1981 World Rally Championship season
Encyclopedia
The 1981 World Rally Championship season was the ninth season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is a non-profit association established as the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users...

 (FIA) World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...

 (WRC). The season consisted of 12 rallies
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...

. While this number was the same as the previous year, one change was made to the schedule, replacing New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 with the Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

.

The 1981 World Rally Championship for Drivers was won by Ari Vatanen
Ari Vatanen
Ari Pieti Uolevi Vatanen is a Finnish rally driver turned politician and Member of the European Parliament 1999–2009. Vatanen won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1981 and the Paris Dakar Rally four times....

 driving a Rothmans Rally Team Ford Escort RS1800, the only time a privateer team has won the Drivers' Championship. The Makes' Championship was won by Talbot
Talbot
Talbot was an automobile marque that existed from 1903 to 1986, with a hiatus from 1960 to 1978, under a number of different owners, latterly under Peugeot...

 with their Sunbeam Lotus
Chrysler Sunbeam
The Chrysler Sunbeam is a small supermini 3-door hatchback manufactured by Chrysler Europe at the former Rootes Group factory in Linwood in Scotland. The Sunbeam's development was funded by a British government grant with the aim to keep the Linwood plant running, and the small car was based on the...

. It also saw the beginning of a new era in the sport with the arrival of the Audi Quattro
Audi Quattro
The Audi Quattro is a road and rally car, produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi, now part of the Volkswagen Group. It was first shown at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show on 3 March.The word quattro is derived from the Italian word for "four"...

, the first four-wheel drive rally car. Initially regarded as too heavy and complex for rally stages, it proved its worth with three wins in its debut season, including a maiden victory for Michèle Mouton
Michèle Mouton
Michèle Mouton is a French former rally driver. Competing in the World Rally Championship for the Audi factory team, she took four victories and finished runner-up in the drivers' world championship in 1982...

 at the Rallye Sanremo
Rallye Sanremo
Rallye Sanremo is a rally competition held in Sanremo, Italy. Except for the 1995 event, the event was part of the FIA World Rally Championship schedule from the 1973 season to the 2003 season. Currently, it is a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and the Italian national rally...

, the only woman to win a WRC event.

Championships

align=center style="background:#BFD7FF"| 1981 World Rally Championship for Manufacturers
Rank Manufacturers Event Total
points
 
MON
 
SWE
Swedish Rally
The Uddeholm Swedish Rally , formerly the Swedish Rally, is an automobile rally competition held in Värmland, Sweden in early February. First held in 1950, when it was called the Rally to the Midnight Sun with start and finish at separate locations, seventeen years later both start and finish...

 
POR
 
KEN
Safari Rally
The Safari Rally is considered by many to be the world's toughest rally. It was first held from 27 May to 1 June 1953 as the East African Coronation Safari in Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika, as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II...

 
FRA
 
GRC
Acropolis Rally Greece
The Acropolis Rally of Greece |Rally]] of Greece) is a rally competition, part of the World Rally Championship schedule. The rally is held on very dusty, rough and rocky mountain roads around Athens during the Greek hot summer period. The rally is known for being extremely tough on the competing...

 
ARG
Rally Argentina
The Rally Argentina is an Argentine rally competition that has been both a round of the World Rally Championship and also the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. The rally is also a round of the South American Rally Championship and the Argentine Rally Championship...

 
BRA
 
FIN
Rally Finland
The Neste Oil Rally Finland is a rally event driven in the Jyväskylä area in Central Finland. It is the biggest annually organised public event in the Nordic countries, gathering over 500,000 spectators every year....

 
ITA
Rallye Sanremo
Rallye Sanremo is a rally competition held in Sanremo, Italy. Except for the 1995 event, the event was part of the FIA World Rally Championship schedule from the 1973 season to the 2003 season. Currently, it is a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and the Italian national rally...

 
CIV
Rallye Côte d'Ivoire
The Rallye Côte d'Ivoire is a rally race held annually in Côte d'Ivoire in Africa. In common with other races on the continent, it is known for its arduous conditions and high attrition rate among competitors. It was part of the World Rally Championship for drivers and manufacturers from 1978 to...

 
GBR
Rally GB
Wales Rally GB is the largest and most high profile motor rally in the United Kingdom. It is a round of the FIA World Rally Championship and was formerly a round of the MSA British Rally Championship and is based in and around the city of Cardiff in Wales...

1 Talbot
Talbot
Talbot was an automobile marque that existed from 1903 to 1986, with a hiatus from 1960 to 1978, under a number of different owners, latterly under Peugeot...

17 - 17 - 17 15 18 - - 17 - 16 117
2   Datsun
Datsun
Datsun was an automobile marque. The name was created in 1931 by the DAT Motorcar Co. for a new car model, spelling it as "Datson" to indicate its smaller size when compared to the existing, larger DAT car. Later, in 1933 after Nissan Motor Co., Ltd...

- - 13 18 15 13 17 - 12 - 18 - 106
3   Ford - - 9 - 12 18 - - 18 7 - 16 80
4   Opel
Opel
Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...

15 - 11 12 8 - - - 8 15 - - 69
5   Audi
Audi
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....

- - 13 - - - - - 14 18 - 18 63
6   Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...

8 - 18 - - 16 - - 16 5 - - 63
7   Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...

18 - - - 7 10 15 - - - - 11 61
8   Toyota - - 15 - 11 - - - 3 - 16 9 54
9   Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...

- - - 10 - 4 12 - - - 11 - 37
10   Lancia
Lancia
Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Some modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...

10 - - - 18 - - - - - - - 28
11   Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....

4 - - - 15 - - - - - - - 19
12   Škoda
Škoda Auto
Škoda Auto , more commonly known as Škoda, is an automobile manufacturer based in the Czech Republic. Škoda became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group in 2000, positioned as the entry brand to the group...

- - - - - 8 - - - - - - 8
13   Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....

- - - 6 - - - - - - - - 6
14   Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi
The Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...

- - - - - - - - 1 - - 3 4

align=center style="background:#BFD7FF"| 1981 World Rally Championship point awards for manufacturers
Overall
finish
Group finish
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 18 - - - - - - - - -
2 17 16 - - - - - - - -
3 16 15 14 - - - - - - -
4 15 14 13 12 - - - - - -
5 14 13 12 11 10 - - - - -
6 13 12 11 10 9 8 - - - -
7 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 - - -
8 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 - -
9 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 -
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1

align=center style="background:#BFD7FF"| 1981 World Rally Championship for Drivers
Rank Driver Event Total
points
 
MON
 
SWE
Swedish Rally
The Uddeholm Swedish Rally , formerly the Swedish Rally, is an automobile rally competition held in Värmland, Sweden in early February. First held in 1950, when it was called the Rally to the Midnight Sun with start and finish at separate locations, seventeen years later both start and finish...

 
POR
 
KEN
Safari Rally
The Safari Rally is considered by many to be the world's toughest rally. It was first held from 27 May to 1 June 1953 as the East African Coronation Safari in Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika, as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II...

 
FRA
 
GRC
Acropolis Rally Greece
The Acropolis Rally of Greece |Rally]] of Greece) is a rally competition, part of the World Rally Championship schedule. The rally is held on very dusty, rough and rocky mountain roads around Athens during the Greek hot summer period. The rally is known for being extremely tough on the competing...

 
ARG
Rally Argentina
The Rally Argentina is an Argentine rally competition that has been both a round of the World Rally Championship and also the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. The rally is also a round of the South American Rally Championship and the Argentine Rally Championship...

 
BRA
 
FIN
Rally Finland
The Neste Oil Rally Finland is a rally event driven in the Jyväskylä area in Central Finland. It is the biggest annually organised public event in the Nordic countries, gathering over 500,000 spectators every year....

 
ITA
Rallye Sanremo
Rallye Sanremo is a rally competition held in Sanremo, Italy. Except for the 1995 event, the event was part of the FIA World Rally Championship schedule from the 1973 season to the 2003 season. Currently, it is a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and the Italian national rally...

 
CIV
Rallye Côte d'Ivoire
The Rallye Côte d'Ivoire is a rally race held annually in Côte d'Ivoire in Africa. In common with other races on the continent, it is known for its arduous conditions and high attrition rate among competitors. It was part of the World Rally Championship for drivers and manufacturers from 1978 to...

 
GBR
Rally GB
Wales Rally GB is the largest and most high profile motor rally in the United Kingdom. It is a round of the FIA World Rally Championship and was formerly a round of the MSA British Rally Championship and is based in and around the city of Cardiff in Wales...

1   Ari Vatanen
Ari Vatanen
Ari Pieti Uolevi Vatanen is a Finnish rally driver turned politician and Member of the European Parliament 1999–2009. Vatanen won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1981 and the Paris Dakar Rally four times....

0 15 0 - - 20 0 20 20 4 2 15 96
2   Guy Fréquelin
Guy Fréquelin
Guy Fréquelin is a former French rally and sports car driver.Perhaps Fréquelin's finest hour as a driver came when he finished runner-up only to Ari Vatanen, alongside then-navigator Jean Todt, at the wheel of a briefly competitive Sunbeam Lotus Talbot in the driver's classification of the 1981...

15 - 6 0 15 10 20 15 - 0 8 0 89
3   Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Olavi Mikkola is a retired world champion rally driver. He was a seven time winner of the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland and won the RAC Rally in Great Britain four times.- Career :...

0 20 0 - 0 0 - - 12 10 - 20 62
4   Markku Alén
Markku Alén
Markku Allan Alén is a Finnish former rally and race car driver. He drove for Fiat, Lancia, Subaru and Toyota in the World Rally Championship, and held the record for most stage wins in the series until 2011...

4 - 20 - - 15 - - 15 2 - 0 56
5   Shekhar Mehta
Shekhar Mehta
Chandrashekhar "Shekhar" Mehta was a Ugandan-born Kenyan rally driver. He won the Safari Rally a record five times , including four consecutively, and in 1981 finished fifth in the World Rally Championship...

- - - 20 - 8 15 0 - - 12 - 55
6   Timo Salonen
Timo Salonen
Timo Salonen is a Finnish former rally driver and the 1985 world champion for Peugeot. It was commented of him that he stood out from other drivers, because he was overweight, wore thick glasses and smoked heavily, but still remained one of the fastest and most competitive drivers in the sport...

- - 0 10 0 0 0 - 10 0 20 0 40
7   Henri Toivonen
Henri Toivonen
Henri Pauli Toivonen was a Finnish rally driver born in Jyväskylä, the home of Rally Finland. His father, Pauli Toivonen, was the 1968 European Rally Champion for Porsche and his brother, Harri Toivonen, became a professional circuit racer.Toivonen's first World Rally Championship victory came...

8 - 15 - 0 0 - - 0 15 - 0 38
8   Michèle Mouton
Michèle Mouton
Michèle Mouton is a French former rally driver. Competing in the World Rally Championship for the Audi factory team, she took four victories and finished runner-up in the drivers' world championship in 1982...

0 - 10 - 0 0 - - 0 20 - 0 30
9   Pentti Airikkala
Pentti Airikkala
Pentti Airikkala , was one of the 'Flying Finns' who dominated world rallying in the past four decades...

- 12 - - - - - - 8 - - 10 30
10   Per Eklund
Per Eklund
Per Eklund, born on June 26, 1946 in Skönnerud , Eda Municipality of Värmland in Sweden, is a Rally and Rallycross driver who lives in Arvika. His nickname is "Pekka". In rallying he never made it to the very top but he has been very successful in his later rallycross career.- Saab works...

0 2 0 - 6 0 - - 0 - 15 6 29
11   Jean Ragnotti
Jean Ragnotti
Jean "Jeannot" Ragnotti , is a French former rally driver for Renault in the World Rally Championship....

20 - - - 0 - - - - - - 8 28
12   Bernard Darniche
Bernard Darniche
Bernard Darniche is a French former rally driver. He won the European Rally Championship in 1976 and 1977 and the French Rally Championship in 1976 and 1978, each time behind the wheel of a Lancia Stratos...

6 - - - 20 - - - - - - - 26
13   Stig Blomqvist
Stig Blomqvist
"Stig" Lennart Blomqvist is a Swedish rally driver. He made his international breakthrough in 1971. Driving an Audi Quattro for the Audi factory team, Blomqvist won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1984 and finished runner-up in 1985...

- 8 - - - - - - 3 - - 12 23
14   Jorge Recalde
Jorge Recalde
Jorge Raúl Recalde was an Argentine rally driver born in Mina Clavero.Recalde had a great knowledge of the roads of the Sierras de Córdoba, and began racing in 1970 in the "Turismo Mejorado" class...

- - - - - - 12 10 - - - - 22
15   Anders Kulläng
Anders Kulläng
Anders Kulläng is a former rally driver, who won the 1980 Swedish Rally.-Career:Kulläng began his rallying career in 1962. He competed in the first ever World Rally Championship round, the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally, in an Opel Ascona. He continued to compete on WRC rounds for Opel until 1981,...

10 10 0 0 - 0 - - 0 - - 2 22
16   Jochi Kleint 12 - - 8 - 0 - - - - - - 20
  Tony Pond
Tony Pond
Tony Pond was a well-known British rally driver.-Career:His first outings in a rally car were on the then regular Saturday night road rallies in the home counties around London, driving a Mini Cooper S...

- - 8 - 12 - - - - 0 - 0 20
18   Björn Waldegård
Björn Waldegård
Björn Waldegård from Rimbo is a former Swedish rally driver, and the winner of the inaugural World Rally Championship for drivers in 1979...

3 - 12 - 0 0 - - 2 - 0 0 17
19   Rauno Aaltonen
Rauno Aaltonen
Rauno August Aaltonen , also known as "The Rally Professor", is a Finnish former professional rally driver who competed in the World Rally Championship throughout the 1970s. Before WRC was established Aaltonen competed in the European Rally Championship. He won the championship in 1965, with Tony...

0 - - 15 - - - - - - - - 15
20   Mike Kirkland - - - 12 - - - - - - - - 12
  Attilio Bettega
Attilio Bettega
Attilio Bettega was an Italian rally driver.Bettega was born in Molveno, Trentino. In 1982, he joined the Lancia squad driving the Lancia 037 after some years with Fiat. In his Lancia years he gained four podium finishes in rallies counting towards the World Rally Championship...

0 - 0 - - 12 - - - 0 - - 12
  Domingo De Vitta - - - - - - 0 12 - - - - 12
  Antonio Fassina
Antonio Fassina
Antonio "Tony" Fassina is a former rally driver from Italy. He won the Italian Rally Championship in 1976 and 1979 driving a Lancia Stratos, and then again in 1981 behind the wheel of an Opel Ascona. In 1982, he drove the Ascona to victory in the European Rally Championship...

- - - - - - - - - 12 - - 12
24   Björn Johansson - 6 - - - - - - 6 - - 0 12
25   Terry Kaby - - - - 8 - - - - - - 3 11
26   Jean-Pierre Ballet 0 - - - 10 - - - - - - - 10
  Ernesto Soto - - - - - - 10 - - - - - 10
  Michel Mitri - - - - - - - - - - 10 - 10
29   Ricardo Albertengo - - - - - - 8 - - - - - 10
  Carlos Torres - - 0 - - - - 8 - - - - 8
  Luigi Battistolli - - - - - - - - - 8 - - 8
32   Lasse Lampi - 4 - - - - - - 4 - - 0 8
33   Jean-Claude Lefèbvre - - - 6 - - - - - - - - 6
  Iórgos Moschous - - - - - 6 - - - - - - 6
  Luis Etchegoyen - - - - - - 6 - - - - - 6
  Gustavo Trelles
Gustavo Trelles
Gustavo Trelles is a Uruguayan former rally driver. He competed actively in the World Rally Championship from 1988 to 1993, mainly with a Lancia Delta Integrale, and from 1996 to 2002, mainly with a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution....

- - - - - - - 6 - - - - 6
  Miki Biasion - - - - - - - - - 6 - - 6
  Alain Ambrosino
Alain Ambrosino
Alain Ambrosino is a French rally driver, who won the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire in 1988, a round of the World Rally Championship.-Career:...

- - - 0 - - - - - - 6 - 6
39   Sören Nilsson - - - - - - 1 4 - - - - 5
  Horacio Maglione - 1 - - - - - - - - - 4 5
41   Rafael 'Cid' - - 4 - - - - - - - - - 4
  Yoshio Iwashita - - - 4 - - - - - - - - 4
  Jean-Michel Tichadou - - - - 4 - - - - - - - 4
  'Carlo
Carlo
Carlo can refer to:*Carl *Monte Carlo*Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia*A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince Charles....

'
- - - - - 4 - - - - - - 4
  Federico West - - - - - - 4 - - - - - 4
  Samir Assef - - - - - - - - - - 4 - 4
47   Ola Strömberg - 3 - - - - - - - - - - 3
  Manuel Queirós Pereira - - 3 - - - - - - - - - 3
  Jayant Shah - - - 3 - - - - - - - - 3
  Gérard Swaton - - - - 3 - - - - - - - 3
  Václav Blahna - - - - - 3 - - - - - - 3
  Luís Romero
Luis Romero
Luis Alberto Romero is a former Uruguayan footballer currently played for clubs of Uruguay, Peru and Italy....

- - - - - - 3 - - - - - 3
  Julio Berges - - - - - - - 3 - - - - 3
  Dario Cerrato 0 - 0 - - - - - - 3 - - 3
  Jacques Durieu - - - - - - - - - - 3 - 3
56   Jacques Alméras 2 - - - 0 - - - - - - - 2
  Joaquim Moutinho
Joaquim Moutinho
Joaquim Moutinho da Silva Santos is a former Portuguese rally driver, who won the Rally de Portugal in 1986, a round of the World Rally Championship...

- - 2 - - - - - - - - - 2
  Malcolm Smith
Malcolm Smith (motorcyclist)
Malcolm Smith is a Hall of Fame American off-road racer.-Career:Smith first raced in 1956 atop a 1949 Matchless 500cc motorcycle. Later, he was associated with Husqvarna motorcycles. His renown grew as he won races in the 1960s and 1970s...

- - - 2 - - - - - - - - 2
  Camille Bartoli - - - - 2 - - - - - - - 2
  Pavlos Moschoutis - - - - - 2 - - - - - - 2
  Miguel Tubal - - - - - - 2 - - - - - 2
  Maria Carmo Zacarias - - - - - - - 2 - - - - 2
63   Alain Coppier 1 - - - 0 - - - - - - - 1
  Kenjiro Shinozuka
Kenjiro Shinozuka
is a Japanese rally driver. Since his debut in 1967, his greatest successes have been as a works driver for Mitsubishi Motors. Behind the wheel of a Galant VR-4 he won the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship in 1988 and scored consecutive victories in the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire Bandama in 1991 and 1992,...

- - 1 - - - - - - - - - 1
  Rod Hall - - - 1 - - - - - - - - 1
  Jean-Felix Farrucci - - - - 1 - - - - - - - 1
  Claude Laurent 0 - - - - 1 - - 0 - 0 0 1
  Antero Laine - - - - - - - - 1 0 - 0 1
  Federico Ormezzano - - - - - - - - - 1 - - 1
  Roger Clark
Roger Clark
Roger Albert Clark, MBE, was a British rally driver during the 1960s and '70s, and the first competitor from his country to win a World Rally Championship event when he triumphed at the 1976 RAC Rally.-Biography:...

- - - - - - - - - - - 1 1

align=center style="background:#BFD7FF"| 1981 World Rally Championship point awards for drivers
Points awarded by finish 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th
20 15 12 10 8 6 4 3 2 1

Events

align=center style="background:#BFD7FF"| 1981 World Rally Championship event map
Black = Tarmac Brown = Gravel Blue = Snow/Ice Red = Mixed Surface

align=center style="background:#BFD7FF"| 1981 World Rally Championship schedule and results
Round Rally name Stages Podium finishers
Rank Driver Co-driver Car Time
1  
49ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo
(January 24–30)
32 stages
757 km
Tarmac
1   Jean Ragnotti
Jean Ragnotti
Jean "Jeannot" Ragnotti , is a French former rally driver for Renault in the World Rally Championship....

  Jean-Marc Andrié Renault 5 Turbo
Renault 5
The Renault 5 was first unveiled on 10 December 1971, being launched at the beginning of 1972.The Renault 5 was styled by Michel Boué, who died before the car's release, the R5 featured a steeply sloping rear hatchback and front dashboard...

9:55:55
2   Guy Fréquelin
Guy Fréquelin
Guy Fréquelin is a former French rally and sports car driver.Perhaps Fréquelin's finest hour as a driver came when he finished runner-up only to Ari Vatanen, alongside then-navigator Jean Todt, at the wheel of a briefly competitive Sunbeam Lotus Talbot in the driver's classification of the 1981...

  Jean Todt
Jean Todt
Jean Todt was born on February 25, 1946, in Pierrefort, Cantal, France. After a successful career as a rally co-driver he made his reputation in motor sport management, first with Peugeot Talbot Sport, then with Scuderia Ferrari, before being appointed Chief Executive Officer of Ferrari from 2004...

Talbot Sunbeam Lotus
Chrysler Sunbeam
The Chrysler Sunbeam is a small supermini 3-door hatchback manufactured by Chrysler Europe at the former Rootes Group factory in Linwood in Scotland. The Sunbeam's development was funded by a British government grant with the aim to keep the Linwood plant running, and the small car was based on the...

9:58:49
3   Jochi Kleint   Gunter Wanger Opel Ascona 400
Opel Ascona
The Opel Ascona was a mid-sized car produced by Opel. It had three generations produced from 1970 to 1988. In motorsport, the Ascona 400 rally car driven by Walter Röhrl won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in the 1982 season....

10:02:54
2  
31st International Swedish Rally
Swedish Rally
The Uddeholm Swedish Rally , formerly the Swedish Rally, is an automobile rally competition held in Värmland, Sweden in early February. First held in 1950, when it was called the Rally to the Midnight Sun with start and finish at separate locations, seventeen years later both start and finish...


(February 13–15)
25 stages
369 km
Snow/Ice
1   Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Olavi Mikkola is a retired world champion rally driver. He was a seven time winner of the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland and won the RAC Rally in Great Britain four times.- Career :...

  Arne Hertz
Arne Hertz
Arne Hertz was a Swedish co-driver in motor rallying.His name first became prominent when co-driving for Stig Blomqvist , with whom he first won the RAC Rally, in 1971. With Blomqvist, in the same year, he also won the Hankiralli, the Swedish Rally and the 1000 Lakes Rally...

Audi Quattro
Audi Quattro
The Audi Quattro is a road and rally car, produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi, now part of the Volkswagen Group. It was first shown at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show on 3 March.The word quattro is derived from the Italian word for "four"...

3:48:07
2   Ari Vatanen
Ari Vatanen
Ari Pieti Uolevi Vatanen is a Finnish rally driver turned politician and Member of the European Parliament 1999–2009. Vatanen won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1981 and the Paris Dakar Rally four times....

David Richards
David Richards (racing)
David Pender Richards CBE is the chairman of Prodrive and Aston Martin, and a former team principal of the BAR and Benetton Formula One motor racing teams. He lives with his wife, Karen, in Warwickshire and has three children....

Ford Escort RS1800 3:50:00
3   Pentti Airikkala
Pentti Airikkala
Pentti Airikkala , was one of the 'Flying Finns' who dominated world rallying in the past four decades...

  Risto Virtanen Ford Escort RS1800 3:51:47
3  
14º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto
(March 4–7)
46 stages
681 km
Gravel/Tarmac
1   Markku Alén
Markku Alén
Markku Allan Alén is a Finnish former rally and race car driver. He drove for Fiat, Lancia, Subaru and Toyota in the World Rally Championship, and held the record for most stage wins in the series until 2011...

  Ilkka Kivimäki Fiat 131 Abarth
Fiat 131
The Fiat 131, additionally called "Mirafiori", is a small/medium family car produced by the Italian car manufacturer Fiat from 1974 to 1984. It was exhibited at 1974 Turin Motor Show....

8:27:26
2   Henri Toivonen
Henri Toivonen
Henri Pauli Toivonen was a Finnish rally driver born in Jyväskylä, the home of Rally Finland. His father, Pauli Toivonen, was the 1968 European Rally Champion for Porsche and his brother, Harri Toivonen, became a professional circuit racer.Toivonen's first World Rally Championship victory came...

Fred Gallagher Talbot Sunbeam Lotus
Chrysler Sunbeam
The Chrysler Sunbeam is a small supermini 3-door hatchback manufactured by Chrysler Europe at the former Rootes Group factory in Linwood in Scotland. The Sunbeam's development was funded by a British government grant with the aim to keep the Linwood plant running, and the small car was based on the...

8:36:36
3   Björn Waldegård
Björn Waldegård
Björn Waldegård from Rimbo is a former Swedish rally driver, and the winner of the inaugural World Rally Championship for drivers in 1979...

  Hans Thorszelius Toyota Celica 2000GT
Toyota Celica
The Toyota Celica name has been applied to a series of coupes made by the Japanese company Toyota. The name is ultimately derived from the Latin word coelica meaning "heavenly" or "celestial"....

8:43:47
4  
29th Safari Rally
Safari Rally
The Safari Rally is considered by many to be the world's toughest rally. It was first held from 27 May to 1 June 1953 as the East African Coronation Safari in Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika, as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II...


(April 16–20)
77 controls
5209 km
Gravel
1   Shekhar Mehta
Shekhar Mehta
Chandrashekhar "Shekhar" Mehta was a Ugandan-born Kenyan rally driver. He won the Safari Rally a record five times , including four consecutively, and in 1981 finished fifth in the World Rally Championship...

  Mike Doughty
Mike Doughty (co-driver)
Mike Doughty is a former Kenyan rally co-driver best known for his work with Shekhar Mehta in the 1970s.- External links :* , Rallybase.nl...

Datsun Violet GT +3:39 pen
2   Rauno Aaltonen
Rauno Aaltonen
Rauno August Aaltonen , also known as "The Rally Professor", is a Finnish former professional rally driver who competed in the World Rally Championship throughout the 1970s. Before WRC was established Aaltonen competed in the European Rally Championship. He won the championship in 1965, with Tony...

  Lofty Drews Datsun Violet GT +3:44 pen
3   Mike Kirkland   Dave Haworth Datsun 160J +4:51 pen
5  
25ème Tour de Corse - Rallye de France
Tour de Corse
The Tour de Corse - Rallye de France is a rally first held in 1956 on the island of Corsica. It was part of the World Rally Championship from the inaugural 1973 season to 2008. The name "Tour de Corse" refers to the fact that in the early days it was run around the island; nowadays it only features...


(April 30–May 2)
24 stages
1144 km
Tarmac
1   Bernard Darniche
Bernard Darniche
Bernard Darniche is a French former rally driver. He won the European Rally Championship in 1976 and 1977 and the French Rally Championship in 1976 and 1978, each time behind the wheel of a Lancia Stratos...

  Alain Mahé Lancia Stratos HF
Lancia Stratos
The Lancia Stratos HF, widely and more simply known as Lancia Stratos, is a car made by Italian car manufacturer Lancia. The HF stands for High Fidelity...

14:26.23
2   Guy Fréquelin
Guy Fréquelin
Guy Fréquelin is a former French rally and sports car driver.Perhaps Fréquelin's finest hour as a driver came when he finished runner-up only to Ari Vatanen, alongside then-navigator Jean Todt, at the wheel of a briefly competitive Sunbeam Lotus Talbot in the driver's classification of the 1981...

  Jean Todt
Jean Todt
Jean Todt was born on February 25, 1946, in Pierrefort, Cantal, France. After a successful career as a rally co-driver he made his reputation in motor sport management, first with Peugeot Talbot Sport, then with Scuderia Ferrari, before being appointed Chief Executive Officer of Ferrari from 2004...

Talbot Sunbeam Lotus
Chrysler Sunbeam
The Chrysler Sunbeam is a small supermini 3-door hatchback manufactured by Chrysler Europe at the former Rootes Group factory in Linwood in Scotland. The Sunbeam's development was funded by a British government grant with the aim to keep the Linwood plant running, and the small car was based on the...

14:42:25
3 Tony Pond
Tony Pond
Tony Pond was a well-known British rally driver.-Career:His first outings in a rally car were on the then regular Saturday night road rallies in the home counties around London, driving a Mini Cooper S...

Ian Grindrod Datsun Violet GT 14:45.29
6  
28th Acropolis Rally
(June 1–4)
57 stages
960 km
Gravel
1   Ari Vatanen
Ari Vatanen
Ari Pieti Uolevi Vatanen is a Finnish rally driver turned politician and Member of the European Parliament 1999–2009. Vatanen won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1981 and the Paris Dakar Rally four times....

David Richards
David Richards (racing)
David Pender Richards CBE is the chairman of Prodrive and Aston Martin, and a former team principal of the BAR and Benetton Formula One motor racing teams. He lives with his wife, Karen, in Warwickshire and has three children....

Ford Escort RS1800 13:17:25
2   Markku Alén
Markku Alén
Markku Allan Alén is a Finnish former rally and race car driver. He drove for Fiat, Lancia, Subaru and Toyota in the World Rally Championship, and held the record for most stage wins in the series until 2011...

  Ilkka Kivimäki Fiat 131 Abarth
Fiat 131
The Fiat 131, additionally called "Mirafiori", is a small/medium family car produced by the Italian car manufacturer Fiat from 1974 to 1984. It was exhibited at 1974 Turin Motor Show....

13:22:00
3   Attilio Bettega
Attilio Bettega
Attilio Bettega was an Italian rally driver.Bettega was born in Molveno, Trentino. In 1982, he joined the Lancia squad driving the Lancia 037 after some years with Fiat. In his Lancia years he gained four podium finishes in rallies counting towards the World Rally Championship...

  Maurizio Perissinot
Maurizio Perissinot
Maurizio Perissinot was an Italian rally co-driver, mainly for Attilio Bettega.He survived the tragic accident at the 1985 Tour de Corse which claimed the life of Bettega....

Fiat 131 Abarth
Fiat 131
The Fiat 131, additionally called "Mirafiori", is a small/medium family car produced by the Italian car manufacturer Fiat from 1974 to 1984. It was exhibited at 1974 Turin Motor Show....

13:25:19
7  
3º Rally Codasur
(July 18–23)
18 stages
1341 km
Gravel
1   Guy Fréquelin
Guy Fréquelin
Guy Fréquelin is a former French rally and sports car driver.Perhaps Fréquelin's finest hour as a driver came when he finished runner-up only to Ari Vatanen, alongside then-navigator Jean Todt, at the wheel of a briefly competitive Sunbeam Lotus Talbot in the driver's classification of the 1981...

  Jean Todt
Jean Todt
Jean Todt was born on February 25, 1946, in Pierrefort, Cantal, France. After a successful career as a rally co-driver he made his reputation in motor sport management, first with Peugeot Talbot Sport, then with Scuderia Ferrari, before being appointed Chief Executive Officer of Ferrari from 2004...

Talbot Sunbeam Lotus
Chrysler Sunbeam
The Chrysler Sunbeam is a small supermini 3-door hatchback manufactured by Chrysler Europe at the former Rootes Group factory in Linwood in Scotland. The Sunbeam's development was funded by a British government grant with the aim to keep the Linwood plant running, and the small car was based on the...

14:22:52
2   Shekhar Mehta
Shekhar Mehta
Chandrashekhar "Shekhar" Mehta was a Ugandan-born Kenyan rally driver. He won the Safari Rally a record five times , including four consecutively, and in 1981 finished fifth in the World Rally Championship...

  Mike Doughty
Mike Doughty (co-driver)
Mike Doughty is a former Kenyan rally co-driver best known for his work with Shekhar Mehta in the 1970s.- External links :* , Rallybase.nl...

Datsun Violet GT 15:01:04
3   Jorge Recalde
Jorge Recalde
Jorge Raúl Recalde was an Argentine rally driver born in Mina Clavero.Recalde had a great knowledge of the roads of the Sierras de Córdoba, and began racing in 1970 in the "Turismo Mejorado" class...

  Jorge del Bouno Datsun 160J 16:01:19
8  
3º Marlboro Rallye do Brasil
(August 6–8)
20 stages
714 km
Gravel
1   Ari Vatanen
Ari Vatanen
Ari Pieti Uolevi Vatanen is a Finnish rally driver turned politician and Member of the European Parliament 1999–2009. Vatanen won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1981 and the Paris Dakar Rally four times....

David Richards
David Richards (racing)
David Pender Richards CBE is the chairman of Prodrive and Aston Martin, and a former team principal of the BAR and Benetton Formula One motor racing teams. He lives with his wife, Karen, in Warwickshire and has three children....

Ford Escort RS1800 9:39:40
2   Guy Fréquelin
Guy Fréquelin
Guy Fréquelin is a former French rally and sports car driver.Perhaps Fréquelin's finest hour as a driver came when he finished runner-up only to Ari Vatanen, alongside then-navigator Jean Todt, at the wheel of a briefly competitive Sunbeam Lotus Talbot in the driver's classification of the 1981...

  Jean Todt
Jean Todt
Jean Todt was born on February 25, 1946, in Pierrefort, Cantal, France. After a successful career as a rally co-driver he made his reputation in motor sport management, first with Peugeot Talbot Sport, then with Scuderia Ferrari, before being appointed Chief Executive Officer of Ferrari from 2004...

Talbot Sunbeam Lotus
Chrysler Sunbeam
The Chrysler Sunbeam is a small supermini 3-door hatchback manufactured by Chrysler Europe at the former Rootes Group factory in Linwood in Scotland. The Sunbeam's development was funded by a British government grant with the aim to keep the Linwood plant running, and the small car was based on the...

9:48:11
3   Domingo De Vitta   Daniel Muzio Ford Escort RS 10:19:46
9  
31st 1000 Lakes Rally
(August 28–30)
46 stages
440 km
Gravel
1   Ari Vatanen
Ari Vatanen
Ari Pieti Uolevi Vatanen is a Finnish rally driver turned politician and Member of the European Parliament 1999–2009. Vatanen won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1981 and the Paris Dakar Rally four times....

David Richards
David Richards (racing)
David Pender Richards CBE is the chairman of Prodrive and Aston Martin, and a former team principal of the BAR and Benetton Formula One motor racing teams. He lives with his wife, Karen, in Warwickshire and has three children....

Ford Escort RS1800 4:07:27
2   Markku Alén
Markku Alén
Markku Allan Alén is a Finnish former rally and race car driver. He drove for Fiat, Lancia, Subaru and Toyota in the World Rally Championship, and held the record for most stage wins in the series until 2011...

  Ilkka Kivimäki Fiat 131 Abarth
Fiat 131
The Fiat 131, additionally called "Mirafiori", is a small/medium family car produced by the Italian car manufacturer Fiat from 1974 to 1984. It was exhibited at 1974 Turin Motor Show....

4:08:26
3   Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Olavi Mikkola is a retired world champion rally driver. He was a seven time winner of the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland and won the RAC Rally in Great Britain four times.- Career :...

  Arne Hertz
Arne Hertz
Arne Hertz was a Swedish co-driver in motor rallying.His name first became prominent when co-driving for Stig Blomqvist , with whom he first won the RAC Rally, in 1971. With Blomqvist, in the same year, he also won the Hankiralli, the Swedish Rally and the 1000 Lakes Rally...

Audi Quattro
Audi Quattro
The Audi Quattro is a road and rally car, produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi, now part of the Volkswagen Group. It was first shown at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show on 3 March.The word quattro is derived from the Italian word for "four"...

4:10:19
10  
23º Rallye Sanremo
Rallye Sanremo
Rallye Sanremo is a rally competition held in Sanremo, Italy. Except for the 1995 event, the event was part of the FIA World Rally Championship schedule from the 1973 season to the 2003 season. Currently, it is a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and the Italian national rally...


(October 5–10)
59 stages
751 km
Gravel/Tarmac
1   Michèle Mouton
Michèle Mouton
Michèle Mouton is a French former rally driver. Competing in the World Rally Championship for the Audi factory team, she took four victories and finished runner-up in the drivers' world championship in 1982...

  Fabrizia Pons Audi Quattro
Audi Quattro
The Audi Quattro is a road and rally car, produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi, now part of the Volkswagen Group. It was first shown at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show on 3 March.The word quattro is derived from the Italian word for "four"...

8:05:50
2   Henri Toivonen
Henri Toivonen
Henri Pauli Toivonen was a Finnish rally driver born in Jyväskylä, the home of Rally Finland. His father, Pauli Toivonen, was the 1968 European Rally Champion for Porsche and his brother, Harri Toivonen, became a professional circuit racer.Toivonen's first World Rally Championship victory came...

  Fred Gallagher Talbot Sunbeam Lotus
Chrysler Sunbeam
The Chrysler Sunbeam is a small supermini 3-door hatchback manufactured by Chrysler Europe at the former Rootes Group factory in Linwood in Scotland. The Sunbeam's development was funded by a British government grant with the aim to keep the Linwood plant running, and the small car was based on the...

8:09:15
3   Antonio Fassina
Antonio Fassina
Antonio "Tony" Fassina is a former rally driver from Italy. He won the Italian Rally Championship in 1976 and 1979 driving a Lancia Stratos, and then again in 1981 behind the wheel of an Opel Ascona. In 1982, he drove the Ascona to victory in the European Rally Championship...

  Rudy Roberto Dalpozzo Opel Ascona 400
Opel Ascona
The Opel Ascona was a mid-sized car produced by Opel. It had three generations produced from 1970 to 1988. In motorsport, the Ascona 400 rally car driven by Walter Röhrl won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in the 1982 season....

8:12:08
11  
13ème Rallye Côte d'Ivoire
Rallye Côte d'Ivoire
The Rallye Côte d'Ivoire is a rally race held annually in Côte d'Ivoire in Africa. In common with other races on the continent, it is known for its arduous conditions and high attrition rate among competitors. It was part of the World Rally Championship for drivers and manufacturers from 1978 to...


(October 26–31)
56 controls
5087 km
Gravel
1   Timo Salonen
Timo Salonen
Timo Salonen is a Finnish former rally driver and the 1985 world champion for Peugeot. It was commented of him that he stood out from other drivers, because he was overweight, wore thick glasses and smoked heavily, but still remained one of the fastest and most competitive drivers in the sport...

  Seppo Harjanne
Seppo Harjanne
Seppo Harjanne is a Finnish former rally co-driver. He is best known for co-driving for Timo Salonen from 1979 to 1988 and for Tommi Mäkinen from 1990 to 1997. With Salonen, Harjanne took ten World Rally Championship victories for the factory teams of Datsun, Peugeot and Mazda, and the 1985...

Datsun Violet GT +9:57 pen
2   Per Eklund
Per Eklund
Per Eklund, born on June 26, 1946 in Skönnerud , Eda Municipality of Värmland in Sweden, is a Rally and Rallycross driver who lives in Arvika. His nickname is "Pekka". In rallying he never made it to the very top but he has been very successful in his later rallycross career.- Saab works...

  Ragnar Spjuth Toyota Celica 2000GT
Toyota Celica
The Toyota Celica name has been applied to a series of coupes made by the Japanese company Toyota. The name is ultimately derived from the Latin word coelica meaning "heavenly" or "celestial"....

+11:09 pen
3   Shekhar Mehta
Shekhar Mehta
Chandrashekhar "Shekhar" Mehta was a Ugandan-born Kenyan rally driver. He won the Safari Rally a record five times , including four consecutively, and in 1981 finished fifth in the World Rally Championship...

  Mike Doughty
Mike Doughty (co-driver)
Mike Doughty is a former Kenyan rally co-driver best known for his work with Shekhar Mehta in the 1970s.- External links :* , Rallybase.nl...

Datsun Violet GT +11:22 pen
12  
30th Lombard RAC Rally
(November 22–25)
65 stages
722 km
Gravel/Tarmac
1   Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Olavi Mikkola is a retired world champion rally driver. He was a seven time winner of the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland and won the RAC Rally in Great Britain four times.- Career :...

  Arne Hertz
Arne Hertz
Arne Hertz was a Swedish co-driver in motor rallying.His name first became prominent when co-driving for Stig Blomqvist , with whom he first won the RAC Rally, in 1971. With Blomqvist, in the same year, he also won the Hankiralli, the Swedish Rally and the 1000 Lakes Rally...

Audi Quattro
Audi Quattro
The Audi Quattro is a road and rally car, produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi, now part of the Volkswagen Group. It was first shown at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show on 3 March.The word quattro is derived from the Italian word for "four"...

8:30:00
2   Ari Vatanen
Ari Vatanen
Ari Pieti Uolevi Vatanen is a Finnish rally driver turned politician and Member of the European Parliament 1999–2009. Vatanen won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1981 and the Paris Dakar Rally four times....

David Richards
David Richards (racing)
David Pender Richards CBE is the chairman of Prodrive and Aston Martin, and a former team principal of the BAR and Benetton Formula One motor racing teams. He lives with his wife, Karen, in Warwickshire and has three children....

Ford Escort RS1800 8:41:05
3   Stig Blomqvist
Stig Blomqvist
"Stig" Lennart Blomqvist is a Swedish rally driver. He made his international breakthrough in 1971. Driving an Audi Quattro for the Audi factory team, Blomqvist won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1984 and finished runner-up in 1985...

  Björn Cederberg
Björn Cederberg
Björn Cederberg , nicknamed "Kapten" , was a notable Swedish rally co-driver. His most famous and successful partnership was with Stig Blomqvist, in a Saab 99 Turbo, with whom he shared success in a number of international motor rallies, from 1979-1982...

Talbot Sunbeam Lotus
Chrysler Sunbeam
The Chrysler Sunbeam is a small supermini 3-door hatchback manufactured by Chrysler Europe at the former Rootes Group factory in Linwood in Scotland. The Sunbeam's development was funded by a British government grant with the aim to keep the Linwood plant running, and the small car was based on the...

8:43:36


See also

  • 1981 in sports
    1981 in sports
    1981 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup –** Men's overall season champion: Phil Mahre, USA** Women's overall season champion: Marie-Theres Nadig, Switzerland-American football:...

  • FIA World Rally Championship 1981 at rallybase.nl
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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