[WRC] News & Rumours 2019

[T16]

re Mr Maximum Attack. T16 you have my respect. You did not know something and asked a question to learn more about the history of rally. Disappointing how a few people responded to your question.
New fans please keep asking questions on this forum to increase your knowledge. Long term fans please respect that not everyone will possess your depth of knowledge and be willing to politely share your knowledge with newbies.

Cheers Kiwi.... appreciate it, but no worries.. it won’t hold me back asking people to fill in a few blanks as and when they appear!

[janvanvurpa]

I knew who Marku Allen is, I just didn’t know he was nicknamed mr Maximum attack.

Honestly, do you really think it’s such a big deal?

What can you say?
I know who Alen is, I met him in December '86 grabbing dinner minutes before start ---for him----of Olympus WRC...I started 42 minutes after so I had plenty of time..he was next table over...
We joked in driving Amazon would be quicker than Gr A car..
Good humor...I liked his passion..
I knew that he made the phrase "Maximum Attack"...which you must say absolutely flat, no accent, no rising pitch---world famous in every language.
And I knew he attacked..

But I never have heard that "he was known as Mister Maximum Attack"

What I have found is you learn an awful lot on forums from real experts...
One of my favorites is this..back then---85 and 86 a huge number of ALL the people on the teams --except Peugeot --and Lancia--were English or Swedish, as well as some of the better connected journalists...which just happens to be my (sorta) native languages--both... So I got to talk to people a little different.
Back then everybody "in the business" were saying the Group B engines in rally spec were making "about 380 hp"...and nobody knows what torque...but a LOT!!!

Imagine how fascinating it was to read on forums 20-22-25 years later from people on forums everywhere from people who had never seen a Group B car, never spoken to 1 driver of GrB car or one crewmember----but they knew that "they had 550 hp"...see? I learned something, and that is always good to learn... These guys had read one short review written by some 22 year old "web journalist" and now they knew something that us idiots who were actually around at the time had been were ignorant of..And they would argue and call names and ridicule and be so smug. and contemptuous...

So its good to learn all these facts from people on forums...
Why its so good and so informative I sometimes wonder why I bothered to build things and go racing from 1967 thru 1997 when I didn't need to in order to know anything...

[stefanvv]

T16 is a newbie. Really ? With that name referencing the Group B Peugeot 205 ?

He has had no humility at all since joining the forum. Arrogant, contrary and argumentative with almost every post.

I thought he was a some old rally fan that thought his history made him feel entitled to be so. But now I find he isnt so knowledgable and that makes his attitude all the more ridiculous.

Are You alright?

[sollitt]

I knew that he made the phrase "Maximum Attack"...which you must say absolutely flat, no accent, no rising pitch---world famous in every language.
And I knew he attacked..

But I never have heard that "he was known as Mister Maximum Attack"

I'm with you here John. I have been involved as an active participant in this sport since the mid 70's and an avid WRC observer.
Alen is one of my all time favorite competitors and I followed his career with interest. I have met and spoken with him on a couple of occasions. Once, in 86 I think, he even leapt up into my camper van believing it to be an official vehicle. Whilst he is certainly synonymous with the term "maximum attack" I don't believe he has ever been widely referred to as Mr. Maximum Attack.
Most of us would nevertheless have known who was being referred to however there is no justification for challenging anybody who did not.

I do absolutely agree though with the poster that any 'Hall of Fame' without Alen is not representative of our sports achievers.

Also no Paddy Hopkirk, Rauno Aaltonen, Timo Makinen, Shekha Mehta .....

It seems like a very lazy effort indeed.

[Rally Power]

And I knew he attacked..

Indeed! Honestly I don’t care when Alen started to be called Mr. Maximum Attack but I gladly remember seeing him in some of the 1984 Rally de Portugal stages, pushing the 037 to its limits in the attempt to beat Mikkola and the migthy Quattro. He failed, despite fighting untill Arganil dawn, but he still managed to be the most praised one by the fans!

The same fans which were always eager to tell about Alen’s epic 1978 and 1981 Portugal wins. In 78, using a 131, he spent 5 days and 627 stage kms to beat a fantastic Mikkola (then on a Escort) on the very last SS and in 81 he ended one of the initial Sintra stages in reverse, with only 3 wheels on a crashed 131; his mechanics refused to let him retire and apparently Alen couldn’t find no better way to thank them than recovering, stage after stage, all the lost time and getting the overall win!

Alen’s first ever WRC win was also taken in Portugal (1975, on a 124) and he was Portugal Rally record winner (5 in total) till 2017, when Ogier managed to match him. He often returns to our country and he’s always amazed about how the most common people still remember and show their admiration for him. That's totally deserved!


PS: lots of stuff about Alen achievements in Portugal, but this autosport.pt interview https://www.sapo.pt/noticias/motores...6e004f6defaca7 (hope Google can translate it) and this TV piece about the fans showing Alen, 25 years later, the wheel he lost in 1981 crash https://youtu.be/z9pyazNGvtA?t=20 deserve a look.

[Jarek Z]

In my opinion best examples of Rally English are Rovanpera Sr. Tommi Makinen and Mika Hakkinen, of course all of them having some development during their career

Do you mean this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvOmFFu830Q

[Japé]

Do you mean this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvOmFFu830Q

In Hakkinen case, it is understood that his health (post Adelaide 1995 accident) had some effect as well, since his other ear went basically deaf, but it was not widely public information until after his F1 career. Many times he probably either did not hear the questions or was not entirely sure what was asked, but was too embarrassed to show it repeatedly.

Sorry about being off-topic.

[Jarek Z]

In Hakkinen case, it is understood that his health (post Adelaide 1995 accident) had some effect as well, since his other ear went basically deaf, but it was not widely public information until after his F1 career. Many times he probably either did not hear the questions or was not entirely sure what was asked, but was too embarrassed to show it repeatedly.

Sorry about being off-topic.

No need to be sorry for such an interesting post. I was still following Formula 1 when Hakkinen was racing, but never heard about the "ear accident".

By the way - I was surprised to see Mika visiting Poland in November last year on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Polish Independence. It was even shown in the evening news on the national TV. The tall guy next to Mika is Polish prime minister Morawiecki:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adw6pvEEyd4

[Jarek Z]

Has Alen's son definitely finished his rally career?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6hgs-Ax0jo

[Maui J.]

I've been following rallying since I was a kid and I'd never heard it until this thread either.

I'm with you Ben. I've followed rallying since I accidentally stumbled upon Rally NZ accidentally in 1977 as a kid. I was blown away with the speed and cars going sideways. I was hooked, but I've never heard of Mr Maximum Attack either.