1984 World Rally Championship

The 1984 World Rally Championship was the 12th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) World Rally Championship (WRC). The season consisted of 12 rallies following the same schedule as the previous season. Stig Blomqvist beat the defending world champion and Audi teammate Hannu Mikkola to the drivers' title. Audi took their second manufacturers' title, ahead of Lancia and the debuting Peugeot.

Summary

German team Audi Sport put together four of the top drivers in the world, with the defending world champion Hannu Mikkola returning to the team along with Stig Blomqvist. Michèle Mouton had a part-time contract and two-time champion Walter Röhrl was added from Martini Racing. Lancia Martini kept Markku Alén as their primary driver for the season and also featured Miki Biasion and Attilio Bettega. Lancia boss Cesare Fiorio had also signed Henri Toivonen from Porsche, stating that "Audi will have four top drivers next year so it would be very difficult competing with only two."[1]

Blomqvist and Mikkola dominated the season in the Audi Quattro A2, with Blomqvist proving the best with five rally wins. Audi established an early lead, winning six of the first eight events, including sweeping the podium at the first two rallies. Mikkola had to settle for second overall despite a consistently strong season in which he took eight podium finishes. Alén was only able to reach third place, only capturing a single rally win in his Lancia Rally 037.

Late in the season, Ari Vatanen returned to the world rally scene in a Peugeot 205 T16, winning three of the final four rallies and reaching fourth place in the overall standings. His performance showed that Peugeot Sport, headed by Jean Todt, had a winner that could beat the Audi, which they would do in the coming years of Group B dominance.

As with previous seasons, while all twelve events were calculated for tallying the drivers' scores, only ten of the events applied to the championship for manufacturers. The two events in 1984 which applied only to driver standings were the Swedish Rally and the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire.

Teams and drivers

Team Manufacturer Car Tyre Drivers Rounds
Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2
Quattro Sport
M
P
Walter Röhrl 1, 3, 5–7, 10
Hannu Mikkola 1, 3–4, 6–9, 11–12
Stig Blomqvist All
Per Eklund 2, 9
Michèle Mouton 2, 4, 6, 9, 12
Lasse Lampi 2, 9
Sarel van der Merwe 3
Franz Wittmann 4, 7
Bernard Darniche 5
John Buffum 6, 12
Jorge Recalde 8
Rubén Luis di Palma 8
Martini Racing Lancia Rally 037 evo P Markku Alén 1, 3–7, 9–10
Jean-Claude Andruet 1, 5
Attilio Bettega 1, 3, 5–6, 10
Henri Toivonen 3, 6, 9
Vic Preston Jr 4
Greg Criticos 4
Team Nissan Europe Nissan 240RS D Timo Salonen 1, 4, 6–7, 12
Terry Kaby 1, 9, 12
Sören Nilsson 2
Erkki Pitkanen 3, 9
Shekhar Mehta 4, 6, 11–12
Mike Kirkland 4
Jayant Shah 4, 6
George Moschous 6
Stratis Hatzipanayiotou 6
Reg Cook 7
Pentti Airikkala 9
Peter Geitel 9, 12
Renault Elf Renault 5 Turbo M
P
Jean-Luc Thérier 1
Bruno Saby 1, 5, 9
François Chatriot 1, 5
Dany Snobeck 1
Jean Ragnotti 3, 5
Joaquim Moutinho 3
Jean-Pierre Manzagol 5
Didier Auriol 5
Camille Bartoli 5
Jolly Club Lancia Rally 037 evo P Miki Biasion 1, 3, 5–6, 10
Adartico Vudafieri 5, 10
Mazda Rally Team Europe Mazda RX-7 P Achim Warmbold 1, 6
Minna Sillankorva 1
Ingvar Carlsson 6, 12
Philippe Wambergue 12
Marianne Hoepfner 12
Citroën Compétitions Citroën Visa M Christian Dorche 1, 3
Maurice Chomat 4, 9–10
Philippe Wambergue 4, 9–10
Christian Rio 4, 9–10
Oliver Tabatoni 5–6, 9
Mark Lovell 12
Opel Euro Team Opel Ascona 400
Manta 400
M Mats Jonsson 2, 12
Alex Jackson 2
Guy Frequelin 4–5
Rauno Aaltonen 4
Yasuhiro Iwase 4, 8
Alain Ambrosino 11
Jimmy McRae 12
Russell Brookes 12
Phil Collins 12
Bertie Fisher 12
Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica TCT P Björn Waldegård 3–4, 7, 9, 12
Juha Kankkunen 3, 7, 9, 12
Per Eklund 4, 12
Sandro Munari 4
Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 M Ari Vatanen 5–6, 9–10, 12
Jean-Pierre Nicolas 5–6, 10
Rothmans Porsche Rally Team Porsche 911SC RS M Saeed Al-Hajri 6, 12
Roger Clark 12
Volkswagen Motorsport Volkswagen Golf GTi P Kalle Grundel 1–3, 5, 9–10, 12

Events

Map

Black = Tarmac Brown = Gravel Blue = Snow/ice Red = Mixed surface

Schedule and results

Round Rally name Stages Podium finishers
Rank Driver Co-driver Team Car Time
1 Rallye Monte Carlo
(21–27 January)
30 stages
722 km
Tarmac
1 Walter Röhrl Christian Geistdörfer Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 8:52:29
2 Stig Blomqvist Björn Cederberg Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 8:53:42
3 Hannu Mikkola Arne Hertz Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 9:05:09
2 Swedish Rally[2]
(10–12 February)
27 stages
450 km
Snow/Ice
1 Stig Blomqvist Björn Cederberg Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 4:16:45
2 Michèle Mouton Fabrizia Pons Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 4:24:12
3 Per Eklund Dave Whittock Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 4:33:27
3 Rallye de Portugal
(6–11 March)
45 stages
684 km
Gravel/Tarmac
1 Hannu Mikkola Arne Hertz Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 7:35:32
2 Markku Alén Ilkka Kivimäki Martini Racing Lancia Rally 037 evo 7:35:59
3 Attilio Bettega Maurizio Perissinot Martini Racing Lancia Rally 037 evo 7:58:21
4 Safari Rally
(19–23 April)
105 controls
5254 km
Gravel
1 Björn Waldegård Hans Thorszelius Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica TCT +2:02 pen
2 Rauno Aaltonen Lofty Drews Opel Euro Team Opel Manta 400 +2:13 pen
3 Hannu Mikkola Arne Hertz Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 +2:25 pen
5 Tour de Corse
(3–5 May)
30 stages
1119 km
Tarmac
1 Markku Alén Ilkka Kivimäki Martini Racing Lancia Rally 037 evo 13:24:56
2 Miki Biasion Tiziano Siviero Jolly Club Lancia Rally 037 evo 13:29:11
3 Jean Ragnotti Pierre Thimonier Renault Elf Renault 5 Turbo 13:33:16
6 Acropolis Rally
(28–31 May)
47 stages
830 km
Gravel
1 Stig Blomqvist Björn Cederberg Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 10:41:51
2 Hannu Mikkola Arne Hertz Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 10:44:58
3 Markku Alén Ilkka Kivimäki Martini Racing Lancia Rally 037 evo 10:56:01
7 Rally New Zealand
(23–26 June)
45 stages
1044 km
Gravel
1 Stig Blomqvist Björn Cederberg Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 10:40:41
2 Markku Alén Ilkka Kivimäki Martini Racing Lancia Rally 037 evo 10:45:28
3 Hannu Mikkola Arne Hertz Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 10:48:10
8 Rally Argentina
(27 July – 1 August)
23 stages
948 km
Gravel
1 Stig Blomqvist Björn Cederberg Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 10:33:38
2 Hannu Mikkola Arne Hertz Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 10:36:54
3 Jorge Recalde Jorge del Bouno Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 10:38:48
9 1000 Lakes Rally
(24–26 August)
50 stages
457 km
Gravel
1 Ari Vatanen Terry Harryman Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 4:07:27
2 Markku Alén Ilkka Kivimäki Martini Racing Lancia Rally 037 evo 4:08:26
3 Henri Toivonen Juha Piironen Martini Racing Lancia Rally 037 evo 4:10:19
10 Rallye Sanremo
(30 September – 5 October)
46 stages
777 km
Gravel/Tarmac
1 Ari Vatanen Terry Harryman Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 8:44:34
2 Attilio Bettega Maurizio Perissinot Martini Racing Lancia Rally 037 evo 8:50:01
3 Miki Biasion Tiziano Siviero Jolly Club Lancia Rally 037 evo 8:53:58
11 Rallye Côte d'Ivoire[2]
(31 October – 5 November)
46 controls
4012 km
Gravel
1 Stig Blomqvist Björn Cederberg Audi Sport Audi Sport Quattro +5:24 pen
2 Hannu Mikkola Arne Hertz Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 +5:46 pen
3 Shekhar Mehta Yvonne Mehta Team Nissan Europe Nissan 240RS +6:28 pen
12 RAC Rally
(November 25–29)
56 stages
863 km
Gravel/Tarmac
1 Ari Vatanen Terry Harryman Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 9:19:48
2 Hannu Mikkola Arne Hertz Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 9:20:29
3 Per Eklund Dave Whittock Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica TCT 9:37:07

Standings

Drivers' championship

Rank Driver Event Total
points

MON

SWE

POR

KEN

FRA

GRC

NZL

ARG

FIN

ITA

CIV

GBR
1 Stig Blomqvist 15 20 0 0 (8) 20 20 20 10 0 20 0 125
2 Hannu Mikkola 12 20 12 15 (12) 15 0 15 15 104
3 Markku Alén 3 15 10 20 12 15 15 0 90
4 Ari Vatanen 0 0 20 20 20 60
5 Attilio Bettega 8 12 4 10 15 49
6 Miki Biasion 6 10 15 0 12 43
7 Per Eklund 12 0 6 12 30
8 Björn Waldegård 0 20 8 0 0 28
9 Shekhar Mehta 0 8 4 12 3 27
10 Timo Salonen 1 4 6 10 6 27
11 Walter Röhrl 20 6 0 0 0 0 26
12 Michèle Mouton 15 0 0 0 10 25
13 Jean Ragnotti 8 12 20
14 Jean-Pierre Nicolas 10 0 8 18
15 Rauno Aaltonen 15 15
16 Jorge Recalde - 12 12
Henri Toivonen 0 0 12
18 Kalle Grundel 2 0 4 0 6 0 12
19 Jean-Luc Thérier 10 10
Mats Jonsson 10 0
Mario Stillo 10
Fabrizio Tabaton 10
Alain Ambrosino 10
24 Lars-Erik Torph 8 0 8
John Buffum 8 0
Yasuhiro Iwase 8
Juha Kankkunen 0 0 8 0
David Horsey 8
Russell Brookes 8
30 Björn Johansson 6 6
Vic Preston, Jr. 6
Jean-Claude Andruet 0 6
Reg Cook 6
Miguel Torrás 6
Patrick Tauziac 6
36 Bernard Darniche 4 0 4
Kenneth Eriksson 4 0
Malcolm Stewart 4
Carlos Bassi 4
Erkki Pitkänen 0 4
Massimo Ercolani 4
Jimmy McRae 4
43 Stig Andervang 3 0 3
Jorge Ortigão 3
Franz Wittmann 3 0
François Chatriot 0 3
Iórgos Moschous 3
'Possum' Bourne 3
Hugo Hernández 3
Bruno Saby 0 0 3 0
Gerhard Kalnay 3
52 Yoshio Iwashita 2 1 3
53 Gunnar Pettersson 2 2
Christian Dorche 0 2
Guy Fréquelin 0 2
Achim Warmbold 0 2
Tony Teesdale 2
Monnenmacher Pérez 2
Jouko Pöysti 2 0
Michele Rayneri 2
Bertie Fisher 2
62 Jerry Åhlin 1 0 1
Russell Gooding 1 0
Basil Criticos 1
Yves Loubet 0 1
Blair Robson 1
Walter d'Agostini 1
Kalevi Aho 1
Werner Grissmann 0 1
Mikael Ericsson 0 0 1

Manufacturers' championship

Rank Manufacturers Event Total
points

MON

POR

KEN

FRA

GRC

NZL

ARG

FIN

ITA

GBR
1 Audi 18 18 14 (10) 18 18 18 16 120
2 Lancia (10) 16 12 18 14 16 16 16 108
3 Peugeot 12 8 18 18 18 74
4 Toyota 10 18 10 10 14 62
5 Renault 12 10 14 15 4 55
6 Opel 16 2 11 2 7 10 48
7 Nissan 2 10 8 12 6 8 46
8 Volkswagen 9 12 13 34
9 Subaru 11 11
10 Alfa Romeo 9 9
Fiat 9 9
12 Ford 6 6
13 Citroën 4 4
14 Vauxhall 2 2
Mazda 2 2
Mitsubishi 2 2

Pointscoring systems

Drivers' championship

Points awarded by finish 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th
20 15 12 10 8 6 4 3 2 1

Manufacturers' championship

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

References

  1. ^ Collins, Peter (2008). Lancia 037: The Development & Rally History of a World Champion. Veloce Publishing Ltd. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-84584-076-1.
  2. ^ a b Event not included in the Manufacturers' Championship