hot, rough, punishing and most importantly, sometimes dangerous. However, if your car can survive in the treacherous safari, you can survive at almost any other rally. Not win but at least survive.

[@user-vl5xo8og8s]

Total respect. It’s mutual. Regs change, vehicles change, safety changes. I met some wrc drivers at a non motoring event some years ago, they were as interested in my 60s rallying and World Cup rally as I was with their modern day events. Some did not realise we were not allowed pace notes on most events. Great sport.

[@yonatankarya]

You were not allowed what? Do you mind to explain why?

[@user-vl5xo8og8s]

@@yonatankarya morning. On some rallies such as World Cup Mexico we were allowed to do a recce but most could not afford it. Ford motor company were one of the few who did. On most other rallies including RAC we had a road book which we then converted onto ordnance survey or Michelin maps. We were not allowed notes of the stages. If we were found with specific pace notes we were disqualified. Sometimes my co driver had walked a stage with his dog but apart from that we only had past experience and the map to work from. That was one reason for sliding on corners because if the corner tightened we could slide the back a bit more to get around. Blind brows were always testing in case it was followed with a corner. Some continental rallies allowed pace notes but not as they are today as roads were usually still open to the public before an event. Most snow events did not allow studs, certainly not in the UK. Studs were not as secure as they are today and would often come out of the tyre if one hit some tarmac or harder surface. Altogether very different days but real fun and excitement and a huge feeling of achievement. Stage lengths varied from just a few miles to 30 miles on usual rallies but on Mexico some were over 200miles. will never forget those times, still meet a few chaps who remember but sadly many have died. One of my first international events, my service crew had to return home for work as soon as the event finished so my navigator and I were at the closing dinner sat on our own, Ford’s were close by and invited us to sit with them. That is what it was like no matter what you were driving. Fantastic. On another at night we were in a cooper s and caught an escort on a stage, the stones being thrown up by tyres made a load noise and engines at high revs, helmets on with intercom though, I held back from the Ford or my lights would have been smashed, we spotted a hairpin corner so I closed in on the Ford and overtook on the inside, well, above all this we heard the cheers from the crowd as the cooper s overtook a now dominant escort. Stupid looking back but these small things make a greater picture. Sorry to rant on but it was really great times, tough but great. Have a good life.

[@Talynen]

That's fantastic, appreciate you sharing those experiences!​@@user-vl5xo8og8s

[@ToreDL87]

@@user-vl5xo8og8s Still, sounds unsafe. I get they wanna keep it authentic but not plowing into a children's school or anything like that because you knew the radius of a corner... I would have thought that to be an obvious thing they could give in on :S

[@miguelfiestamk1]

Jari-Matti is a legend, just a true rally fan like any of us watching

[@AmbientMike]

Yeah he really is a fantastic ambassador for the sport.

[@cal91bck]

He should do the classic in an 80s celica

[@wiegraf9009]

"Real storytelling," as Neuville says, is what makes for a great rally.

[@blakegriplingph]

That was when the Safari Rally was run as a gauntlet rather than a series of relatively short special stages.

[@ljt3084]

Tuthill Porsche Still does Safari rallies like this with a collection of vintage 911's. Ken Block entered a few years back. These drivers sounded like they would love the adventure.

[@sheikhOfWater]

Its called the east african classic safari rally and the fastest driver usually loses!

[@nt6001]

proper safari, proper endurance and speed,5 days with no helmet no a/c, timed event. proper rally!

[@svenmartin840]

These guys were watching a video that was made before they were even born. And they seem to enjoy it respect for the guys who did do the rally before. They started doing the rally.

[@user-vl5xo8og8s]

This is one reason they enjoy talking to us oldies.

[@module79l28]

Before some of their parents were born, even!

[@alimantado373]

@@user-vl5xo8og8s Oldie too 👍

[@philstubblefield]

Fantastic! What a great marriage of the old and the new. Thanks again, DirtFish media team! 👍👍

[@ElTio.45-70]

Ford, Datsun, Porsche, Peugeot, Holden, Triumph.

[@SvenDansk7]

No Lancia or Alpine on these rough roads!

[@wakawaka5131]

@@SvenDansk7 Lancia Delta Integrales won the Safari back in the 70s (Stratos) 80s and 90s. i remember the likes of Mikki Biasion, Bjorn Waldegard and Juha Kankunnen powering those beasts through mudholes the new guys wouldn't be caught dead in 😅Alpines just never came through these parts if i remember correctly..

[@MikeMazda767]

OLD DAYS DATSUN THANKS COLIN

[@tangerinedream7211]

Nice to see the wider range of marques that ran back in the day .

[@wakawaka5131]

..it was epic. They ran almost anything you could buy off a dealer lot. From VW Beetles to Datsun 160js by Shekah Mehta, Mitsubishi Lancers from the 70s like my dad drove to work driven by Joginder Singh to bog standard Mercedes by the likes of Vic Preston Sr and Jr....and all had to endure 3 to 4 thousand km of mud, sand dust fog rain, wild animals and traffic on the open roads. One time we were almost in a head on collision as we headed to a rally service park in one of the stages with a rally car that came round a bend with broken rear suspension...missed us by a hair. It is just not the same today.

[@01FozzyS]

Those were the rally days when I got to love the sport.

[@guestguest9]

Love neuville’s comments. He’s like the ambassador for the sport. Keep suggesting changes, pointing out the history of the sport and how we could improve it. Still can’t believe he’s retiring though.

[@prutters]

'Coolest rally of the year' - and the hottest:)

[@KMisty1]

When Safari Rally was an adventure on open roads right across East Africa. Some legs of the rally were measured in hours, no need for milliseconds.

[@Billiamiscool]

0:22 HOLDEN TORANA SPOTTED!!

[@possibly8180]

Must be its European Vauxhall/Opel equivalent lol

[@Billiamiscool]

@@possibly8180 No it's a real Torana, they sent a few over to attempt the Safari in the 70s, none of them did well lmao

[@simonhawksley817]

Proper rally cars, real teams, and you couldn't wear a helmet for five days solid in those conditions!

[@adventuresinmusic2487]

Back in the "olden days" this was my favorite rally. While hauling our 510 to rally events, in the 80s, I would bore my driver with plans for my enduro Cadillac.

[@late_night_club7217]

You guys never disappoint with the content.

[@meowiguess903]

Imagine if FIA allow that now, one could only dream 😆

[@chappers101s]

Surprised how shocked the current crop of drivers are, we need more history lessons! Keep it up @Dirtfish😉👨‍🏫

[@BromhamRob]

Even Thierry calling it "proper rallying". And wishing for endurance event...

[@sadetta9312]

Ive heard that Safari Rally is going to be a 5 day event when the new regulations comes 👀

[@ToreDL87]

@@sadetta9312 Still probably only gonna be like a 10 minute run or something though. Its just way too short, it has to be long and grueling TRULY putting the make and car to the test. Right now they just swap the whole powertrain, its become so cheaty and people buy into these cars and they get open deck engine blocks that dont stand up to the power levels you could reasonably expect from a proper homologated car back in the day.

[@ElBJosh-zg5kn]

It was such a big and treasured event. Separated the boys from the men.

[@mosca3289]

Love the old days.

[@JP-xd6fm]

Even if it is a cliché to say I really think in motorsport in general the good old days were better. Motorcicle with the 2 strokes 500cc back in the 90s was better than the MotoGP now with all that tech and aero... Rally was better with that group B monsters and all the brands that we had, I think the FIA should had handle differntly the terrible accidents that killed crowd, they should regulate more the people assisting than to blame the cars. Then also resistance was better back in the days, F1 was the best in the 70s and 80s with real driving skills involved and crazy passes, again without aero tricks that ruin the show.. I'm "just" 38 but I really like better the old days in motorsport. But for roads I'm glad we have many life saving tech nowadays!

[@pbfloyd13]

Absolutely need more of these!

[@MSiAventador]

Adventure, complete, not just a race. 🤗

[@alimantado373]

The 230z in the thumbnail brought me here instantly😄 2:52 Beautiful car!

[@DirtFish]

A true beauty 😍 thanks for watching!

[@NigelsModellingBench]

Thanks Colin!!

[@wakawaka5131]

...even the current drivers can feel what the real Safari was back in the day....How i wish how the powers that be would bring those monster 4000km night and day rallies back. Screw the pace and bring the endurance.

[@SvenDansk7]

That, or DirtFish could start covering the Alcan 5000 and similar. Stage rallies just don't have that long haul endurance aspect anymore- probably because it was often associated with regularity scoring which was thrown away at the international level many decades ago.

[@zwjna]

Yeah, we can do finely and happily with one or two of these endurance-first events instead of pace-first. But not more than that. Rally evolved for good. Pace-first rally is all about technique, precision, focus, commitment; skill. Back in the days the likes of Serderidis could rally and win. Today we have world-class drivers with enormous preparation and skills. Not for nothing over the decades we were getting more and more Maximum Attack, and less endurance.

[@MotoPasjeKamila]

It is cool You show us those guys with each other between different teams. Like Jarri with Oliver, or Richard with EP. Super!

[@SpeedyMckeezy]

oyoyoy das boat

[@JoshuaC923]

That Datsun looks so good

[@moonshadowdrifting]

Like Thierry's idea.... but then, maybe he should try his hand at the Dakar.

[@NemohHoes]

They couldn't get Ott to do it 😄

[@judasgoat8]

"Boys" watching "men" race..... (love you Michelle Mouton x) When "rallying" meant something

[@las10plagas]

safari rally is *ACTUAL RALLYE* 🙂

[@MCSmartboy]

Excellent!

[@maestro.castro]

Looking at those conditions then was like dakar now...

[@fairrodthecapacitor]

Can east African Safari Rally come back? Or the Safari from 1980s and 2000s?

[@ldnwholesale8552]

2 45, we have no clutch. Stewart Mcleod. City StateTorana XU1. Car was prepared about a mile from here. Stewart was murdered in his bed when his home was blown up. His wife lost her legs

[@maestro.castro]

Rest in peace stewart

[@ricusmate]

Holden LC Torana GTR-XU1 loses it's clutch. More Torana Rally footage please.

[@test-tl8dt]

id love to see some of them participate in the safari classic rally. its the closest thing to this that happens now.

[@maryshea603]

"that wouldn't be possible today" 😂😂😂

[@DropkickNation]

Thierrys way of saying "We are p$$y$"

[@zwjna]

@@DropkickNation Wrong. Modern rally is much more about skill. The old thing was an adventure that even unprepared and unfit people could do.

[@DropkickNation]

@@zwjna Bullshit. That is all.

[@zwjna]

@@DropkickNation Here's more: Group B drivers were drunk old men with zero physical fitness. Walter Rohrl made fun of that, one of the few serious drivers. Today's drivers at the age of 23, such as K. Rovanperä, already have 15 years of rallying experience which not only is much more experience than what most drivers had back then, but also far better -- since they grew their skills in their prime years of peak human learning performance: childhood. It's a scientific fact that kids' brains absorb knowledge and skills like never again after maturity is reached. It's no wonder the elite world across all sports, competitions, and even science, are filled by very young people. Old rally was more about endurance. Drive the pointlessly long rally that nobody is watching anyway because there's no way to, and try to take the car home. Cruise thru if necessary. Today, it's all about speed. Every tenth of a second matters. How you position the car. Every extra bit of angle of attack and weight transfer matters. Every braking, every line, every understeer. Savage and on-the-limit driving with the most spectaculars and fastest cars ever. They can take the challenge, they are strong and the rallies are shorter anyway. The drivers are simply on another level. It's peak rally skill. It's the World Championship no less, were big money is being invested. Everybody has to be on point, including the drivers. Every single team and driver commits enormously to every rally. Watch the championship standings tables, and compare to the ones back then. Those are frigging empty, full of holes. No serious stuff. Today we have proper competition, the best drivers ever that leave no detail unpolished. Driving, car setup, pacenotes; you name it. Go watch Rovanperä driving a Celica Group A, or Latvala driving an Escort MkII or urQuattro, or young Oliver Solberg obliterating everybody onboard of his Escort MkII at the recent RAC Rally 2023, or Craig Breen driving a Metro Group B, etc. They simply can do it all. Modern WRC is pure elitism that demands skill, physical and mental fitness, commitment, and responsibility like never before.

[@DropkickNation]

@@zwjna Not bad. Rarely ever seen anyone trying so hard to talk himself into something. You have it all.

[@espionnakers]

where can I watch this footage??

[@casscroute8706]

that datsun in beautifull

[@wakawaka5131]

...the 120y with no clutch or the Shekha Metah driven 160 J bombing the mud pit??😉

[@henrihuuskonen5085]

Please recreate this rally react when at Jyväskylän suurajot

[@sharongygy5706]

Who ie the one with Solberg??

[@axelknutt5065]

Is that Evan Green in the XU-1

[@MamboChapChap]

Yes

[@shaunsebata4798]

When Thierry Neuville speaks about what should be happening at the WRC he makes a lot of sense. I think when he's too old to race full time he should become president of the FIA and only race part time.

[@florian_montuzet]

Oyoyoy

[@sharongygy5706]

Who is standing with Lappi?

[@kayondowilly6497]

William UGANDA

[@megustapescar1]

Aver aver aver. Que no es cuuu

[@bassathehelingmindcassa2341]

We was tuffed pepol 1950s born more bools

[@SteveM-ly7oy]

Looking at the past, i.e. doing all the things that they are too scared and weak to do now. Bring back Group B. Bah, humbug.

[@jonnycrash7389]

Whats with the stupid effects over the footage

[@profAKILI]

Wokeness destroyed all sports, as we knew them

[@damag3plan]

Who was that in the Torana?

[@MamboChapChap]

Evan Green