The Evolution of Rallying

How French rally great Sébastien Ogier built his legend and bowed out at the top by winning his eighth and final world title in the last season of his career.

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.

Some of the most amazing cars ever built race across Spain and head south into Africa in the 6th Annual Gumball 3000 Rally. This film captures the 2004 race, which featured Ferrari Enzos, Hummers, Caterhams, Aston Martins and other rare autos driven by an eccentric mix of skateboard pros, supermodels, Saudi royals and billionaires. The thrills abound as racers evade the law to be the first to cross the finish line at the Cannes Film Festival.

A showcase of German chancellor and Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler at the 1934 Nuremberg Rally.

The year 1985 saw some of the biggest investments ever in rallysport from several of the world's leading manufacturers. Audi Quattros - the first of the 'supercars', Peugeot with their new 4WD lightweight flyer and Lancia with the effective Delta S4. This action packed record includes Ari Vatanen's authoritative win in Sweden, the thrilling debut of the new Metro in the hands of Tony Pond at the RAC and the spectator packed tracks of Portugal and Greece. There's also the open plains of Africa, the yumps of the 1000 Lakes and the slick-tyred tarmac racing in San Remo. It is all here, filmed to a very high standard often from within inches of the cars as they hurtle past.

Defiance is in the air in this evocative newsreel footage of anti-fascist solidarity rallies, after the Battle of Cable Street.

In a year of highs and lows, the World Rally Championship once again delivered another spectacular season of top class rallying, starting with the regular season opener at the legendary Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo. Despite tough competition from Elfyn Evans, Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak, it would be reigning champion Kalle Rovanperä who would claim the title once more with a round in hand. The 8-time World Champion Sébastien Ogier would also make the occasional appearance throughout this heated championship keeping the new guard on their toes, winning three out of the seven rallies that he competed in. The official review brings you all the best highlights from this dramatic season with over 7 and a half hours of heart thumping action guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.

For the World Rally Championship, the 1980s was a decade of drama, controversy, triumph, tragedy and, most importantly, Champions. In this action-packed DVD we meet every World Rally Champion from a turbulent time, as well as the cars they drove.

The story of Colin McRae, the first British driver to win the World Rally Championship, is told by those who knew him best - his co-drivers Derek Ringer and Nicky Grist, the team bosses at Subaru, Ford and Citroën and his father Jimmy, himself a five-time British rally champion.

"Two Million Motorcycles - 24 hours of Sturgis" is a unique video log of what a typical 24 hour day at the Sturgis Bike Rally is all about! From early pre-dawn rides through the Black Hills, to main street mania, to side trips to Spear Fish Canyon and Devil's Tower, to seeing first hand the 900 HP Drag Bikes, to the world's best hillclimb riders and much, much more... this Sturgis [documentary] has it all.

We Protest: 80,000 descend on Hyde Park to demonstrate against Hitler’s antisemitism.

Ever get the feeling we re living in a new golden age of world rallying? We do. Let s look at the evidence: Talented drivers? They don t get much better than Sébastien Ogier, but he s been pushed hard all season by Jari-Matti Latvala, Kris Meeke, Thierry Neuville, Ott Tänak and, latterly, Esapekka Lappi all of whom have taken round wins. Powerful, interesting cars? That s been the best thing about the 2017 season. With the new rules allowing much more powerful engines and better aerodynamics speeds have increased and coincidentally everything looks even more spectacular than usual. Great races? With six different winners at the time of writing the answer is a definitive Yes! The iconic stages of the World s most famous rallies including Monte Carlo, Rallye Finland, Argentina and Sardinia have seen some classic encounters.

A rare glimpse on the life and career of an otherwise reclusive World Rally Championship driver from Estonia. Often characterized as shy, retiring but headstrong, stubborn and with "a big ego", Ott Tänak puts all of his heart and soul into his dream of being a world champion. Hailing from the small island of Saaremaa, Tänak rallied his way into the WRC elite despite all of the adversity he faced. The documentary also features numerous interviews from relatives, friends and fellow drivers and crew members, along with vignettes from his personal life and rallying career.