24th-Sep-21, 04:46 PM
Teamslot 11702 Toyota Celica GT-Four ST-185 #4 1992 Rallye Catalunya-Costa Brava Winner - Carlos Sainz & Luis Moya. Limited Edition Mud Effect. RRP £64.00. Due September 2021.
This new limited edition car from Teamslot has shipped and will be with UK retailers any day. Only 250 have been made, with around 50 of those coming to the UK. Like the previous "Serie Especial" Camel-liveried Lancia Delta HF 4WD, this Toyota is packaged in a clear Teamslot display case with mud-colour plinth - there's also a numbered card and the now usual backing with details of the rally, drivers and finishing position.
The Teamslot ST-185 is a lovely model and this livery is a cracker - full-on Marlboro decals and a subtle dusting of Catalunya dirt. Sainz and Moya both wore plain white helmets in 1992, but the interior features the works Toyota race suits and pace notes - you'll have to figure out which stage is represented. The OZ Racing wheels are nicely detailed and the car has the now standard wire aerial. All-in-all a beautiful model of an important car in WRC history - plus a fabulous rally slot car to drive on any layout or purpose-built rally stage.
Despite the debut of the new ST-185, all the sensible money was on another dominant season for Lancia in 1992 - the Martini Racing team now being run by Jolly Club. Lancia were led by world champion Juha Kankkunen and hot-shot Didier Auriol - who won six of the 14 rallies, Kankkunen one and Andrea Aghini winning at Sanremo. That was the manufacturers' title sewn up... but Sainz had managed to score consistently in the under-performing Toyota - and found himself still with a mathematical chance of the title going into the final two rounds in Spain and Great Britain.
Sainz won the Safari and in New Zealand with the ST-185, but the new car had been plagued by handling problems all year. That made the opening of the Rallye Catalunya-Costa Brava all the more special. The rest of the teams were left open-mouthed by the performance of Sainz and the Toyota on stage one - a full twelve seconds ahead of the chasing pack. Jolly Club boss Claudio Bortoletto suggested the stage time was a mistake, whereas Ford driver François Delacour put it down to the unique properties of Pirelli tyres in cool conditions... However, Sainz and Moya would win nine of the opening day's eleven stages, holding a 1 minute 41 second lead over Aghini and Sauro going into day two.
The handling problems hadn't gone away - and the Pirellis were worn down to the canvas by the end of most stages. Although both Auriol and Aghini had dropped back, Kankkunen was gaining time on Sainz throughout the second leg - and by over a second per kilometer. The Toyota was struggling and victory seemed to be hanging by a thread. A change of suspension and tyres allowed Sainz to fight back and slow the Finn's advance. Going into the final day, Sainz held a 61 second lead. On the long El Subira stage, he limited his losses to eight seconds, compared to nearly 20 seconds the day before. It was enough - Sainz won the rally by 36 seconds and took a slender lead into the final event of the championship - the Spaniard was on 124 points, Kankkunen on 123 and Auriol on 121. Sainz would win again on the RAC and clinch his second WRC title. Sainz, Moya and Toyota had certainly exceeded all expectations.
Remember, there aren't many of these cars available in the UK - if you want one, make a beeline to your favourite Teamslot retailer now.
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