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Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart 2009 Dakar Rally Preparations

The Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart Team have completed a final shakedown and a varied preparation program for the 2009 Dakar Rally, which starts in Buenos Aires on Saturday, January 3rd and finishes in the Argentine capital on Sunday, January 18th.

Tags: Ralliart , Mitsubishi , Dakar , 2009

Henri Toivonen his Rally Days

"Superb archive footage" Autosport

"An exciting drift-fest" Octane

Henri Toivonen was, without doubt, one of the fastest, most spectacular and most popular rally drivers of his generation. His tragic death, with co-driver Sergio Cresto, in 1986 was a devastating blow to the sport and Toivonen's many fans.

This action-packed film, created by respected Italian motorsport documentary-maker Belle Epoque Film, is a fitting memorial to the Finn. It is loaded with exceptional footage of Toivonen blasting along special stages, power sliding around hairpins and demonstrating his sublime skill on snow, ice, mud, gravel and high-speed tarmac.

Charting his career from 1977 to '86, it features action from every year and more than 40 events, including classics like the RAC, 1000 Lakes and Monte-Carlo. Although the footage from the early years is brief, it shows Toivonen's development as a driver and emergence as a star of the future, as he graduates from the Chrysler Avenger to the Talbot Sunbeam, on to the Rothmans-backed Opels and Porsche and, finally, to the Martini Lancia team and the magnificent S4, one of the icons of the Group B era.

Toivonen was an exceptional driving talent, taking his first World Rally win at just 24 to become the youngest-ever WRC winner - a remarkable record which would stand for almost 30 years.

This film features 60 minutes of Toivonen at his finest, displaying the skills which created a legend, and includes interviews which show the dedication, determination and humour that made him such a favourite with fans.

The undoubted highlight of this film's soundtrack is the evocative roaring of rally car engines at speed, not least the growling 550bhp of the S4 - the perfect tribute to a giant of the sport.

This title was previously available on VHS.

"Very few legends of world rallying generate as much emotive debate as Henri Toivonen, even 23 years after his death. This film contains superb archive footage of the young Finn - in 1980 the youngest winner of a WRC event - as he thrilled fans in Sunbeam Lotus, Opel and Lancia machinery" Autosport

"Let's Rock! The pounding '80s electro-synth backing music that shows the age of this re-released Italian video would normally be an irritation - but somehow it suits the lurid driving style of the flying Finn, who died on the Tour de Corse in 1986. A sparse British voiceover has been added for the DVD (you can turn it off if you feel it's spoiling the music...), which is an exciting drift-fest that takes in 40 rallies, beginning with early days in a Sunbeam Lotus and ending - tragically - in a Delta S4" Octane

Best of British Triumph

Best of British Triumph charts the turbulent and rich history of one of the world's best-known motorcycle manufacturers, with examinations of every significant bike that contributed to the Triumph story.

That story takes us back more than 100 years, to the time when a couple of German immigrants settled in Coventry and began manufacturing bicycles. Fitting a motor to one of their bicycles was the obvious step once the internal combustion engine had become established, and so the first Triumph motorcycle puttered its way around the leafy lanes of Warwickshire in 1905.

This video traces the history of the marque from that historic first bike, filmed in the National Motorcycle Museum, to the launch of the 2009 Street Triple R. For a full seven decades, Triumph enjoyed success after success, then disaster struck as the original company collapsed - along with the rest of the British bike industry. However, during those first 70 years Triumph motorcycles had become among the best known with truly iconic models like the Speed Twin, the Tiger 100, the Thunderbird and the Bonneville. Such was the reputation, the Triumph name refused to die.

Enthusiast Les Harris, under license from the brand name owners, kept the legend alive making small batches of Bonneville twins in his little factory in Devon. In the 1980s, salvation arrived in the form of British businessman John Bloor, who combined his capital with the goodwill Triumph still enjoyed, to resurrect the marque. Thanks to good designers, managers and enthusiastic production workers, Triumph is back on the world stage, competing against rivals from Japan, Germany and the USA.

SPECIAL FEATURES
- The Rocket Three - The world's biggest motorcycle, a 'power cruiser' with an engine bigger than most family cars!
- The New Bonneville - An all-new bike with a famous old name, and with Thruxton café racer and Speedmaster versions as well.

Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally 2008

'Expertly produced (what else would you expect from the masters at Duke?) and features a nice little 'extras' section too' Autosport

'An essential purchase' Motorsport News

In 2008, the annual Colin McRae Forest Stages was organised as a fitting tribute to Britain's 1995 World Rally Champion, featuring five classic Scottish forest stages contested by a veritable who's who from the sport's history, all wishing to honour the late Colin McRae.

Among those joining Colin's dad Jimmy and brother Alister to pay tribute were his former co-drivers Derek Ringer and Nicky Grist. A host of famous names packed the top end of the entry list, including World Champions Bjorn Waldegard, Hannu Mikkola, Louise Aitken-Walker and Ari Vatanen, reunited with Prodrive boss David Richards for the first time since their 1981 world title triumph.

US rally stars John Buffum, Ken Block and the inspirational Travis Pastrana made the long trip across the Atlantic to remember their X-Games team mate. British champions Russell Brookes and Malcolm Wilson were persuaded to dust off their helmets again, whilst inaugral London-Sydney marathon winner and former Mitsubishi Ralliart boss Andrew Cowan would steal the show with his immaculate Hillman Imp. King of the two wheel drive entertainers, both in and out of the car, Phil Collins debuted his recently built Opel Ascona, whilst hard-charging Kris Meeke provided a spectacle for the throngs of spectators drawn to the Perthshire stages.

The legends all competed in two wheel drive cars, with the line-up of machinery including classics such as the MkI and MkII Escort, Porsche 911, Opel Ascona 400, Talbot Sunbeam Lotus and the unique Hillman Imp. Current World Rally Championship talent was also on show in the form of Matthew Wilson, competing in the main field in his WRC Ford Focus.

This Official Review of the event features action from more than 40 miles of some of the best gravel stages in the UK and includes in-car footage of the spectacular crashes of both Jimmy McRae and Kris Meeke.

The best camera positions, plenty of in-car footage alongside the greats, informed commentary from rally star Robbie Head and interviews with all the legends makes this the definitive story of the rally, with plenty of rear-wheel power slides, spins and one or
two crashes!

The Official Review is also packed with bonus features, including a chance to hear from the legends at the Driver's Forum, moving tributes to Colin McRae and awesome in-car footage courtesy of Vatanen, Waldegaard, Pastrana, Brookes, Meeke and Alister McRae.

"This DVD, narrated by McRae's friend Robbie Head is expertly produced (what else would you expect from the masters at Duke?) and features a nice little 'extras' section too, the best bit of which is undoubtedly an on-board view of stage two from the Mk2 Escort of Vatanen, complete with pace notes from his 1981 title-winning co-driver David Richards. Sideways doesn't even begin to do it justice" Autosport

'If you are a rally fan, the best way to enjoy Christmas this year is to purchase a copy of the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally 2008 DVD. It's an essential purchase, not least because the event featured a stunning array of former champions and rally legends in some classic machinery. The extra features really make this a must-see. If you want proof that Kris Meeke deserves a drive at the top level of the sport, check out his commitment on SS2, Errochty. The entire stage as viewed from the cockpit of his Ford Escort Mk2 is included, and it is spellbinding stuff. The DVD is a brilliant souvenir of an event that is unlikely to be replicated' Motorsport News