In search of Galant rally cars

and all things Japanese

In 1988, I was working part-time for the Light Car Club of Australia as Event Office Manager for the BP Alpine Rally, and in September that year, I ventured north - Asia - bound on two assignments.

My trip was primarily for Australian Automotive Import Parts (the importing arm of Japwreck in Keysborough) on a three-week purchasing trip to the huge scrapyards in Japan, with the brief to locate some more reliable suppliers for our in-demand second-hand Japanese engines and panels from up and down the country.

As an interesting motorsport sideline, I managed to schedule this trip to fit in with the Lucky Strike Rally Malaysia; the second round of the inaugural Asia Pacific Rally Championship on September 24 to 27, as an observer for the BP Alpine Rally, talking to possible entrants for future Alpine Rallies and potential involvement in this new Asia Pacific Rally Championship.

Arriving at Changi Airport on the Thursday, I turned left and caught a Singapore – Kuala Lumpur shuttle flight for a weekend deviation to Malaysia. That evening, I was invited to the official welcoming function where I caught up with our own Bruce Keys, who was representing CAMS at the event, and I have a strong memory that we both noted the number of Lucky Strike “hostesses” who were working at the function.

At the start the following morning at the historic and charming KL central railway station I saw for the first time the new Mitsubishi international rally challenger the Galant VR-4 4WD; VR-4 standing for Viscous Realtime 4WD, these sparkling, elegant VR-4s were crewed by Lasse Lampi & Pentti Kuukkala, in the factory Ralliart entered car, Kenjiro Shinozuka and Fred Gocentas entered by Japanese tuning company TASK Engineering and third private entry for Toshiki Endo with local Mejor Zainuddin.

I spent the first day being transported around with well-known English rally navigator John Davenport who was an FIA Inspector on the event.  We ventured north through the rubber plantations picking up a few Control locations and Media points, including a very tricky LH bend near the end of a stage in a rubber tree plantation where I caught some action next to Bruce Keys (have we seen any of your pics Bruce?).

Lasse Lampi & Pentti Kuukkala, winners of the 1988 Rally Malaysia 

Kenjiro Shinozuka & Fred Gocentas clip an adventurous apex

Possum Bourne & Roger Freeth being snapped by Bruce Keys

Fred Gocentas & Pentti Kuukkala attend to co-drivers work

The event continued overnight, and at a Service point somewhere on this steamy evening, I have no recollection where, I caught up with Ross Dunkerton, competing in the Speedworks Laser TX3 4WD, who was in an in-depth conversation with his service crews, instructing them to add some roof vents to add some cabin cooling to the TX3 4WD he was sharing with Steve McKimmie with an air powered chisel.

The Leg finished the next day at the coastal resort town of Penang, where a planned Special Stage on the sandy foreshore must have been a good idea at one time for the organisers.

Two bogged Proton Zero cars - needless to say, the stage did not happen!

The next day, I hitched a ride with one of my Melbourne rally drivers Bill Johnson, who was in the Service Crew with Des Collins for Denise McCargill from Adelaide, navigated by HRA’s own Ro Nixon in their Mitsubishi Starion.

Another Australian crew competing was my long-term rally and motor industry compatriot, Graham Alexander with David Stewart in their Toyota Sprinter AE86.

The event turned out to be a Galant 1-2-3 whitewash with Lampe first, from Endo, and Shinozuka; followed by Possum Bourne and Roger Freeth in the very fast Subaru RX Turbo. 

I suspect that this would have been the first International rally win for the new Mitsubishi Galant VR-4.

calling Steven Marron, David Officer and others - a question: 

Mitsubishi motorsport fans - 

Would this be the first international rally win for a Galant since the Andrew Cowan / John Bryson Galant win in the 1972 Southern Cross Rally?

Monday morning saw me back on the KL to Changi shuttle flight and onwards to Osaka for my next assignment; scouring Japanese scrap yards in areas like the Yawata “scrap yard”

heaven between Osaka and Kyoto a few days later to organise a few container loads of quality Japanese engines, to suit the likes of older Australian Mitsubishi Galant rally cars such as 4G32, G32B, G62B engines, along with many other Japanese model engines and panels.

I would be on the lookout also for the very slim chance of spotting a damaged current model Galant VR-4 in any scrapyard, as I was in no doubt that this new Galant would be taking the rally world by storm in the next few years. 

No better example of this was the 1990 Australian Rally Championship win by Ed Ordinyski and Mark Nelson in the Pedders Suspension Galant VR4, with other VR-4 being driven by the likes of George Fury, Ross Dunkerton, Geoff Keys and George Kalher appearing in other ARC rounds.

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Lassi Lampe the quiet Finn

While researching this article, I found some stunning details about his rally driving and team support career, especially with Mitsubishi and Ralliart.

Whilst this article is in Finnish, the pictures tell a tremendous story of motor sport experience and rally car tuning expertise.  He also has a stunning collection of Ralliart cars in his private museum.

https://www.is.fi/ralli/art-2000009592118.html