Correction to my own comment: Alen comments of speculations that season 1987 should be driven with group A cars and Group B would be history. He says that Lancia would surely be competitive with their group A car. He is not happy that so much politics and speculations had started after Portugal and Corsica. He ends commenting that This Delta S4 is a cool car to drive if it is finely set and everything works.
He does not mention Toivonen's death at Corsica. This test session and interview took place just 4-6 weeks after Rally de Corsa. He surely knows that everyone knows that Toivonen and Cresto are gone. Alen: "At Corsica team Lancia had bad luck and we retired from rest of the race..."
Most of the interview he talks about technical problems of team Lancia Martini as electrical failures and gearbox brakedowns. He also comments on speculations that rest of the season 1986 should be driven with Group A cars. Even if you don't understand Finnish you can tell that Alen is little sad and depressed. No wonder why.
And about the rules, I think there is so much politics in it that we should let it calm down. Everybody have their own agenda they are pushing for.
(5:52) Int: If next year will be driven with Group A cars, does Lancia have a competitive car?
Markku: I belive so. Our team wouldn't have gone to support Group A if we didn't have a competitive car and those who don't have one are making the most noise about it.
(5:18) Int: What do you think about next year, Nobody seems to know what is the situation. What is your own opinion, what kind of machines you should drive.
Markku: Well, there are many opinions about it you know. This car as we have seen during these two days that it is a great car. When everything is working, drivability and all that. It is fast and in all aspects very quick, but it is also great to drive.
And now Greek, I think our luck should have turned for the better at this point and we should have won there. Lancia team didn't have any luck there. (4:17)
(5:00) Markku: Hopefully I can spend the midsummer eve here and the next day I'll probably fly to Auckland. Next week we will know what my schedule will be. Or I might have to fly to Torino to test our next years car. Everything is still open, but we will drive atleast tomorrow here and then see what we will do.
Safari, I think our car was very good this year, but a faulty relay discharged our battery during the night. We lost a bit over an hour because of that. We finished 3rd, which in a way was good. But at this stage 3rd places don't count. We went past Peugeot in the manufacturers championship at that point.
Corsica.. that was.. Lancia retired from the race and all what happened..
The Swedish rally was a disappointment for me. I think I should have been able to win that race. There I didn't have any speed. And on the last morning after we changed the compressor I had the pace with only seven stages to go. Before that my engine lacked in horsepower.
Markku: In Monaco two camshafts broke for me, and one of them caused my retirement. I lost the first one before Milano on the motorway. And on the second or third night the second one broke, and I stopped on the stage. Throughout the whole rally my electrics were completely messed up.
Markku: Same problems as I have had for the whole spring. Yesterday the engine broke, just now the belt was cut and yesterday lost a turbo and a gearbox. Also the electrics haven't worked and we haven't been able to get it to work. Good thing these have happened at the test, hopefully the season will get better for me and no more unreliability. Haven't had a day without problems here. (1:30)
(0:33)Int: Again the Lancia team has come to Finland to test. What are you testing this time?
Markku: Same as last year, we have been testing here for 10 years. We are running tests for the
Jyväskylä and New Zealand rallys. We drive both rallies with the same chassis/suspension setup so we can test&tune this car for both. We have been having problems, but I belive we can overcome them. The test has gone badly sofar.
Here is a translation from the whole video. I have included timestamps so you can follow the interview if you want. I have to break it up into parts because of the 500 character limit :(
watch?v=DHd1Z80PLAg THIS is the exact same Lancia Delta S4 that Markku Alen drove.
Some norwegian guy bought the car and brought it to Lahti Historic Rally :) Enjoy the little glimpse of the beast.
eamh2002 6 months ago
I shook this mans hand in donegal today
oSpartanKingo 8 months ago
marku alen-ilka kivimaki
sebafloyd1 8 months ago
Really human :(
Amon69it 10 months ago
Markku Alen is really holding back his tears shows how strong he is losing a teammate in those days was like losing a brother so sad :,(
fgtxpaco7458ss 1 year ago
Big Markuu walks on water for me!!!!!!
Which is a better description, Finnish-Italian or Italian-Finnish?
2zorro3 1 year ago
@2zorro3 "The most Italian of Finns" is the best and certainly true :)
037racing 1 year ago
NO LANCIA= NO RALLYS
MsFanalone 1 year ago 3
Correction to my own comment: Alen comments of speculations that season 1987 should be driven with group A cars and Group B would be history. He says that Lancia would surely be competitive with their group A car. He is not happy that so much politics and speculations had started after Portugal and Corsica. He ends commenting that This Delta S4 is a cool car to drive if it is finely set and everything works.
Jaska8000 2 years ago
He does not mention Toivonen's death at Corsica. This test session and interview took place just 4-6 weeks after Rally de Corsa. He surely knows that everyone knows that Toivonen and Cresto are gone. Alen: "At Corsica team Lancia had bad luck and we retired from rest of the race..."
Jaska8000 2 years ago 2
Most of the interview he talks about technical problems of team Lancia Martini as electrical failures and gearbox brakedowns. He also comments on speculations that rest of the season 1986 should be driven with Group A cars. Even if you don't understand Finnish you can tell that Alen is little sad and depressed. No wonder why.
Jaska8000 2 years ago 2
La miglior macchina da rally della storia!!
capedj 2 years ago 3
Saddening tone in his voice when he mentions Corsica.
FormulaOneSpy 2 years ago
RIP H.Toivonen
Ankka06 2 years ago 2
toivonen and cresto
giabelli 2 years ago
Love that car!!! :D
Gosaft94 3 years ago
The BEst, simply the BEST.
internosats 3 years ago 7
Great car, great sound, great driving
54spiritedwill54 3 years ago 12
To see the interview in the proper order, press the view all comments link in the bottom.
Otherwise they are backwards :)
zoicceli 4 years ago
And about the rules, I think there is so much politics in it that we should let it calm down. Everybody have their own agenda they are pushing for.
(5:52) Int: If next year will be driven with Group A cars, does Lancia have a competitive car?
Markku: I belive so. Our team wouldn't have gone to support Group A if we didn't have a competitive car and those who don't have one are making the most noise about it.
zoicceli 4 years ago
THANKS!!!!!!!
matteo426 4 years ago
(5:18) Int: What do you think about next year, Nobody seems to know what is the situation. What is your own opinion, what kind of machines you should drive.
Markku: Well, there are many opinions about it you know. This car as we have seen during these two days that it is a great car. When everything is working, drivability and all that. It is fast and in all aspects very quick, but it is also great to drive.
zoicceli 4 years ago
And now Greek, I think our luck should have turned for the better at this point and we should have won there. Lancia team didn't have any luck there. (4:17)
(5:00) Markku: Hopefully I can spend the midsummer eve here and the next day I'll probably fly to Auckland. Next week we will know what my schedule will be. Or I might have to fly to Torino to test our next years car. Everything is still open, but we will drive atleast tomorrow here and then see what we will do.
zoicceli 4 years ago
Safari, I think our car was very good this year, but a faulty relay discharged our battery during the night. We lost a bit over an hour because of that. We finished 3rd, which in a way was good. But at this stage 3rd places don't count. We went past Peugeot in the manufacturers championship at that point.
Corsica.. that was.. Lancia retired from the race and all what happened..
zoicceli 4 years ago
The Swedish rally was a disappointment for me. I think I should have been able to win that race. There I didn't have any speed. And on the last morning after we changed the compressor I had the pace with only seven stages to go. Before that my engine lacked in horsepower.
Portugal was a mess.
zoicceli 4 years ago
Markku: In Monaco two camshafts broke for me, and one of them caused my retirement. I lost the first one before Milano on the motorway. And on the second or third night the second one broke, and I stopped on the stage. Throughout the whole rally my electrics were completely messed up.
zoicceli 4 years ago
(2:05) Markku: The last engine failure was caused by a rock getting between the belt and the pulley, cutting it.
Int: Isn't it protected at all?
Markku: It is protected, but it happened after a jump. So I think the cover bent and the rock got in and cut the belt. (2:20)
(2:51) Int: Now that six rallys have been driven, how has the season gone so far? If we start from Monte Carlo rally onward.
zoicceli 4 years ago
(1:00) Int: What have been the biggest problems?
Markku: Same problems as I have had for the whole spring. Yesterday the engine broke, just now the belt was cut and yesterday lost a turbo and a gearbox. Also the electrics haven't worked and we haven't been able to get it to work. Good thing these have happened at the test, hopefully the season will get better for me and no more unreliability. Haven't had a day without problems here. (1:30)
zoicceli 4 years ago
(0:33)Int: Again the Lancia team has come to Finland to test. What are you testing this time?
Markku: Same as last year, we have been testing here for 10 years. We are running tests for the
Jyväskylä and New Zealand rallys. We drive both rallies with the same chassis/suspension setup so we can test&tune this car for both. We have been having problems, but I belive we can overcome them. The test has gone badly sofar.
zoicceli 4 years ago
Here is a translation from the whole video. I have included timestamps so you can follow the interview if you want. I have to break it up into parts because of the 500 character limit :(
zoicceli 4 years ago
Thanks for the video.
Can somebody please translate the hole interview, please!!
The Delta S4 is my favorite (rally) car ever.
gallardogt 4 years ago
Interesting video. I hope someone could give subtitles, Markku has some interesting and never heard comments.
Petrick69 4 years ago
thanks for posting!!
kwkbkr44 4 years ago
Great car, great sound, great driving, great rally. Some subtitles would be the icing on the cake!
ruigamboa 4 years ago
Markku went quiet when he talked about tour the corse: Death of Henri Toivonen in his mind
Feint2006 5 years ago
Wow!
Thanks for this!
Vamppas 5 years ago