1981 World Rally Championship

1981 World Rally Championship
Previous: 1980 Next: 1982

The 1981 World Rally Championship 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.

Championships

1981 World Rally Championship for Manufacturers
Rank Manufacturers Event Total
points
Monaco
MON
Sweden
SWE
Portugal
POR
Kenya
KEN
France
FRA
Greece
GRC
Argentina
ARG
Brazil
BRA
Finland
FIN
Italy
ITA
Ivory Coast
CIV
United Kingdom
GBR
1 United Kingdom Talbot 17 - 17 - 17 15 18 - - 17 - 16 117
2 Japan Datsun - - 13 18 15 13 17 - 12 - 18 - 106
3 United States Ford - - 9 - 12 18 - - 18 7 - 16 80
4 West Germany Opel 15 - 11 12 8 - - - 8 15 - - 69
5 West Germany Audi - - 13 - - - - - 14 18 - 18 63
6 Italy Fiat 8 - 18 - - 16 - - 16 5 - - 63
7 France Renault 18 - - - 7 10 15 - - - - 11 61
8 Japan Toyota - - 15 - 11 - - - 3 - 16 9 54
9 France Peugeot - - - 10 - 4 12 - - - 11 - 37
10 Italy Lancia 10 - - - 18 - - - - - - - 28
11 West Germany Porsche 4 - - - 15 - - - - - - - 19
12 Czechoslovakia Škoda - - - - - 8 - - - - - - 8
13 United States Dodge - - - 6 - - - - - - - - 6
14 Japan 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
Monaco
MON
Sweden
SWE
Portugal
POR
Kenya
KEN
France
FRA
Greece
GRC
Argentina
ARG
Brazil
BRA
Finland
FIN
Italy
ITA
Ivory Coast
CIV
United Kingdom
GBR
1 Finland Ari Vatanen 0 15 0 - - 20 0 20 20 4 2 15 96
2 France Guy Fréquelin 15 - 6 0 15 10 20 15 - 0 8 0 89
3 Finland Hannu Mikkola 0 20 0 - 0 0 - - 12 10 - 20 62
4 Finland Markku Alén 4 - 20 - - 15 - - 15 2 - 0 56
5 Kenya Shekhar Mehta - - - 20 - 8 15 0 - - 12 - 55
6 Finland Timo Salonen - - 0 10 0 0 0 - 10 0 20 0 40
7 Finland Henri Toivonen 8 - 15 - 0 0 - - 0 15 - 0 38
8 France Michèle Mouton 0 - 10 - 0 0 - - 0 20 - 0 30
9 Finland Pentti Airikkala - 12 - - - - - - 8 - - 10 30
10 Sweden Per Eklund 0 2 0 - 6 0 - - 0 - 15 6 29
11 France Jean Ragnotti 20 - - - 0 - - - - - - 8 28
12 France Bernard Darniche 6 - - - 20 - - - - - - - 26
13 Sweden Stig Blomqvist - 8 - - - - - - 3 - - 12 23
14 Argentina Jorge Recalde - - - - - - 12 10 - - - - 22
15 Sweden Anders Kulläng 10 10 0 0 - 0 - - 0 - - 2 22
16 West Germany Jochi Kleint 12 - - 8 - 0 - - - - - - 20
United Kingdom Tony Pond - - 8 - 12 - - - - 0 - 0 20
18 Sweden Björn Waldegård 3 - 12 - 0 0 - - 2 - 0 0 17
19 Finland Rauno Aaltonen 0 - - 15 - - - - - - - - 15
20 Kenya Mike Kirkland - - - 12 - - - - - - - - 12
Italy Attilio Bettega 0 - 0 - - 12 - - - 0 - - 12
Uruguay Domingo De Vitta - - - - - - 0 12 - - - - 12
Italy Antonio Fassina - - - - - - - - - 12 - - 12
24 Sweden Björn Johansson - 6 - - - - - - 6 - - 0 12
25 United Kingdom Terry Kaby - - - - 8 - - - - - - 3 11
26 France Jean-Pierre Ballet 0 - - - 10 - - - - - - - 10
Argentina Ernesto Soto - - - - - - 10 - - - - - 10
France Michel Mitri - - - - - - - - - - 10 - 10
29 Argentina Ricardo Albertengo - - - - - - 8 - - - - - 10
Portugal Carlos Torres - - 0 - - - - 8 - - - - 8
Italy Luigi Battistolli - - - - - - - - - 8 - - 8
32 Finland Lasse Lampi - 4 - - - - - - 4 - - 0 8
33 France Jean-Claude Lefèbvre - - - 6 - - - - - - - - 6
Greece Iórgos Moschous - - - - - 6 - - - - - - 6
Uruguay Luis Etchegoyen - - - - - - 6 - - - - - 6
Uruguay Gustavo Trelles - - - - - - - 6 - - - - 6
Italy Miki Biasion - - - - - - - - - 6 - - 6
France Alain Ambrosino - - - 0 - - - - - - 6 - 6
39 Sweden Sören Nilsson - - - - - - 1 4 - - - - 5
Argentina Horacio Maglione - 1 - - - - - - - - - 4 5
41 Spain Rafael 'Cid' - - 4 - - - - - - - - - 4
Japan Yoshio Iwashita - - - 4 - - - - - - - - 4
Italy Jean-Michel Tichadou - - - - 4 - - - - - - - 4
Greece 'Carlo' - - - - - 4 - - - - - - 4
Uruguay Federico West - - - - - - 4 - - - - - 4
Lebanon Samir Assef - - - - - - - - - - 4 - 4
47 Sweden Ola Strömberg - 3 - - - - - - - - - - 3
Portugal Manuel Queirós Pereira - - 3 - - - - - - - - - 3
Kenya Jayant Shah - - - 3 - - - - - - - - 3
France Gérard Swaton - - - - 3 - - - - - - - 3
Czechoslovakia Václav Blahna - - - - - 3 - - - - - - 3
Argentina Luís Romero - - - - - - 3 - - - - - 3
Uruguay Julio Berges - - - - - - - 3 - - - - 3
Italy Dario Cerrato 0 - 0 - - - - - - 3 - - 3
Ivory Coast Jacques Durieu - - - - - - - - - - 3 - 3
56 France Jacques Alméras 2 - - - 0 - - - - - - - 2
Portugal Joaquim Moutinho - - 2 - - - - - - - - - 2
United States Malcolm Smith - - - 2 - - - - - - - - 2
France Camille Bartoli - - - - 2 - - - - - - - 2
Greece Pavlos Moschoutis - - - - - 2 - - - - - - 2
Argentina Miguel Tubal - - - - - - 2 - - - - - 2
Brazil Maria Carmo Zacarias - - - - - - - 2 - - - - 2
63 France Alain Coppier 1 - - - 0 - - - - - - - 1
Japan Kenjiro Shinozuka - - 1 - - - - - - - - - 1
United States Rod Hall - - - 1 - - - - - - - - 1
France Jean-Felix Farrucci - - - - 1 - - - - - - - 1
France Claude Laurent 0 - - - - 1 - - 0 - 0 0 1
Finland Antero Laine - - - - - - - - 1 0 - 0 1
Italy Federico Ormezzano - - - - - - - - - 1 - - 1
United Kingdom 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 Monaco
49ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo
(24–30 January)
32 stages
757 km
Tarmac
1 France Jean Ragnotti France Jean-Marc Andrié Renault 5 Turbo 9:55:55
2 France Guy Fréquelin France Jean Todt Talbot Sunbeam Lotus 9:58:49
3 West Germany Jochi Kleint West Germany Gunter Wanger Opel Ascona 400 10:02:54
2 Sweden
31st International Swedish Rally[1]
(13–15 February)
25 stages
369 km
Snow/Ice
1 Finland Hannu Mikkola Sweden Arne Hertz Audi Quattro 3:48:07
2 Finland Ari Vatanen United Kingdom David Richards Ford Escort RS1800 3:50:00
3 Finland Pentti Airikkala Finland Risto Virtanen Ford Escort RS1800 3:51:47
3 Portugal
15º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto
(4–7 March)
46 stages
681 km
Gravel/Tarmac
1 Finland Markku Alén Finland Ilkka Kivimäki Fiat 131 Abarth 8:27:26
2 Finland Henri Toivonen United Kingdom Fred Gallagher Talbot Sunbeam Lotus 8:36:36
3 Sweden Björn Waldegård Sweden Hans Thorszelius Toyota Celica 2000GT 8:43:47
4 Kenya
29th Safari Rally
(16–20 April)
77 controls
5209 km
Gravel
1 Kenya Shekhar Mehta Kenya Mike Doughty Datsun Violet GT +3:39 pen
2 Finland Rauno Aaltonen Kenya Lofty Drews Datsun Violet GT +3:44 pen
3 Kenya Mike Kirkland Kenya Dave Haworth Datsun 160J +4:51 pen
5 France
25ème Tour de Corse - Rallye de France
(30 April–2 May)
24 stages
1144 km
Tarmac
1 France Bernard Darniche France Alain Mahé Lancia Stratos HF 14:26.23
2 France Guy Fréquelin France Jean Todt Talbot Sunbeam Lotus 14:42:25
3 United Kingdom Tony Pond United Kingdom Ian Grindrod Datsun Violet GT 14:45.29
6 Greece
28th Acropolis Rally
(1–4 June)
57 stages
960 km
Gravel
1 Finland Ari Vatanen United Kingdom David Richards Ford Escort RS1800 13:17:25
2 Finland Markku Alén Finland Ilkka Kivimäki Fiat 131 Abarth 13:22:00
3 Italy Attilio Bettega Italy Maurizio Perissinot Fiat 131 Abarth 13:25:19
7 Argentina
3º Rally Codasur
(18–23 July)
18 stages
1341 km
Gravel
1 France Guy Fréquelin France Jean Todt Talbot Sunbeam Lotus 14:22:52
2 Kenya Shekhar Mehta Kenya Mike Doughty Datsun Violet GT 15:01:04
3 Argentina Jorge Recalde Argentina Jorge del Bouno Datsun 160J 16:01:19
8 Brazil
3º Marlboro Rallye do Brasil
(6–8 August)
20 stages
714 km
Gravel
1 Finland Ari Vatanen United Kingdom David Richards Ford Escort RS1800 9:39:40
2 France Guy Fréquelin France Jean Todt Talbot Sunbeam Lotus 9:48:11
3 Uruguay Domingo De Vitta Uruguay Daniel Muzio Ford Escort RS 10:19:46
9 Finland
31st 1000 Lakes Rally
(28–30 August)
46 stages
440 km
Gravel
1 Finland Ari Vatanen United Kingdom David Richards Ford Escort RS1800 4:07:27
2 Finland Markku Alén Finland Ilkka Kivimäki Fiat 131 Abarth 4:08:26
3 Finland Hannu Mikkola Sweden Arne Hertz Audi Quattro 4:10:19
10 Italy
23º Rallye Sanremo
(5–10 October)
59 stages
751 km
Gravel/Tarmac
1 France Michèle Mouton Italy Fabrizia Pons Audi Quattro 8:05:50
2 Finland Henri Toivonen England Fred Gallagher Talbot Sunbeam Lotus 8:09:15
3 Italy Antonio Fassina Italy Rudy Roberto Dalpozzo Opel Ascona 400 8:12:08
11 Ivory Coast
13ème Rallye Côte d'Ivoire
(26–31 October)
56 controls
5087 km
Gravel
1 Finland Timo Salonen Finland Seppo Harjanne Datsun Violet GT +9:57 pen
2 Sweden Per Eklund Sweden Ragnar Spjuth Toyota Celica 2000GT +11:09 pen
3 Kenya Shekhar Mehta Kenya Mike Doughty Datsun Violet GT +11:22 pen
12 United Kingdom
30th Lombard RAC Rally
(22–25 November)
65 stages
722 km
Gravel/Tarmac
1 Finland Hannu Mikkola Sweden Arne Hertz Audi Quattro 8:30:00
2 Finland Ari Vatanen United Kingdom David Richards Ford Escort RS1800 8:41:05
3 Sweden Stig Blomqvist Sweden Björn Cederberg Talbot Sunbeam Lotus 8:43:36
  1. Event not included in the Manufacturers' Championship

See also

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