Video:RAC Rally 1988

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produced by Videovision Broadcast. 80 minutes. (Duke Marketing Ltd, PO Box 46, Douglas, Isle of Man. £19.95)

Few enthusiasts are going to be impressed with cover blurb which misspells the names of both Alen and Kankkunen after erroneously claiming that Britain’s round of the World Rally Championship started from York! Fewer still, we suspect, will manage to hold back the yawns as that perennial failing of lacklustre commentary returns to haunt them during a bonus 20-minute review of the Thousand Lakes.

Fortunately, things improve immeasurably as producer Brian Kreisky talks us through the snow-hit RAC, which comes across as one of the more exciting events of 1988. Brief interviews with most of the leading drivers set the scene and Videovision’s filming is up to its usual high standard, including footage of telling incidents such as Kankkunen’s last day crash. Light relief comes in the form of in-car pictures of Derek Bell’s progress, with accompanying cries of anguish from his codriver.

Despite a noticeable paucity of viewpoints — a drawback probably enforced by the hectic rally schedule — the final hour of this production shows what can be achieved by the motorsport film-maker. It is just a pity that poor presentation and commentary can so often be allowed to detract from the end result. GT

The Tiger Club is pretty distinguished and unique institution and now Lewis Benjamin, who joined it in 1957 after serving with the RAF from 1943-47 and with the RAFVR from 1951-56, having in the meantime formed a club for DIY aviation folk, has put its history into a 237-page soft-cover book The Tiger Club — A Tribute.

That this is only Volume One, covering the years 1957-66, shows that there in more to look forward to! In this first book Benjy packs in an enormous amount of Tiger Club history, lists its members of that period (see how many motoring personalities you can find — Sam Glutton appears on page 161) and unfolds his story with the light-hearted humour and understatement one expects from those who fly Tiger Moths.

You can recall the great days in the Tiger Club, as its Chairman saw them, for £9.95, the publishers being Golf Area, SA, Loma de Ion Riscos I, Torremolinos, Spain, where Benjy now lives. WB