In rallycross rivals but in rallying a team: Waldegård and co-driver Franz Wurz during the 1984 Austrian Jänner-Rallye. |
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Swedish |
| Born | 12 November 1943 |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 1973–1992 |
| Teams | Lancia, Ford, Toyota, |
| Rallies | 95 |
| Championships | 1 (1979) |
| Rally wins | 16 |
| Podiums | 35 |
| Stage wins | 217 |
| Total points | 428 |
| First rally | 1973 Monte Carlo Rally |
| First win | 1975 Swedish Rally |
| Last win | 1990 Safari Rally |
| Last rally | 1992 Safari Rally |
Björn Waldegård (born 12 November 1943 at Solna) from Rimbo is a former Swedish rally driver, and the winner of the inaugural World Rally Championship for drivers in 1979. His Swedish nickname is "Walle".
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Waldegård's career spans four decades; he debuted in 1962 and, after winning the Swedish Rally Championship in 1967 and '68, continued to compete at the top level until 1992 when a broken arm suffered during a crash in the 1992 Safari Rally forced his retirement. His first international victory, at the wheel of a Porsche 911, came on the 1969 Monte Carlo Rally, while his last came for Toyota on the 1990 Safari. It made him the oldest driver to win a World Rally Championship event, a record he still retains.
In the mid 1970s Waldegård took part in the newborn European Championship for Rallycross Drivers with a privately entered Porsche Carrera RSR. His best overall result was to become the Runner-up to Austrian Franz Wurz, father of Alexander Wurz, of the 1974 Embassy European Rallycross Championship.
The Alitalia-backed Lancia team of the 1970s frequently choose between star drivers Waldegård and Italian frontrunner Sandro Munari. Waldegård and Munari came head to head in the 1976 Rallye Sanremo. Waldegård had a four-second lead over Munari entering the final stage, only to be forced to squander that advantage in keeping with the team's hopes for an 'equal' shootout. Waldegård, however, emerged as victor by four seconds, having disobeyed team orders and overtaken Munari – as a result, Waldegård left Lancia and joined Ford in late 1976.
Driving Ford Escort RS models, Waldegård won three of the world's most punishing rallies in 1977; the East African Safari Rally, the Acropolis Rally, and the RAC Rally.
He was later victor in the inaugural World Rally Championship series in 1979 for Ford and Mercedes-Benz, beating Hannu Mikkola in the final round at the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire in the Ivory Coast, by finishing second behind his rival.
In September 2008, Waldegård took part in the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally, a round of the Scottish Rally Championship centred in Perth in Scotland. He was one of a number of ex-world champions to take part in the event in memory of McRae, who died in 2007. On the event he drove a Porsche 911.
| Björn Waldegård, International victories | ||
| 1969 | 38ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo | Porsche 911 S |
| 1970 | 39ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo | Porsche 911 S |
| 1970 | 21st International Swedish Rally | Porsche 911 S |
| 1970 | 41. Österreichische Alpenfahrt | Porsche 911 S |
| # | Event | Season | Co-driver | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25th International Swedish Rally | 1975 | Hans Thorszelius | Lancia Stratos HF |
| 2 | 17º Rallye Sanremo | 1975 | Hans Thorszelius | Lancia Stratos HF |
| 3 | 18º Rallye Sanremo | 1976 | Hans Thorszelius | Lancia Stratos HF |
| 4 | 25th Safari Rally | 1977 | Hans Thorszelius | Ford Escort RS1800 |
| 5 | 24th Acropolis Rally | 1977 | Hans Thorszelius | Ford Escort RS1800 |
| 6 | 26th Lombard RAC Rally | 1977 | Hans Thorszelius | Ford Escort RS1800 |
| 7 | 28th International Swedish Rally | 1978 | Hans Thorszelius | Ford Escort RS1800 |
| 8 | 26th Acropolis Rally | 1979 | Hans Thorszelius | Ford Escort RS1800 |
| 9 | 7ème Critérium Molson du Québec | 1979 | Hans Thorszelius | Ford Escort RS1800 |
| 10 | 12ème Rallye Côte d'Ivoire | 1980 | Hans Thorszelius | Mercedes 500 SLC |
| 11 | 12th Motogard Rally of New Zealand | 1982 | Hans Thorszelius | Toyota Celica 2000GT |
| 12 | 15ème Rallye Côte d'Ivoire | 1983 | Hans Thorszelius | Toyota Celica TCT |
| 13 | 32nd Marlboro Safari Rally | 1984 | Hans Thorszelius | Toyota Celica TCT |
| 14 | 34th Marlboro Safari Rally Kenya | 1986 | Fred Gallagher | Toyota Celica TCT |
| 15 | 18ème Rallye Côte d'Ivoire | 1986 | Fred Gallagher | Toyota Celica TCT |
| 16 | 38th Marlboro Safari Rally Kenya | 1990 | Fred Gallagher | Toyota Celica GT-Four |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Markku Alén (FIA Cup for Rally Drivers) |
World Rally Champion 1979 |
Succeeded by Walter Röhrl |
| Records | ||
| Preceded by Sandro Munari 7 wins (1973–1984) |
Most Rally wins 11 wins, 8th at the 1979 Acropolis Rally |
Succeeded by Hannu Mikkola 18 wins, 12nd at the 1982 RAC Rally |
| Preceded by None (FIA Cup for Rally Drivers) |
Youngest World Rally Champion 36 years, 32 days (1979 season) |
Succeeded by Walter Röhrl 33 years, 232 days (1980 season) |
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