The 1000 Lakes Rally 1985-1991 DVD

Rallying action and history from Duke Video

I recently purchased my first hotrod. I'd always wanted one since I was a kid and, whilst I'd much rather have had the skill and time to build one, buying a ready-built one was a dream come true. Literally.

I did think of trailering it the near 200-miles back to my house, but a combination of events and an attitude that road cars should be driven, not towed, saw me nervously getting on a train and coming home in a rather 'non-standard' 1953 Ford Prefect.

I took it easy on the way back and, although my ears were almost bleeding, I was sweating like a pig and I stank of fumes, I had a massive grin on my face when I eventually pulled up on my driveway. Driving along with a V8 in front of you, the windscreen open (yes, you did read that right) and everyone staring at you with “what the hell is that?” looks on their faces is something else. It lived up to my dreams and I was happy. I could think of no better way for someone like me to spend three-and-a-half hours.

The next day, however, I did find a more sedate way of getting my car-fix, in the shape of this 'The 1000 Lakes Rally 1985-1991' DVD from Duke video. This was three-and-a-half hours of motoring enjoyment, but without the bleeding ears!

Duke have been producing motorsport DVD's for a long time now and not only have they got access to what must be the best archive in the world, but they also know how to throw it all together onto a DVD that makes you just want to sit and watch it all the way through.

This 1000 Lakes Rally DVD covers the period between 1985-1991, a time at which some of the most entertaining rally cars and rally drivers were coming to the fore. As well as some of the Group B beasts, however, it's great to see that this DVD hasn't forgotten some of the 'lower' classes, and you'll spot quite a few cars in action that you may well have owned in your youth!

Obviously, to enjoy three-and-a-half hours of rallying, you need to be a bit of a rally fan. My wife, for example, would probably just tell me that this is “just cars”. However, to me, it is a collection of rally clips of some of the best cars and drivers doing the most spectacular driving in the Finnish forests – it's a recipe that can't fail!

There are quite a few drivers that even part-time rally fans will recognise, such as Tommi Makkinen, Carlos Sainz, Stig Blomqvist, Malcolm Wilson and Ari Vatanen, to name a few. As with most motorsport DVD's, though, it's the cars that are the real stars, with a fair spattering of Fords, Lancias, Mitsubishis, Subarus, Peugeots and the one that so many of us love to see, the Metro 6R4.

Motorsport journalism has come on a lot over the years and Duke, obviously, can't go back and re-interview the drivers as they get out of their cars, but what you get is an authentic history of rallying at the time, complete with funky moustaches. The drivers back then weren't as media-savvy as the ones these days, but their comments come across as a lot more down to earth than many you may hear today.

The 1000 Lakes Rally DVD is a great way to spend over 210 minutes, if you have that time to spare, but as it is broken up into seven year-by-year chunks, you don't have to do it all in one sitting. Now I've watched it all in one go, I'm going to watch it again, bit-by-bit, when the kids have gone to bed.

Priced at just £19.99, The 1000 Lakes Rally 1985-1991 a DVD well worth adding to any rally fan's collection and is available from most of the usual outlets, as well as from Duke Video themselves. Tel 01624 640 000, fax 01624 640 001 or email mail@dukevideo.com. Visit www.DukeVideo.com online.