That Delta S4 quote

[Steve Webb]

Might as well start of the new lounge with a contentious one


Pole 1986 Portugese GP Ayrton Senna 1 minute 16.7 secs
1986 Portugese Rally ( 2 laps of Estoril featured as stage) Henri Toivonen 1 minute 18.1 secs

would have been sixth on the grid, time set on second lap, first flying lap

What are peoples views on this? True, slightly true, serious BS?
My thoughts are that being a Group B rally car, he's not going to be taking the same lines as a GP car (serious cutting of corners) so could be possible.

Anyone else?

[veki]

Different lines - yes, but surely staying on the tarmac (maybe one wheel off). Nigel Mansell said after driving a group B Peugeot 205 that it accelerates faster than his F1 car.

Here's a quote by Juha Kankkunen:

After the tarmac tests in San Remo the mechanics swapped the turbo of 205 T16 Evo 2 to the next generation item, that would have been used in '87. The same turbo was later used in Pike's Peak 205's, which had about 700hp.

When the new turbo was in place and the mechanics had remover the tire heaters I took the car to the start of the test SS. I floored it and lifted the clutch pedal. BANG! The car took off so quickly that my and my co-driver Juha Piironen's headphones fell from our heads!

The car was literally flying. Before that I hadn't driven a car with slicks that you could make spin on third gear on dry tarmac just by pressing the accelerator. It was a right decision of FISA to ban Gr.B and limit the intake on Gr.A cars although it didn't feel like it back then. I would never race a Gr.B car again.

We were close to the limit where it would have been impossible to react quickly enough to control the cars.