The escort is still the best ever Rally car in my opinion. My first car was a baby blue one circa 1985. I loved going to the rallies. Ireland has got to be the best place in the world for rally sports and motorcycle road racing.
Yes, they did that alot with the mantas asconas, chevettes and escorts in the late 70s and 80s. Many good brittish drivers in general on these narrow tarmac roads like Birty Fisher, Russel Brookes, Tony Pond and Jimmy Mcrae.
@@vintageman91 100% i was watching the 1992 circuit of Ireland rally and in the clip is a young Alastair Fisher a man today on top of his game and a brilliant driver,but between the irish tarmac championship and the british rally championship there are still some great drivers there
Escort is beauty and other back thruster i like is ascona opel. Will get one of those in future with all fn hilavitkuttimet on it to get that doorhandle on first at the turns.
Frank is a legend over here, always putting a show on and giving the crowds a smile. The videos you're watching are over several years, at a guess I'd say the earliest engine was probably around 230-240hp and the most recently is the 2.5 Millington diamond engine producing over 320 bhp. The sound of these in person is honestly jizz worthy 😂 They travel to events all around the world and his current co-driver is his daughter.
Frank often has his daughter, Lauren as co-driver, you can hear her voice on a few occasions through the video. I believe she also edits and produces the video's for public consumption. Looks like some of the dirt footage was filmed in New Zealand when Frank shipped the car over there a few years ago for a few rallies.
He is using the scandinavian flick a lot, If you want to turn right, you turn left a bit, then you counter streer back to the right, the rear of the car shifts fast and lose grip, then you drift the hell out of the curve, fast way to turn on any surface, and this Frank is a master at this, love your reaction vids man!
@@miklis203 Actually no... What we learned in Cars, was countersteer. In fact, I don't remember McQueen ever using scandinavian flick in any of the 3 movies.
He was a great escort driver.I was watching Simon before I found frank kelly.It was a link from Simon's video that I found frank.Both great escort drivers they make it look easy.But with that much power in an escort they are so easy to spin.
Mk2 escort flat front. This was the mark that spawned the RS1800 & RS2000 droop snoop fronts The RS1800 being the gold standard for rally in this era. But this Escort is maybe running a 2lt DOHC ( double overhead cam ) maybe bored out to 2.1 With twin Weber carbs. Much more modern quick shift gear box ( obvs ) rear diff used to be the same as the 3lt S Capri ran. Who knows what else, it’s an absolute beast. But we had all sorts of rally bits on our early 80’s fords. Spax shocks, K&N filters, revolution wheels, road Yokohama tyres, Janspeed or peco straight through exhausts, kenlow fans. You could easily tweek them up ( maybe not a burton or cosi lump ) but you could coax a few extra HP, they really were hugely apart, but we didn’t think so, just strip away some of the comforts Carbs normally twin 40’s maybe 45’s gave that great sucking noise and at least one panel in grey primer . Oh the days of our Yoof
Rally's "Scandinavian Flick" is the true forfather to Drifting as we know it. Unfortunately it does not explain why some people swing wide before a U-Turn at lights🤨
As the Great Roger Clark said, when rallying the Escort back in the day, "I always felt that if I'm not looking out of the back window, I'm reasonably under control" Frank is obviously the same. Brilliant driving Frank!
im trying to remember who said the quote 'you know you are going fast when theres dead flies on the side windows'............might have been walter rohrl
I remember an RAC rally clip of Roger and his co-driver going down a long straight forest road "90 degree left x distance ahead, it's slippery through here Roger...Roger it's slippery through here..."(car crests rise and goes straight ahead sliding through fence...)"Oohhhhhh ROGER!!!"
It's got a name. The Scandinavian Flick. You turn in the opposite direction of the bend to set up the back end whipping around the right way on the rebound.
It sounds like a Cosworth BDA engine. But on steroids. These are nearly fifty years old now. 1600 or 1800 double overhead cam Belt Driven Assembly (BDA) four cylinder. These escorts and the Mark ones before them dominated rally in the 70s. With the modern sequential gearbox this one has they would have been untouchable. Wow! Thanks for posting this Ian.
It’s a 2.5ltr Millington Engine with 6 speed quaife sequential gear box & differential. It’s also has a full FIA welded in roll cage & 6 point seats and seat belts. I think he runs Reiger suspension & cooper tyres or whoever sponsors him in a season Obviously It’s a Mk2 Ford escort shell. Ireland have some of the best examples of Mk2 rally cars in the world and their really suited to the ITRC 🇮🇪 ☘️
I believe he have a Millington 2.4 L 16V engine, its a beast. And yeah he is a good driver for sure. I been driving myself for about 20 years ( in Sweden ) and its just awsome.
My first car aged 16 was a junker powder blue mk2 escort I was forever bolting “rally” accessories onto (it was only a 1300GL) ….this would’ve been around 1984 and around that time we took a drive in my mates souped up fiat uno from Blackpool down to Chatsworth house in Derbyshire to watch the Group B rally stage that was set up to blast through the grounds. I remember the Metro 6R4, Lancia Delta, the Audio Quattro and some kind of Opel Manta GTE…..it was a buzz…happy days!
From Australia, i used to own one of those MK2 years ago, kept blowing diffs in it lol, my brother also owns to this day a 2 door MK1, they are like insane go karts with little effort put in.
All of those clips are just from the Irish rally series. Good few are from the Donegal rally thats held every year in the north east of the island. Its a spectacle to behold. I raced against Frank back then when I was pro-am driving to ProDrive in a MK2, most of them have a 2lt Cosworth 4 banger that will rev all the way to 9000rpm. Serious bit of kit like. Couldn't meet a more down to earth bloke than Frank but by God was he a savage savage driver.
Awesome vid. There’s a couple good ones where they do a split screen comparison with Frank’s Escort and Paolo Diana’s Alfa powered Fiat. Both very cool cars and very cool drivers. Frank has also done some videos on the engine 👍
Engine is a 2.5 litre 4 cylinder Millington Diamond racing engine. It pushes out over 300hp in a super light racing chassis making for an interesting drive!
My first car was a Yellow Ford Escort 1.6 Litre. I out black rally bucket seats in, Chrome racing wheels, front and back spoilers, it was best car ive ever had! Everyone was into moding up their cars in rhe 80s, and Escorts were the most popular, still are really.🙏
Millington Diamond race engines are legendary in the rally world. My eldest son is friends with Roy Millington's son. For my 60th birthday, which happend to coincide with their annual family fun day, I had a guided tour of their workshop, along with a select few other guests. Ken Block was a customer of theirs. The Millington family are lovely people. Maybe you could reaserch them and do a piece on them. They are in a beautiful location in South Shropshire, England.
Mark 1, mark 2 escorts were awesome little cars and the mark 3 XR3I, RS Turbo and mark 4 cosworths were great too. Escort cossie was my dream car for years. But you had to be rich to afford them, not for the price of the car but insurance was usually more than the price of the car lol
I'm currently in longisland new York on holiday where of course the American muscle cars are floating my boat while I'm here. but to watch the crazy Kelly's at work gets me every time hench why I'm chilling listening to the magical sound of baby blue and it's crazy crew makes me feel at home wife thinks I'm having withdrawal symptoms 😂
the village i grew up in wales uk had a rally club and after school and weekend i used to help out working on the rally cars mainly ford escorts and got to go to rally stages with the marshalls but the best part at the end of the day being with the rally club i got to go round the stage in a rally car there is no feeling like it love your channel keep up the great work
So Frank Kelly is an Irish rally god and always go's full send, his car Baby Blue is maybe the most well known and famous Mk2 escort out there. Running a Millington Diamond engine, a 4 cylinder, 16 valve naturally aspirated unit making around 350bhp with a 10,000 rpm red line (don't expect any change out of £50-60k for one running with all the good stuff under the hood) through a 6 speed sequential gearbox to the rear wheels. He still competes, but most of the time (with his daughter now on the notes) he can be seen doing invitational rallys all over the world. His driving style (on the edge of control) has won him a place in the hearts of rally fans the world over.
I had a mate in the mid-80s over here who had a fully imported Euro-spec RS2000 Escort. He'd made further mods, including a custom LED dashboard (he was an electronics geek), and had fat low-profile tyres before they were cool as well as competition suspension. He took me for a run one night and threw 180 handbrake turns at 100kmh, and drove it like a race ca around town for a while. It was an angry little beast of a 2-door. He went on a holiday and asked me to look after his pride and joy...and I did...until temptation got the better of me and I took it for a drive. Holy shitballs Batman! I flogged this thing. It was a magnet to the road and had no discernable body roll and was very quick. On the way home I took the t-junction corner at about 60kmh. It was slightly off-camber and I got a bit of understeer, hit the gutter, and destroyed one of his $250 rims. I got it home, changed out the spare, and left the busted rim in the boot. Of course, when he got home he inspected the car, saw that there were more miles on the odometer, and proceeded to go right over the car...and found the rim...yeah, he wasn't happy...
The Finns and Scandinavians were the absolute masters of the Ford Escorts back in the 80's Notably Ari Vatanen, Bjorn Waldegard, and the boss of them all Hannu Mikkola
The legendary Frank Kelly, you've found some clips of (the Frank Kelly), good on you homes, this guy has mucho grande cajones,he's the bees knees, yeah Dude, again, out of the park, well done, Sir, blessings upon you guys and gals
That was my first car! A Ford Escort RS2000 with a 2.0ltr and 110HP. Rear Drive and very light weighted... I LOVE IT - and so did rust :/ I still love to see this cars somewhere or in rallye vids. Thanks for showing!!!
The female co driver is Lauren Frank’s daughter. Apart from competing in Ireland Baby Lue has done events all over Europe and even been to Austrakia and New Zealand
G'day, you may see a DMS sticker on Kelly's Escort, Jamie Drummond Motor Sport. Sadly killed in a vehicle crash at Wangaratta. His suspension development and production workshop was here at Wodonga. He exported internationally. Many names from way back when, Peter Glover/Suzie Wiseman, George Fury/Monty Suffern etc, etc. I service crewed on Glover's B F Goodrich Rally and off-road Escort. Some of the best times of my life. Scandinavian flick does need the front/rear brake bias adjusted correctly. Watch Ari Vatanen Black Escort! Escorts are supreme at throttle steering as opposed to conventional steering input! Cheers, Kel.
The rs2000 group 4 car, was using a dual overhead cam, 4cyl, 2l BDG engine producing about 250-270 bhp. The BDG engine is an evolution of the BDE, a formula 2 engine. It weighs about 980 kg, uses a 5speed ZF gearbox and a ZF Limited sleep differential.
That’s powered by a 2.5 Millington Diamond engine 350+BHP, 6 speed Samsonas sequential gearbox, not sure on the diff and I’m fairly sure it’s significantly lighter than 980kg
First gen Mk1 Escort ran a 1.6 Ltd twin cam 8 valve engine designed by Lotus this was then replace by the legendary Cosworth BDA series start with a 1.6 ltr twin cam 16 valve with the final version bored out to 2.0 ltr with about 275 bhp in the last gen works Mk2 Escorts. There have been far to many tweaks and evolutions from the Mk1 through to the Last WRC winning cars .this was a car every teenager in the late 70's through to the 80's the Escort is a legend in the UK and Ireland. Just like Lancia is to Italians or Audi to Germans . This very modern Mk2 Escort is part of the legendry Irish Tarmac Championship were a whole host of crazy RWD cars are still used that have long been out of competition in the WRC . These car are running very modern engines and drive systems and suspensions. The choice engine is now the Millington 2.5 ltr normally asperarated engine that can produce from 325 to 355 bhp with 245 to 255 LBs -ft Torque a figure only dreamed of back at the end of the Escorts WRC life in 1984 I think was when the Escort could no longer be used in most official rally though the car was still the main stay of Club rallying well into the 90's . There was a point were old cars could be picked up for a few 1000 pounds 2nd hand even BDA cars could be found for 4000 pounds .my cousin picked up a AAA rally championship Mk1 for about 3000 pounds ok that was still a lot of money back then. Just basically a RS 2000 spec so single overhead cam eight valves much built to Stage 3 spec bored out to 2.1 ltr balanced and all the rest of the stage 3 bits . Twin 50 carbs she put out about 190 Bhp on a good day. Everythjng stripped to the minimum bar the seat and safty items . Proberly talk about 800 kg dry . That thing was a missile 50 mph in first gear and 130 max 60 in about 6 sec which was quick in 1988 still we wanted to take it rallying but like all motorsports it is expensive , he move down to the south of the UK with his then Girlfriend and the car was later sold and I now live in Northern Germany , we were both crazy rally fans back then the Escort has a special place in my Heart along with Lancia's cars and the Quattro . These days to you would have not much change from 100.000 pounds or Euros to buy a genuine Mk1 or MK2 Rally version in original spec . In fact the Escort is still so popular that a guy in Wales builds completely new Mk1 and Mk2 RS spec Escorts using both original BDA series engines or modern production series Ford engine like the Eco tech 1.6 and 2.0 ltr power units tuned to the same spec or above as the original cars with all the advantages of modern power units . You can spec the interior full rally spec with all the safty items or basically anything you want. If you are really crazy you can run those Millington engine from 2.5 through to 2.8 ltrs and his prices are not to steep for a basic 2.0 ltr spec with 275 bhp is a lot cheaper than buying an original car.
The Man has style in the Car and out, not just him either also the people around him, clearly drives the car for fun for himself and the entertainment of others, long may the sideways continue Thank you Team Kelly.
the pendulum turns this man pulls is next level, usually you see the cars only go from one direction to the other but this man goes left right then left again.
Frank is a hero & a legend over here in the UK. On a different note i have co driven in a similar car to this in the 80`s, & you have no idea how noisy they are inside the cab with induction roar.
Look into the driver Georg Plasa. He drove insane BMWs with Judd V8 Engines. Judd makes heritage F1 engines and stuff like that, so these cars are just insane. He raced alot of european hillclimbs with those beasts and there are multiple videos about him and the cars. He's a legend, may he rest in peace
Hardest bit of that car build was getting the drivers and navigators balls in through the doors and then finding somewhere for them in the cabin..........
the motto of any rally escort driver "If in doubt - flat out". might be slower than modern WRC but so much more entertaining to watch. most of them run a 16v 2.5L 4cyl built by Millington, considered the best of the best, with a price match to go with it. they are things of beauty, crazy redline and amazing power for the size. the cars weigh around 900kg (2000lb) and any escort handles really well, mine isnt anyway near as developed but its a very predicable and compliant car, you can just grab it by the scruff of the neck and make it dance, really good fun.
Counter turning before entering the corner is called the scandinavian flick. Named because the crazy Finns invented that in the early 70s. It is to transfer the weight for max grip while sliding. This way is faster in a rwd vehicle if you can really drive. These usually has either modded Duratec engines from late ish fords, modified, or Warrior engines which is twin cam Pinto based engine. (Pinto looks like a Lima engine fitted to a lot of US sold Ford as Capri, Thunderbird among a few, but it is different in nearly all of the parts). I also recomend to watch late Simon McKinley in his Escort Mk2. He drove way wider than this chap and at full power at all times. You will not belive what you are gonna watching, that's for sure! Like you channel! Cheers from Norway!
This guy sure knows how to do a Scandinavian flick. I think the rally escort was powered by a 4 cylinder engine tuned by cosworth.You can check out collin McRae. This guy is very crazy and does not even use brakes. Ken block's gymkhana 3 too is bonkers.
My father was rallying mk1 Ford escorts with 2litre lotus twin cam engines in the equivilent of the wrc rally uk, in the early 1970's (finishing as the highest privateer entry, and entry in the guineas book of records). The school run could be a lot of fun.
The mk2 Escort was so easy to slide around, I had a 2.0 RS in the eighties, never felt out of control. Sadly only had the SOHC engine, not the Lotus/Cosworth DOHC that this guy would be running. They all came with a great gearbox too, short positive shifts, good syncro's, and handled a lot of power.
Frank Kelly was a genuine nutter in his Escort. Off memory I believe the engine is a Millington 2.4cc putting out in the region of 300 bhp, the engines are so robust they rev to 9000rpm, probably beyond and of course a sequential gearbox not much different to a motorbike in reality. Frank Kelly was at one with his car and was taken from us far too soon in a freak Motorsport accident away from rallying.
Pretty sure they have some build vids for Baby Blue (Thats the car's name BTW) over on their channel. Franks always up there on the entertainment factor.. Gotta love the old modified RWD class. If you want to see tight stages, Andrew Nesbitt on Knockalla (old vid now), the top section of the stage after the famous hill-climb is some of the narrowest lanes you'll ever see being raced.
Scandinavian flick like a God. Once you get a grasp of how it works, and practice it, on a begginers level it becomes "easy" (by that I mean it becomes second nature)... but that... my friend... it takes cojones!!!!!
Kelly is a legend! Highly recommended checking out more of him. The ford escort was very much the "mustang" of the british isles. Everyones dad had one and people loved racing the fast ones. Check out the Escort Mexico, if youre interested in the cars themselves! Edit: plenty of old boys still modifying them too, carbon floors etc..
Powerslides on a turn in 2 wheel, rear wheel drives, is done by flicking the wheel away from the turn, then using the handbrake to spin the back around the corner, and as soon as it lines up, handbrake off and floor it.
The navigator's job is very hard . You have keep calm , read out the pace notes clearly, be able to keep your head down and read the pace notes without throwing up , keep on the distance meter (reads down to 10 metres) reset the meter for turns etc , read out instructions for 2 or 3 turns ahead, withstand the bumps and g-forces while keeping the driver under control.
If you want to see another nutter in the world of rally check out the 'm for martyn Jones' video. The guy drives a little 1400 nova like an absolute maniac, routinely finishes in the top 5 overall against far more powerful machines. A masterpiece of getting a huge amount of speed out of a nimble, lightweight, underpowered car.
Frank’s engine is a 2.5l Diamond Millington unit based on the Cosworth BDG units the original grp4 cars used. It’s putting out about 345hp and 265ft/lbs torque driving through a 6 speed sequential gearbox that in itself is a thing of beauty. You should also check out Simon McKinley RIP and his white escort hillclimb / sprint car. He was equally nuts as Frank is and his car control was sublime 👌
It would be interesting if you reviewed Kimi Räikkonens performance after his race at Watkins Glen 21 August later this year. There will probably be a pretty huge audience from Scandinavia watching that race and we know nothing about Nascar here but we all love to watch Kimi race. I really like your Rally video reactions, the Scandi flick he does in almost every corner is really useful during winter in Sweden, saved me a few times. I've been a spectator myself at the Swedish rally a few times. And you better step away when that car comes flying by since they wont let off the throttle even if you are on the road (: Spectators also serve as first responders if the drivers crash. First you check that driver and co-driver is ok then you flip them over if they are upside down and help them back on the road to continue. I don't get why Rally aint a big thing in USA but you had fast 1/4mile cars when we had small cars more suited for tight corners here in Europe so different interests I guess.
Glad you enjoy my driving 😂 it’s all about fun at the end of the day and as you can see I enjoy it immensely. Thanks for watching our video! ✌🏻
Yes sir you can plainly see and hear how much you enjoy it. You laughing made me laugh.
I bow down to you Sir! What a legend!
Hair play horse, would love a go at that😁👍🇮🇪
The great man himself. Love the fact you have taken the time to respond. That says it all 🙏🏻
Thank you!!! 😃
The escort is still the best ever Rally car in my opinion. My first car was a baby blue one circa 1985. I loved going to the rallies. Ireland has got to be the best place in the world for rally sports and motorcycle road racing.
Irish rally drivers are among the best to get a mk2 escort to dance on the narrow country lanes of Ireland 🇮🇪
Always loved seeing a plethora of escorts and Ae86's posted from ireland to the isle of man for the manx rally.
Yes, they did that alot with the mantas asconas, chevettes and escorts in the late 70s and 80s. Many good brittish drivers in general on these narrow tarmac roads like Birty Fisher, Russel Brookes, Tony Pond and Jimmy Mcrae.
@@vintageman91 100% i was watching the 1992 circuit of Ireland rally and in the clip is a young Alastair Fisher a man today on top of his game and a brilliant driver,but between the irish tarmac championship and the british rally championship there are still some great drivers there
Escort is beauty and other back thruster i like is ascona opel. Will get one of those in future with all fn hilavitkuttimet on it to get that doorhandle on first at the turns.
there are some good drives in the caribbean as well specifically barbados , those dudes are crazy at rally lol
Frank is a legend over here, always putting a show on and giving the crowds a smile.
The videos you're watching are over several years, at a guess I'd say the earliest engine was probably around 230-240hp and the most recently is the 2.5 Millington diamond engine producing over 320 bhp. The sound of these in person is honestly jizz worthy 😂
They travel to events all around the world and his current co-driver is his daughter.
I can concur, the sound of that engine in person just puts a huge grin on my face 😀
Frank often has his daughter, Lauren as co-driver, you can hear her voice on a few occasions through the video. I believe she also edits and produces the video's for public consumption. Looks like some of the dirt footage was filmed in New Zealand when Frank shipped the car over there a few years ago for a few rallies.
He is using the scandinavian flick a lot, If you want to turn right, you turn left a bit, then you counter streer back to the right, the rear of the car shifts fast and lose grip, then you drift the hell out of the curve, fast way to turn on any surface, and this Frank is a master at this, love your reaction vids man!
Also explained in the Pixar movie Cars :)
@@miklis203 Indeed :)
Turn right to go left! Yes THANK YOU Or should i say NO THANK YOU Because in opposite world that really means THANK YOU!
@@miklis203 Actually no...
What we learned in Cars, was countersteer.
In fact, I don't remember McQueen ever using scandinavian flick in any of the 3 movies.
One of the main points in a Scandinavian flick is that is used to break at the same time.
I love how not only is he himself laughing at times but he makes two different co drivers laugh including the very last one lol
The Female Co Driver is his Daughter 🙂
Frank left a comment on this video too
Have a look for SIMON MCKINLEY "WHITE ESCORT" or "LANT NAUL HILL CLIMB" in his single seater. What a man he was.
Simon was a truly "man possessed" driver, may he rest in peace!
He was a great escort driver.I was watching Simon before I found frank kelly.It was a link from Simon's video that I found frank.Both great escort drivers they make it look easy.But with that much power in an escort they are so easy to spin.
Simon mcinlee a total legend
Mk2 escort flat front. This was the mark that spawned the RS1800 & RS2000 droop snoop fronts
The RS1800 being the gold standard for rally in this era. But this Escort is maybe running a 2lt DOHC ( double overhead cam ) maybe bored out to 2.1 With twin Weber carbs. Much more modern quick shift gear box ( obvs ) rear diff used to be the same as the 3lt S Capri ran.
Who knows what else, it’s an absolute beast. But we had all sorts of rally bits on our early 80’s fords. Spax shocks, K&N filters, revolution wheels, road Yokohama tyres, Janspeed or peco straight through exhausts, kenlow fans. You could easily tweek them up ( maybe not a burton or cosi lump ) but you could coax a few extra HP, they really were hugely apart, but we didn’t think so, just strip away some of the comforts
Carbs normally twin 40’s maybe 45’s gave that great sucking noise and at least one panel in grey primer . Oh the days of our Yoof
He's not even acknowledged your detailed comment 🤷🏼♂️
"hes got the courage, hes got the bravery" and hes got the balls of steel to be doing this
Rally is literally the pinnacle of motorsport, in my opinion.
Rally's "Scandinavian Flick" is the true forfather to Drifting as we know it. Unfortunately it does not explain why some people swing wide before a U-Turn at lights🤨
Some people swing a bit wider so they don't clip their wheels on kerbs.. or they're used to driving an 8 wheeler and they do it out of force of habit.
All professional Rally drivers can make the car dance on the limit,around any corner on any surface.
Love those old rally cars 👌
As the Great Roger Clark said, when rallying the Escort back in the day, "I always felt that if I'm not looking out of the back window, I'm reasonably under control"
Frank is obviously the same.
Brilliant driving Frank!
im trying to remember who said the quote 'you know you are going fast when theres dead flies on the side windows'............might have been walter rohrl
lol...i was right......it was walter rohrl
I remember an RAC rally clip of Roger and his co-driver going down a long straight forest road "90 degree left x distance ahead, it's slippery through here Roger...Roger it's slippery through here..."(car crests rise and goes straight ahead sliding through fence...)"Oohhhhhh ROGER!!!"
Frank Kelly & Colin McRae are without a doubt the 2 most entertaining and legendary drivers to ever bless rallying.
It's got a name. The Scandinavian Flick. You turn in the opposite direction of the bend to set up the back end whipping around the right way on the rebound.
It sounds like a Cosworth BDA engine. But on steroids. These are nearly fifty years old now. 1600 or 1800 double overhead cam Belt Driven Assembly (BDA) four cylinder. These escorts and the Mark ones before them dominated rally in the 70s. With the modern sequential gearbox this one has they would have been untouchable. Wow! Thanks for posting this Ian.
It’s a 2.5ltr Millington Engine with 6 speed quaife sequential gear box & differential. It’s also has a full FIA welded in roll cage & 6 point seats and seat belts. I think he runs Reiger suspension & cooper tyres or whoever sponsors him in a season Obviously It’s a Mk2 Ford escort shell. Ireland have some of the best examples of Mk2 rally cars in the world and their really suited to the ITRC 🇮🇪 ☘️
I believe he have a Millington 2.4 L 16V engine, its a beast. And yeah he is a good driver for sure. I been driving myself for about 20 years ( in Sweden ) and its just awsome.
I love how calm Lauren is ---- absolute trust
My first car aged 16 was a junker powder blue mk2 escort I was forever bolting “rally” accessories onto (it was only a 1300GL) ….this would’ve been around 1984 and around that time we took a drive in my mates souped up fiat uno from Blackpool down to Chatsworth house in Derbyshire to watch the Group B rally stage that was set up to blast through the grounds. I remember the Metro 6R4, Lancia Delta, the Audio Quattro and some kind of Opel Manta GTE…..it was a buzz…happy days!
codriver is also usually calling 2 or 3 corners ahead depending on the team. the cornering technique is a scandi flick. rwd responds better than 4wd
4wd you are on the limit that if you lose ot you are done were as rwd usually can get it out of it Mk.II is a great balanced wee car also
Frank Kelly is a beast and baby blue is also an absolute weapon group 4 escort sequential samsonas box and has a legendary millington diamond + engine
From Australia, i used to own one of those MK2 years ago, kept blowing diffs in it lol, my brother also owns to this day a 2 door MK1, they are like insane go karts with little effort put in.
2.5 Millington 360bhp 6-speed sequential gearbox
All of those clips are just from the Irish rally series. Good few are from the Donegal rally thats held every year in the north east of the island. Its a spectacle to behold. I raced against Frank back then when I was pro-am driving to ProDrive in a MK2, most of them have a 2lt Cosworth 4 banger that will rev all the way to 9000rpm. Serious bit of kit like. Couldn't meet a more down to earth bloke than Frank but by God was he a savage savage driver.
FORD ESCORT MK2
(Group 4 Spec)
Engine: 2.5ltr Series 2+
Millington
Gearbox: Samsonas
6 speed sequential
Axle: Atlas Casing
Gripper LSD 4.4 CWP
Suspension: DMS
4 way adjustable shocks all round
Brakes: Alcon 4 pots front, 2 pots rear - CL brake pads
Wheels: GRP4 Revolutions
Fuel: Panta Race Fuel
Awesome vid. There’s a couple good ones where they do a split screen comparison with Frank’s Escort and Paolo Diana’s Alfa powered Fiat. Both very cool cars and very cool drivers.
Frank has also done some videos on the engine 👍
Engine is a 2.5 litre 4 cylinder Millington Diamond racing engine. It pushes out over 300hp in a super light racing chassis making for an interesting drive!
My first car was a Yellow Ford Escort 1.6 Litre. I out black rally bucket seats in, Chrome racing wheels, front and back spoilers, it was best car ive ever had! Everyone was into moding up their cars in rhe 80s, and Escorts were the most popular, still are really.🙏
🤣 you can tell the navigator is having fun out there but nervous at times. I've been watching Rally since I was 9yrs old loving it.
His daughter who navigates for him. She did a great video of their trip to New Zealand. The roads even scared him on how fast they are. Worth a watch.
Millington Diamond race engines are legendary in the rally world. My eldest son is friends with Roy Millington's son. For my 60th birthday, which happend to coincide with their annual family fun day, I had a guided tour of their workshop, along with a select few other guests. Ken Block was a customer of theirs. The Millington family are lovely people. Maybe you could reaserch them and do a piece on them. They are in a beautiful location in South Shropshire, England.
Mark 1, mark 2 escorts were awesome little cars and the mark 3 XR3I, RS Turbo and mark 4 cosworths were great too. Escort cossie was my dream car for years. But you had to be rich to afford them, not for the price of the car but insurance was usually more than the price of the car lol
Sorry to see baby blue written off Frank, delighted to see everyone ok 👌
Some of the clips are from New Zealand and Australia, also the female wh is calling the notes sometimes is his daughter Lauren
I'm currently in longisland new York on holiday where of course the American muscle cars are floating my boat while I'm here. but to watch the crazy Kelly's at work gets me every time hench why I'm chilling listening to the magical sound of baby blue and it's crazy crew makes me feel at home wife thinks I'm having withdrawal symptoms 😂
The scandinavian flick is a technique rally drivers use a lot
the village i grew up in wales uk had a rally club and after school and weekend i used to help out working on the rally cars mainly ford escorts and got to go to rally stages with the marshalls but the best part at the end of the day being with the rally club i got to go round the stage in a rally car there is no feeling like it love your channel keep up the great work
7:49
Scandinavian (Scandi) Flick. Love it.
So Frank Kelly is an Irish rally god and always go's full send, his car Baby Blue is maybe the most well known and famous Mk2 escort out there. Running a Millington Diamond engine, a 4 cylinder, 16 valve naturally aspirated unit making around 350bhp with a 10,000 rpm red line (don't expect any change out of £50-60k for one running with all the good stuff under the hood) through a 6 speed sequential gearbox to the rear wheels. He still competes, but most of the time (with his daughter now on the notes) he can be seen doing invitational rallys all over the world. His driving style (on the edge of control) has won him a place in the hearts of rally fans the world over.
Feast your eyes and ears on the crazy Kelly's they are the opitomy of fun in a car
I had a mate in the mid-80s over here who had a fully imported Euro-spec RS2000 Escort. He'd made further mods, including a custom LED dashboard (he was an electronics geek), and had fat low-profile tyres before they were cool as well as competition suspension. He took me for a run one night and threw 180 handbrake turns at 100kmh, and drove it like a race ca around town for a while. It was an angry little beast of a 2-door. He went on a holiday and asked me to look after his pride and joy...and I did...until temptation got the better of me and I took it for a drive. Holy shitballs Batman! I flogged this thing. It was a magnet to the road and had no discernable body roll and was very quick. On the way home I took the t-junction corner at about 60kmh. It was slightly off-camber and I got a bit of understeer, hit the gutter, and destroyed one of his $250 rims. I got it home, changed out the spare, and left the busted rim in the boot. Of course, when he got home he inspected the car, saw that there were more miles on the odometer, and proceeded to go right over the car...and found the rim...yeah, he wasn't happy...
The Finns and Scandinavians were the absolute masters of the Ford Escorts back in the 80's Notably Ari Vatanen, Bjorn Waldegard, and the boss of them all Hannu Mikkola
5:20 "2 something" HAHAHA the co driver completly lost it xD
Ulster Rally is an underrated rally! Also the bike road race in Northern Ireland is insane!
He has so many different co-drivers on the video, I wonder how many just quit for fear of their life - they can't take it anymore.
The legendary Frank Kelly, you've found some clips of (the Frank Kelly), good on you homes, this guy has mucho grande cajones,he's the bees knees, yeah Dude, again, out of the park, well done, Sir, blessings upon you guys and gals
LOL both co pilots are pissing themselves at time...the chuckles kills it
That was my first car! A Ford Escort RS2000 with a 2.0ltr and 110HP. Rear Drive and very light weighted... I LOVE IT - and so did rust :/
I still love to see this cars somewhere or in rallye vids. Thanks for showing!!!
When Liam is like "Jaysus christ Kelly" in so many clips🤣
Glad Frank is getting more attention.
Always great watching Baby Blue. Best wishes from Northern Ireland.
You got to love the laughing going on in the car.Some crazy buzz.
The female co driver is Lauren Frank’s daughter. Apart from competing in Ireland Baby Lue has done events all over Europe and even been to Austrakia and New Zealand
Frank Kelly, love him, and his daughter as co driver
G'day, you may see a DMS sticker on Kelly's Escort, Jamie Drummond Motor Sport. Sadly killed in a vehicle crash at Wangaratta. His suspension development and production workshop was here at Wodonga. He exported internationally. Many names from way back when, Peter Glover/Suzie Wiseman,
George Fury/Monty Suffern etc, etc. I service crewed on Glover's B F Goodrich Rally and off-road Escort. Some of the best times of my life. Scandinavian flick does need the front/rear brake bias adjusted correctly. Watch Ari Vatanen Black Escort! Escorts are supreme at throttle steering as opposed to conventional steering input! Cheers, Kel.
The rs2000 group 4 car, was using a dual overhead cam, 4cyl, 2l BDG engine producing about 250-270 bhp. The BDG engine is an evolution of the BDE, a formula 2 engine.
It weighs about 980 kg, uses a 5speed ZF gearbox and a ZF Limited sleep differential.
That’s powered by a 2.5 Millington Diamond engine 350+BHP, 6 speed Samsonas sequential gearbox, not sure on the diff and I’m fairly sure it’s significantly lighter than 980kg
Drift king of rally. 😂😂❤️
First gen Mk1 Escort ran a 1.6 Ltd twin cam 8 valve engine designed by Lotus this was then replace by the legendary Cosworth BDA series start with a 1.6 ltr twin cam 16 valve with the final version bored out to 2.0 ltr with about 275 bhp in the last gen works Mk2 Escorts. There have been far to many tweaks and evolutions from the Mk1 through to the Last WRC winning cars .this was a car every teenager in the late 70's through to the 80's the Escort is a legend in the UK and Ireland. Just like Lancia is to Italians or Audi to Germans . This very modern Mk2 Escort is part of the legendry Irish Tarmac Championship were a whole host of crazy RWD cars are still used that have long been out of competition in the WRC . These car are running very modern engines and drive systems and suspensions. The choice engine is now the Millington 2.5 ltr normally asperarated engine that can produce from 325 to 355 bhp with 245 to 255 LBs -ft Torque a figure only dreamed of back at the end of the Escorts WRC life in 1984 I think was when the Escort could no longer be used in most official rally though the car was still the main stay of Club rallying well into the 90's .
There was a point were old cars could be picked up for a few 1000 pounds 2nd hand even BDA cars could be found for 4000 pounds .my cousin picked up a AAA rally championship Mk1 for about 3000 pounds ok that was still a lot of money back then. Just basically a RS 2000 spec so single overhead cam eight valves much built to Stage 3 spec bored out to 2.1 ltr balanced and all the rest of the stage 3 bits . Twin 50 carbs she put out about 190 Bhp on a good day. Everythjng stripped to the minimum bar the seat and safty items . Proberly talk about 800 kg dry . That thing was a missile 50 mph in first gear and 130 max 60 in about 6 sec which was quick in 1988 still we wanted to take it rallying but like all motorsports it is expensive , he move down to the south of the UK with his then Girlfriend and the car was later sold and I now live in Northern Germany , we were both crazy rally fans back then the Escort has a special place in my Heart along with Lancia's cars and the Quattro . These days to you would have not much change from 100.000 pounds or Euros to buy a genuine Mk1 or MK2 Rally version in original spec .
In fact the Escort is still so popular that a guy in Wales builds completely new Mk1 and Mk2 RS spec Escorts using both original BDA series engines or modern production series Ford engine like the Eco tech 1.6 and 2.0 ltr power units tuned to the same spec or above as the original cars with all the advantages of modern power units . You can spec the interior full rally spec with all the safty items or basically anything you want.
If you are really crazy you can run those Millington engine from 2.5 through to 2.8 ltrs and his prices are not to steep for a basic 2.0 ltr spec with 275 bhp is a lot cheaper than buying an original car.
He is pushing this museum on the wheels to the limits.
you gotta see the late Christoph Clauser in his Audi Quattro and Paulo Diana in his Fiat Abarth 131, the guys are legends
This is the sport you take up when your tired of living- insane
When his Navi is telling him to brake you know he's a nutter!
The Man has style in the Car and out, not just him either also the people around him, clearly drives the car for fun for himself and the entertainment of others, long may the sideways continue Thank you Team Kelly.
the pendulum turns this man pulls is next level, usually you see the cars only go from one direction to the other but this man goes left right then left again.
Frank is a hero & a legend over here in the UK. On a different note i have co driven in a similar car to this in the 80`s, & you have no idea how noisy they are inside the cab with induction roar.
My 1980 Escort had the Pinto 2 litre 4 cyl. So many mods available Great little car Mine was the 4 door.
you really should check out colin mcrae - The Tragic Story of Rally's Most Fearless Driver . that man was the most crazy man of the wrc world.
Frank is a legend...🇮🇪
8:00 called the Scandinavian flick
Look into the driver Georg Plasa. He drove insane BMWs with Judd V8 Engines. Judd makes heritage F1 engines and stuff like that, so these cars are just insane. He raced alot of european hillclimbs with those beasts and there are multiple videos about him and the cars. He's a legend, may he rest in peace
OMG the amount of times I've tried to direct him to Plasa, that V8 Judd is an absolute animal! And the soundtrack? 😍😍😍😍🤤🤤🤤🤤
Thanks for bringing a big smile and some memories of a more youthful me from back in the day.
@8.02. Its called Scandinavian flick son. Invited by Scandinavians and perfected by Frank Kelly.
Hardest bit of that car build was getting the drivers and navigators balls in through the doors and then finding somewhere for them in the cabin..........
Eh? Navigator is often his daughter, Lauren.
the motto of any rally escort driver "If in doubt - flat out". might be slower than modern WRC but so much more entertaining to watch.
most of them run a 16v 2.5L 4cyl built by Millington, considered the best of the best, with a price match to go with it. they are things of beauty, crazy redline and amazing power for the size. the cars weigh around 900kg (2000lb) and any escort handles really well, mine isnt anyway near as developed but its a very predicable and compliant car, you can just grab it by the scruff of the neck and make it dance, really good fun.
At 5.55 he had "Mad bastard" wrote in his notes 😂😂😂
Counter turning before entering the corner is called the scandinavian flick. Named because the crazy Finns invented that in the early 70s. It is to transfer the weight for max grip while sliding. This way is faster in a rwd vehicle if you can really drive.
These usually has either modded Duratec engines from late ish fords, modified, or Warrior engines which is twin cam Pinto based engine. (Pinto looks like a Lima engine fitted to a lot of US sold Ford as Capri, Thunderbird among a few, but it is different in nearly all of the parts).
I also recomend to watch late Simon McKinley in his Escort Mk2. He drove way wider than this chap and at full power at all times. You will not belive what you are gonna watching, that's for sure!
Like you channel!
Cheers from Norway!
So glad you checked frank out
This guy sure knows how to do a Scandinavian flick. I think the rally escort was powered by a 4 cylinder engine tuned by cosworth.You can check out collin McRae. This guy is very crazy and does not even use brakes. Ken block's gymkhana 3 too is bonkers.
I believe the engine in that Escort is putting out approximately 300hp.
The female navigator in some of the in-car clips is his daughter.
350hp
That turn is called the Norwegian flick:)
My father was rallying mk1 Ford escorts with 2litre lotus twin cam engines in the equivilent of the wrc rally uk, in the early 1970's (finishing as the highest privateer entry, and entry in the guineas book of records). The school run could be a lot of fun.
This has come to be one of my favorite rally videos. So much great humor here 😂❤
Superb video! Superb driver! Thanks for introducing me to Frank Kelly. 🙂
I love it, the co-drivers are in stitches.
The mk2 Escort was so easy to slide around, I had a 2.0 RS in the eighties, never felt out of control. Sadly only had the SOHC engine, not the Lotus/Cosworth DOHC that this guy would be running.
They all came with a great gearbox too, short positive shifts, good syncro's, and handled a lot of power.
its a 2.5litre Millington lump in the car
Frank Kelly was a genuine nutter in his Escort. Off memory I believe the engine is a Millington 2.4cc putting out in the region of 300 bhp, the engines are so robust they rev to 9000rpm, probably beyond and of course a sequential gearbox not much different to a motorbike in reality. Frank Kelly was at one with his car and was taken from us far too soon in a freak Motorsport accident away from rallying.
Pretty sure they have some build vids for Baby Blue (Thats the car's name BTW) over on their channel.
Franks always up there on the entertainment factor.. Gotta love the old modified RWD class.
If you want to see tight stages, Andrew Nesbitt on Knockalla (old vid now), the top section of the stage after the famous hill-climb is some of the narrowest lanes you'll ever see being raced.
Scandinavian flick like a God. Once you get a grasp of how it works, and practice it, on a begginers level it becomes "easy" (by that I mean it becomes second nature)... but that... my friend... it takes cojones!!!!!
Kelly is a legend! Highly recommended checking out more of him.
The ford escort was very much the "mustang" of the british isles. Everyones dad had one and people loved racing the fast ones.
Check out the Escort Mexico, if youre interested in the cars themselves!
Edit: plenty of old boys still modifying them too, carbon floors etc..
Powerslides on a turn in 2 wheel, rear wheel drives, is done by flicking the wheel away from the turn, then using the handbrake to spin the back around the corner, and as soon as it lines up, handbrake off and floor it.
The navigator's job is very hard . You have keep calm , read out the pace notes clearly, be able to keep your head down and read the pace notes without throwing up , keep on the distance meter (reads down to 10 metres) reset the meter for turns etc , read out instructions for 2 or 3 turns ahead, withstand the bumps and g-forces while keeping the driver under control.
If you want to see another nutter in the world of rally check out the 'm for martyn Jones' video. The guy drives a little 1400 nova like an absolute maniac, routinely finishes in the top 5 overall against far more powerful machines.
A masterpiece of getting a huge amount of speed out of a nimble, lightweight, underpowered car.
The secret to controlled drifting is accelerating and braking at the right moment 😁
Frank’s engine is a 2.5l Diamond Millington unit based on the Cosworth BDG units the original grp4 cars used. It’s putting out about 345hp and 265ft/lbs torque driving through a 6 speed sequential gearbox that in itself is a thing of beauty.
You should also check out Simon McKinley RIP and his white escort hillclimb / sprint car. He was equally nuts as Frank is and his car control was sublime 👌
In German the "Navigation-/Notebook' is called 'Gebetsbuch" (Book of Prayers). Gues why...😂
My uncle drove a escort in rally, and later he work on them. The escort he later worked on we changed the gear box an used a BMW one.
Met Frank in person at the Rallye Oberehe in germany last weekend. What an absolute legend.
It would be interesting if you reviewed Kimi Räikkonens performance after his race at Watkins Glen 21 August later this year.
There will probably be a pretty huge audience from Scandinavia watching that race and we know nothing about Nascar here but we all love to watch Kimi race.
I really like your Rally video reactions, the Scandi flick he does in almost every corner is really useful during winter in Sweden, saved me a few times.
I've been a spectator myself at the Swedish rally a few times. And you better step away when that car comes flying by since they wont let off the throttle even if you are on the road (:
Spectators also serve as first responders if the drivers crash. First you check that driver and co-driver is ok then you flip them over if they are upside down and help them back on the road to continue.
I don't get why Rally aint a big thing in USA but you had fast 1/4mile cars when we had small cars more suited for tight corners here in Europe so different interests I guess.
The Escort was known for staying flat. Epic rally car and driver.