1981 World Rally Championship season

1981 World Rally Championship season
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The 1981 World Rally Championship season was the ninth season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) World Rally Championship (WRC). The season consisted of 12 rallies. While this number was the same as the previous year, one change was made to the schedule, replacing New Zealand with the Brazil.

The 1981 World Rally Championship for Drivers was won by Ari Vatanen 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 with their Sunbeam Lotus. It also saw the beginning of a new era in the sport with the arrival of the Audi Quattro, 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 at the Rallye Sanremo, the only woman to win a WRC event.

Contents

Championships

1981 World Rally Championship for Manufacturers
Rank Manufacturers Event Total
points

MON
SWE
POR
KEN
FRA
GRC
ARG
BRA
FIN
ITA
CIV
GBR
1 Talbot 17 - 17 - 17 15 18 - - 17 - 16 117
2 Datsun - - 13 18 15 13 17 - 12 - 18 - 106
3 Ford - - 9 - 12 18 - - 18 7 - 16 80
4 Opel 15 - 11 12 8 - - - 8 15 - - 69
5 Audi - - 13 - - - - - 14 18 - 18 63
6 Fiat 8 - 18 - - 16 - - 16 5 - - 63
7 Renault 18 - - - 7 10 15 - - - - 11 61
8 Toyota - - 15 - 11 - - - 3 - 16 9 54
9 Peugeot - - - 10 - 4 12 - - - 11 - 37
10 Lancia 10 - - - 18 - - - - - - - 28
11 Porsche 4 - - - 15 - - - - - - - 19
12 Škoda - - - - - 8 - - - - - - 8
13 Dodge - - - 6 - - - - - - - - 6
14 Mitsubishi - - - - - - - - 1 - - 3 4
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
1981 World Rally Championship for Drivers
Rank Driver Event Total
points

MON
SWE
POR
KEN
FRA
GRC
ARG
BRA
FIN
ITA
CIV
GBR
1 Ari Vatanen 0 15 0 - - 20 0 20 20 4 2 15 96
2 Guy Fréquelin 15 - 6 0 15 10 20 15 - 0 8 0 89
3 Hannu Mikkola 0 20 0 - 0 0 - - 12 10 - 20 62
4 Markku Alén 4 - 20 - - 15 - - 15 2 - 0 56
5 Shekhar Mehta - - - 20 - 8 15 0 - - 12 - 55
6 Timo Salonen - - 0 10 0 0 0 - 10 0 20 0 40
7 Henri Toivonen 8 - 15 - 0 0 - - 0 15 - 0 38
8 Michèle Mouton 0 - 10 - 0 0 - - 0 20 - 0 30
9 Pentti Airikkala - 12 - - - - - - 8 - - 10 30
10 Per Eklund 0 2 0 - 6 0 - - 0 - 15 6 29
11 Jean Ragnotti 20 - - - 0 - - - - - - 8 28
12 Bernard Darniche 6 - - - 20 - - - - - - - 26
13 Stig Blomqvist - 8 - - - - - - 3 - - 12 23
14 Jorge Recalde - - - - - - 12 10 - - - - 22
15 Anders Kulläng 10 10 0 0 - 0 - - 0 - - 2 22
16 Jochi Kleint 12 - - 8 - 0 - - - - - - 20
Tony Pond - - 8 - 12 - - - - 0 - 0 20
18 Björn Waldegård 3 - 12 - 0 0 - - 2 - 0 0 17
19 Rauno Aaltonen 0 - - 15 - - - - - - - - 15
20 Mike Kirkland - - - 12 - - - - - - - - 12
Attilio Bettega 0 - 0 - - 12 - - - 0 - - 12
Domingo De Vitta - - - - - - 0 12 - - - - 12
Antonio Fassina - - - - - - - - - 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 - - - - - - - 6 - - - - 6
Miki Biasion - - - - - - - - - 6 - - 6
Alain Ambrosino - - - 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' - - - - - 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 - - - - - - 3 - - - - - 3
Julio Berges - - - - - - - 3 - - - - 3
Dario Cerrato 0 - 0 - - - - - - 3 - - 3
Jacques Durieu - - - - - - - - - - 3 - 3
56 Jacques Alméras 2 - - - 0 - - - - - - - 2
Joaquim Moutinho - - 2 - - - - - - - - - 2
Malcolm Smith - - - 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 - - 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 - - - - - - - - - - - 1 1
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

1981 World Rally Championship event map
Black = Tarmac Brown = Gravel Blue = Snow/Ice Red = Mixed Surface
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-Marc Andrié Renault 5 Turbo 9:55:55
2 Guy Fréquelin Jean Todt Talbot Sunbeam Lotus 9:58:49
3 Jochi Kleint Gunter Wanger Opel Ascona 400 10:02:54
2
31st International Swedish Rally[1]
(February 13–15)		 25 stages
369 km
Snow/Ice		 1 Hannu Mikkola Arne Hertz Audi Quattro 3:48:07
2 Ari Vatanen David Richards Ford Escort RS1800 3:50:00
3 Pentti Airikkala 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 Ilkka Kivimäki Fiat 131 Abarth 8:27:26
2 Henri Toivonen Fred Gallagher Talbot Sunbeam Lotus 8:36:36
3 Björn Waldegård Hans Thorszelius Toyota Celica 2000GT 8:43:47
4
29th Safari Rally
(April 16–20)		 77 controls
5209 km
Gravel		 1 Shekhar Mehta Mike Doughty Datsun Violet GT +3:39 pen
2 Rauno Aaltonen 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
(April 30–May 2)		 24 stages
1144 km
Tarmac		 1 Bernard Darniche Alain Mahé Lancia Stratos HF 14:26.23
2 Guy Fréquelin Jean Todt Talbot Sunbeam Lotus 14:42:25
3 Tony Pond Ian Grindrod Datsun Violet GT 14:45.29
6
28th Acropolis Rally
(June 1–4)		 57 stages
960 km
Gravel		 1 Ari Vatanen David Richards Ford Escort RS1800 13:17:25
2 Markku Alén Ilkka Kivimäki Fiat 131 Abarth 13:22:00
3 Attilio Bettega Maurizio Perissinot Fiat 131 Abarth 13:25:19
7
3º Rally Codasur
(July 18–23)		 18 stages
1341 km
Gravel		 1 Guy Fréquelin Jean Todt Talbot Sunbeam Lotus 14:22:52
2 Shekhar Mehta Mike Doughty Datsun Violet GT 15:01:04
3 Jorge Recalde 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 David Richards Ford Escort RS1800 9:39:40
2 Guy Fréquelin Jean Todt Talbot Sunbeam Lotus 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 David Richards Ford Escort RS1800 4:07:27
2 Markku Alén Ilkka Kivimäki Fiat 131 Abarth 4:08:26
3 Hannu Mikkola Arne Hertz Audi Quattro 4:10:19
10
23º Rallye Sanremo
(October 5–10)		 59 stages
751 km
Gravel/Tarmac		 1 Michèle Mouton Fabrizia Pons Audi Quattro 8:05:50
2 Henri Toivonen Fred Gallagher Talbot Sunbeam Lotus 8:09:15
3 Antonio Fassina Rudy Roberto Dalpozzo Opel Ascona 400 8:12:08
11
13ème Rallye Côte d'Ivoire
(October 26–31)		 56 controls
5087 km
Gravel		 1 Timo Salonen Seppo Harjanne Datsun Violet GT +9:57 pen
2 Per Eklund Ragnar Spjuth Toyota Celica 2000GT +11:09 pen
3 Shekhar Mehta Mike Doughty Datsun Violet GT +11:22 pen
12
30th Lombard RAC Rally
(November 22–25)		 65 stages
722 km
Gravel/Tarmac		 1 Hannu Mikkola Arne Hertz Audi Quattro 8:30:00
2 Ari Vatanen David Richards Ford Escort RS1800 8:41:05
3 Stig Blomqvist Björn Cederberg Talbot Sunbeam Lotus 8:43:36
  1. ^ Event not included in the Manufacturers' Championship

See also

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