The drama which has followed the 1986 World Rally Championship continued as the drivers contested the week-long San Remo event in Italy.
This video sets out to capture the action as the top teams battled out on the tarmac and gravel in their final Continental appearance before the winged Peugeots, Lancias and Metros became outlawed. That it superbly succeeds is a tribute to the cameramen who searched out the finest spots to record the top-speed straights and the thousands of breathtaking sweeps along the Riviera. But there was more than the usual behind-the-scenes activities contributing to the overall picture and before the San Remo result was finalised there was action threatening to upset the entire championship. Markku Alen and Massimo Biasion led the Lancia Delta S4 charge; Malcolm Wilson and Tony Pond had the Metros; Timo Salonen, Bruno Saby and Juha Kankkunen were at the wheel of the Peugeots. There was other opposition, too, in the shape of Mark Duez (Metro), Andrea Zanussi (Peugeot) and Jean Ragnott (Renault). Yet in the end the outcome was decided quite independent of their fabulous driving skills, and the conclusion will continue as a talking point for a long time to come.