DirtFish Rally School owner Steve Rimmer will support October’s Velocity Invitational event, taking some of motorsport’s most historic and iconic cars to the WeatherTech Raceway in California.
The Laguna Seca-based event has fast developed a reputation as the go-to weekend for America’s finest historic race and rally action. Across three days (October 14-16), cars as varied as pre-war Bugattis and Steve’s own MG Metro 6R4 will be appreciated by more than 10,000 visitors to the Monterey Peninsula and more than 600,000 watching on a livestream.
“We watched this event with interest last year,” said Steve. “It was a huge success. So when we got the call to see if we would be interested in working with Velocity this time around, let’s just say it was a fairly short call!
“I’ve been to the Goodwood Festival of Speed over in the UK many, many times and the cars, the crowd and the atmosphere at Velocity is just the same. These three days aren’t just about the cars, they’re about the people, the place, the performance and, of course, some sort of party.
“DirtFish Rally School continues to grow in worldwide reputation – helped by the development of the media side of the business – and that’s fantastic. But we’re an American company with motorsport in our DNA and the opportunity to share time and space with like-minded folk at Velocity is amazing.”
And the cars?
“We’re taking six cars to Velocity,” said Steve. “These are cars which help to bring the story of the World Rally Championship to life. The cars range from the Lancia Rally 037, which was first designed in 1980 all the way through Subarus which captured the imagination of a generation and on to a sensational 800bhp Ford Fiesta.
Peugeot 206 WRC
This was the car that tempted the 2001 World Rally Champion Richard Burns away from Subaru, the team with which he’d won his title. While the Englishman never won a WRC round in a 206, drivers like Marcus Grönholm and Gilles Panizzi ensured this was an era-defining car.
Ford Fiesta Pikes Peak
Originally built by Olsbergs MSE, this is a Ford Fiesta like no other. This one comes with 800bhp from a heavily developed two-liter engine. Marcus Grönholm drove this all-wheel drive car at the 2009 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and was confident of a sub-10-minute run up what was then still a mixed-surface 12.4 miles. Sadly a rear puncture cost him time and left him fifth overall – but he did take the ‘Rookie of the Year’ title.
MG Metro 6R4
Talk to any motorsport fan about Group B and watch as they go misty-eyed and wax lyrical about machinery like this, the MG Metro 6R4. This generation of cars gave free reign for designers and technical directors to live their dreams. That’s how the humble Metro – designed as a modern interpretation of the Mini – found a V6 engine on the back seat , total traction from four-wheel drive and wilder aero than even F1 was running in the Eighties.
Lancia Rally 037
At the time when the world was turning to turbocharging and four-wheel drive, the Turinese forged ahead with supercharging and rear-wheel drive. The result was this car which – against all odds – helped Lancia lift an unlikely manufacturers’ title against Audi’s quattro in 1983. This semi-works example driven by Italian star and former European Rally Champion Fabrizio Tabaton.
Subaru Impreza WRX STI
This is the very car US stunt driver and all-round, all-action hero Travis Pastrana drove in the 2007 and 2008 X Games. He finished on the podium both times, but won gold in 2008. The car remains one of motorsport’s most iconic sights and sounds with the boxer engine unmistakable even today among rally fans.
Subaru Impreza WRC2002
This was the car which brought the curtain down on four-time World Rally Champion Tommi Mäkinen’s career. The 2002-specification Subaru, codenamed S8, was another stunning example of Prodrive’s world-beating engineering. While Mäkinen didn’t win in the 2002 season with this car, it was the model which underpinned Petter Solberg’s 2003 WRC drivers’ title.
“So, we have these fantastic cars. That was the first part of the deal done, but who was going to drive them?”
That was Steve’s next dilemma. Fortunately, he has family friends in rallying’s highest of high places. It was time to call the sport’s most recognized dynasty.
“This was a job for the McRaes,” said Steve. “I’m fortunate to know the family quite well. I followed them, starting out with Jimmy, when I was growing up in England. I used to stand out in the forests in the middle of the night, waiting for these guys to come thundering past on the RAC Rally.
“To have got to know them on a personal level is something very special to me. And when we had the chance to take the cars to Velocity, I had to call Alister and his son Max to ask them to come over and drive them. I’m happy to say they agreed.”
It’s a real privilege to be asked along to Velocity by Steve. Max and I can’t wait.Alister McRae
Alister McRae is a driver who competed at the sport’s very highest level for more than a decade. He worked with Hyundai, Mitsubishi and even shared the Subaru World Rally Team with his elder brother Colin.
Alister’s son Max is the 18-year-old third generation of this incredible family.
“He’s maybe as quick as his Gramps (Gramps being five-time British Champion Jimmy McRae), but I don’t think he’s as quick as me,” laughed Alister after being asked about Max.
Max is quick to point to this year’s McRae Rally Challenge, a one-off event to celebrate Colin’s 1995 world title, where Jimmy, Alister and Max competed together for the first time.
Max won.
“Aye,” said Alister, “I think he might have had a wee advantage with the car that weekend…
“Seriously, it’s a real privilege to be asked along to Velocity by Steve. Max and I can’t wait. We were both over at Goodwood earlier this year and we got the chance to drive some of Steve’s cars – it was fantastic!
“Goodwood is always one of the highlights of the year, so to have what sounds like an American version of the Festival of Speed is going to be an awesome weekend.”
