aaronyoung
28th Mar 2008, 05:58 AM
“Most of the works drivers of the 1950s were amateurs, paid little or nothing, reimbursed their expenses and given bonuses for winning (although there were certainly exceptions, such as the Grand Prix drivers who were brought in for some events). Then in 1960 came arguably the first rallying superstar (and one of the first to be paid to rally full time), Sweden's Erik Carlsson, driving for Saab, who, with fellow Swedish manufacturer Volvo, introduced new standards of professionalism to the building, preparation of rally cars and the organisation of their works teams.
In the 1960s, the competitions manager of BMC, Stuart Turner, hired a series of brave and gifted young Finns, skills honed on their country's highly competitive gravel or snow rallies, and the modern professional driver was born. For a couple of decades, Scandinavians dominated the results, except in France where Alpine fostered its own golden generation; then as special stage rallying spread round the world they were challenged by drivers from Italy, Germany, Belgium, Spain and elsewhere. Today, a World Champion may be of any nationality, if he (or she) is gifted enough.
The World Rally Championship now visits nearly all continents, taking its stylish sideways driving style and specialized cars to a vast global market, estimated by some to be second only to the Formula One juggernaut. This has produced unprecedented levels of visibility in recent years, but in many ways removed the motorsport from its grassroots past. For better or worse, rally has become a lucrative business.”
In the 1960s, the competitions manager of BMC, Stuart Turner, hired a series of brave and gifted young Finns, skills honed on their country's highly competitive gravel or snow rallies, and the modern professional driver was born. For a couple of decades, Scandinavians dominated the results, except in France where Alpine fostered its own golden generation; then as special stage rallying spread round the world they were challenged by drivers from Italy, Germany, Belgium, Spain and elsewhere. Today, a World Champion may be of any nationality, if he (or she) is gifted enough.
The World Rally Championship now visits nearly all continents, taking its stylish sideways driving style and specialized cars to a vast global market, estimated by some to be second only to the Formula One juggernaut. This has produced unprecedented levels of visibility in recent years, but in many ways removed the motorsport from its grassroots past. For better or worse, rally has become a lucrative business.”