Timo Salonen
Acting
Biography
A Finnish former rally driver who won the 1985 World Rally Championship season for Peugeot. It was commented of him that he stood out from other drivers, because he was overweight, wore thick glasses and smoked heavily, but still remained one of the fastest and most competitive drivers in the sport. He was also known for his relaxed attitude and for his habit of steering his rally car with one hand only. These factors led to the nickname Löysä ("Slack"). With his 11 rally wins he remained the most successful driver of Group B era (1983–1986) of WRC.
Known For
Thirty years after the end of Group B rallying, film-maker Helmut Deimel has launched his latest film on rallying’s wildest era. For “Riding Balls of Fire”, the Austrian legend behind the hugely popular “Evolution of Rallying” has gathered together the finest archive footage of the 500 bhp Group B supercars in their prime. Watching this film really shows the extreme pace of evolution of the cars and the sport in the three short years from 1983 to 1986.
Riding Balls of Fire Group B
In the 1980s rallying was more popular than Formula 1. 'Group B' machines had taken the world by storm. De-regulation opened the way for the most exciting cars ever to hit the motor sport scene. Nothing like it has ever happened since. 'This is the fastest rallying there has ever been' - Peter Foubister. For four wild and crazy years manufacturers scrambled to build ever more powerful cars to be driven by fearless mavericks who could handle the extreme power. The sport was heading out of control and the unregulated mayhem ended abruptly in 1986 after a series of horrific tragedies. This is the story of when fans, ambition, politics and cars collided.
Madness on Wheels
VHS by Atelier Presse Video live, without commentary. Featuring: Michele Mouton (Audi Quattro S1), Henri Toivonen (Lancia Delta S4), Walter Rohrl (Audi Quattro S1), Bruno Saby/Timo Salonen (205 T16), Didier Auriol (MG Metro), and Francois Chatriot (R5 Turbo).
The Best of Group B
When supercars ruled rallying