Highspeed Films

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.

50 Years of Rallying Five decades of rallying, from the early endurance and regularity tests of well-to-do but slightly bored aristocrats in the mid-fifties, via the first sprints on cordoned-off Scandinavian gravel roads with stars like Tom Trana or Erik Carlsson, to monstrous long distance races and today’s high-tech events in the dust. This movie tells it all over 90 gripping minutes, compiled largely from the archives of Austria’s legendary rally filmmaker, Helmut Deimel. The milestones of this spectacular journey through time are the groundbreaking cars, the great personalities, magnificent places, and the most wonderful moments of the sport. Using special features, Deimel spotlights the dynamism, the magic, the uniqueness of rallying. Interviews with the most important drivers and team bosses add colour and authenticity to the story – from enthusiasts’ intrepid adventures to the merciless sprints of today’s professionals. The movie was conceived and directed by Helmut Deimel.