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The Drivers of the Group B cars
The people who drove Group B cars, the drivers and co-drivers, were people with exceptional skills. The drivers all had incredible reflexes and the ability to control awesome horsepower in small cars. The co-drivers were able to make and read notes at incredible speed while flying over rocks and jumps. The co-drivers also had to put faith in the drivers, and trust that they would not crash the car. Rally drivers are certainly some of the best drivers in the world, and the Group B era demanded that even the best drivers not make any mistakes. The drivers were pushed to the absolute limit, and the smallest mistakes had fairly severe consequences.
Markku Alen
Markku Alen is one of the most successful rally drivers of all time. He has won 19 rounds of the World Rally Championship, including no less than five victories on the 1000 Lakes rally, his home event. However, despite all his victories, Alen never won the championship. He won the 1978 FIA Drivers Cup, which was the top prize for drivers before they got their own World Championship in 1979. Alen was with Lancia for most of the Group B era, and he was able to keep the Audi team honest despite driving the inferior 037. His performances were valuable parts of Lancia's 1983 Manufacturer's Championship. He came within one rally of winning the 1986 World Championship, after a protest was lodged against title rivals Juha Kankkunen and Peugeot at the San Remo rally. Alen was confident of winning the protest, so after winning the final round of the championship, the Olympus rally in the USA, he stood on the car and declared himself champion.
However, his reign as champion lasted two weeks. FISA rejected the protest, and as a result, Kankkunen and Peugeot were world champions. Alen lost the title after a long and difficult season by a very narrow margin. He continued to drive for the Lancia team following the end of Group B, and came third and second in the 1987 and 1988 championships, respectively. Alen now competes in the ANDROS ice racing championship, driving for the Opel team.
Stig Blomqvist
Stig Blomqvist started his professional rally career with the Saab rally team, which was underfunded compared with its rivals. Eventually, Saab pulled out of rallying. Blomqvist had a brief stint with Talbot before driving for Audi at a test session. He amazed the Audi team bosses with his spectacular driving style, because he proved that it was possible to make a four-wheel-drive car slide around corners by using left-foot braking. His driving style proved to be incredibly fast and extremely entertaining for the spectators. The 1983 season established Blomqvist as the quickest driver in the Audi team, however, he couldn't grab the title due to a lack of mechanical reliability.
1984 was to be Blomqvist's year. Audi had the constructor's title wrapped up fairly early in the year, so Audi was able to concentrate all their efforts on helping Blomqvist beat Markku Alen and Lancia for the driver's crown. Blomqvist was not to be denied. The Quattro's performance advantage over Lancia's 037 and Blomqvist's natural talent combined to take the 1984 driver's title. Blomqvist later went on to compete in the Paris-Dakar rally.
John Buffum
John Buffum is the most successful American rally driver of all time, and he holds the world record for most national rally wins, with about 115 wins. Buffum was given a works Audi ride in 1981, and he became unstoppable in the American rally series. He won nearly every American championship during his time with Audi, and in the 1987 season, he won every event he entered. 1987 was also his last season as a full-time driver. Buffum occasionally enters a rally to keep himself sharp, but now his main focus is his racing company, Libra racing, and on his stepson's rally career.
Juha Kankkunen (jovato y todo y gano aca en el 99 con 44 pirulos!)
Juha Kankkunen drove for Peugeot during the Group B days, with whom he won a world championship. He won the 1986 title with Peugeot, the 1987 and 1991 titles with Lancia, and the 1993 title with Toyota. Juha is one of the greatest drivers who ever lived (in my opinion), and he is still actively competing. Juha is still one of the top drivers in the world. He is currently driving for the Subaru works rally program. He was driving for the Ford team, but quit after learning that Ford had hired Colin McRae to be their number 1 driver. Kankkunen didn't want to have to play second fiddle to anyone. Juha was signed within days by Subaru to partner Richard Burns and Bruno Thiry (his current teammate who also left Ford). Juha has won a total of four world rally titles, more than any other driver in history. He could potentially claim his fifth title in the near future. Kankkunen is second on the all-time win list for rally drivers (behind Carlos Sainz), with 21 victories to his credit.
Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Mikkola was a critical part of the development of the Audi Quattro. He drove with Audi for many years, and he assisted their development of the Quattro starting in 1980. He was there when the Quattro was unveiled, and he was Audi's number 1 driver for a number of years. He has won 18 rallies in the World Rally Championship, placing him in a tie for fourth on the all-time win list. Mikkola gave Audi their first international victory on their third international rally, the 1981 Swedish rally. His luck wasn't very good the following season, but his teammate Michèle Mouton nearly won the title. Audi managed to win the constructors' title. Mikkola won the World Rally Championship for drivers in 1983, however, Audi didn't have a very good year, finishing second in manufacturers' points. Mikkola was one of the most intelligent drivers in rallying.
Michèle Mouton
Michèle Mouton set a record that can never be broken: she was the first woman to win a round of the World Rally Championship. She came within one event of winning the 1982 world title for Audi, but a transmission failure and her concern for her father's illness ended her chances at the title nearing the end of the Ivory Coast rally. She narrowly lost the title to Walter Röhrl. Later, Audi sent her to conquer the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, much to the annoyance of some of her competitors at Pikes Peak. She won the event twice, and set a new overall record for the race. Michèle is probably the most successful and internationally famous female racing driver.
Walter Röhrl
Walter Röhrl is certainly one of the greatest rally drivers of all time. He was able to control himself, in that if there was a driver who was clearly going faster than him, he would be happy to grab whatever points he could. He won his first world title in 1980 for Fiat, and he won his second in the early days of Group B. He won the 1982 world title in an Opel Ascona, which was the same season that Audi entered their Quattro. The following season saw Röhrl driving for the Lancia team and finishing third in the championship behind his teammate Markku Alen and the winner of the title, Hannu Mikkola. 1984 was a bit of a struggle for Röhrl, since Audi was still having some reliability problems, but his teammate Stig Blomqvist managed to grab the title after a battle all season with Alen. The 1985 season was better for him, but not for Audi, since Peugeot took over as the dominant force in rallying. Röhrl finished third in the championship (despite continued mechanical failures), and grabbed a win on the San Remo rally.
Röhrl was also very highly regarded by his engineers. His feedback was an important part of his success, since he was able to tell the engineers exactly what the car was doing. Röhrl is also a perfectionist in his driving, and he isn't a specialist on one type of surface, as many drivers are. He is quick everywhere, on gravel, tarmac, snow, anything that comes his way. He has 14 wins to his credit, placing him tenth on the all time WRC win list. His other major achievement was his 1987 win of the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, where he set the overall fastest time up the mountain. He still competes actively in "old-timer" rallies.
Timo Salonen
Timo Salonen was the 1985 World Champion, and he was the first driver to win a World Championship for Peugeot. He tends to be overlooked for his significant accomplishment because he was originally signed to be the second driver, behind team leader Ari Vatanen. He probably wouldn't have won the title, but Vatanen's nearly fatal crash in Argentina plus some fine driving allowed Salonen to grab the title. Salonen spent a couple of seasons with Datsun and Nissan before joining Peugeot. He sits tied with Blomqvist for 11th on the all-time WRC win list, with 11 wins. Salonen went on to drive in the Paris-Dakar rally following the end of Group B. He managed to win the world-famous rally a couple of times.
Henri Toivonen
Henri Toivonen was one of the most spectacular drivers in the world to watch. He was able to make up enormous amounts of time in single stages. Toivonen's Group B career started with Opel, in the Ascona, partnering Walter Röhrl. Toivonen won the 1980 RAC rally at the age of 24, which is still the record for youngest driver ever to win a round of the WRC. He stayed with Opel until the 1984 season, achieving little success because of the Opel's lack of pace compared to the all-conquering Audis. In 1984, Toivonen had two rides: he drove a Rothmans-sponsored Porsche 911 in the European championship, and he ran a works Lancia 037 with limited success.
1985 saw Toivonen staying with the Lancia team, with Markku Alen as a teammate. By this point, the 037 was well behind Peugeot and Audi in terms of performance. The team was pinning their hopes on their new Delta S4. The S4 completely changed Lancia's fortunes. Its first event, the 1985 RAC, saw Toivonen, Alen, and Lancia completely crush the opposition. 1986 started as 1985 had finished. Toivonen looked set to run away with the title. Then, tragedy struck; On the 18th stage in the Tour de Corse, Toivonen's S4 left the road while leading. Toivonen and his co-driver, Sergio Cresto, were killed in the crash. Group B and Group S were cancelled immediately following his crash. Henri Toivonen will not be forgotten; it's a shame he never won the title he so richly deserved.
Ari Vatanen ( para mi el mejor piloto de rally de todos los tiempos!)
Ari Vatanen was the 1981 world champion, and he is one of the most spectacular drivers in the world to watch. Vatanen was Peugeot's first driver for their works rally team. He was their driver in the 1984 Tour de Corse rally where Peugeot nearly won their first ever event. Vatanen probably holds the record for the greatest drive in rally history. In the 1985 Monte Carlo Rally, he was hit with an 8 minute penalty after arriving at a time control too early. Ari refused to give up, and he spent the rest of the rally playing catch-up. Eventually, he got back in the lead and won the rally.
Ari was one of the top drivers in the world, and he was on his way to winning the 1985 World Rally championship. However, in Argentina that year, he hit a washout at high speed and was nearly killed in the crash. His co-driver had minor injuries, but Ari was out of rallying for over a year because his seat mounts broke during the roll, and he bounced around inside the car. He made an incredible recovery to win the Paris-Dakar rally (in his first try at the rally) for Peugeot in a new 205 once Group B was banned. He also broke Röhrl's record at Pikes Peak by less than a second
He is now a member of the European Union parliament
The people who drove Group B cars, the drivers and co-drivers, were people with exceptional skills. The drivers all had incredible reflexes and the ability to control awesome horsepower in small cars. The co-drivers were able to make and read notes at incredible speed while flying over rocks and jumps. The co-drivers also had to put faith in the drivers, and trust that they would not crash the car. Rally drivers are certainly some of the best drivers in the world, and the Group B era demanded that even the best drivers not make any mistakes. The drivers were pushed to the absolute limit, and the smallest mistakes had fairly severe consequences.
Markku Alen
Markku Alen is one of the most successful rally drivers of all time. He has won 19 rounds of the World Rally Championship, including no less than five victories on the 1000 Lakes rally, his home event. However, despite all his victories, Alen never won the championship. He won the 1978 FIA Drivers Cup, which was the top prize for drivers before they got their own World Championship in 1979. Alen was with Lancia for most of the Group B era, and he was able to keep the Audi team honest despite driving the inferior 037. His performances were valuable parts of Lancia's 1983 Manufacturer's Championship. He came within one rally of winning the 1986 World Championship, after a protest was lodged against title rivals Juha Kankkunen and Peugeot at the San Remo rally. Alen was confident of winning the protest, so after winning the final round of the championship, the Olympus rally in the USA, he stood on the car and declared himself champion.
However, his reign as champion lasted two weeks. FISA rejected the protest, and as a result, Kankkunen and Peugeot were world champions. Alen lost the title after a long and difficult season by a very narrow margin. He continued to drive for the Lancia team following the end of Group B, and came third and second in the 1987 and 1988 championships, respectively. Alen now competes in the ANDROS ice racing championship, driving for the Opel team.
Stig Blomqvist
Stig Blomqvist started his professional rally career with the Saab rally team, which was underfunded compared with its rivals. Eventually, Saab pulled out of rallying. Blomqvist had a brief stint with Talbot before driving for Audi at a test session. He amazed the Audi team bosses with his spectacular driving style, because he proved that it was possible to make a four-wheel-drive car slide around corners by using left-foot braking. His driving style proved to be incredibly fast and extremely entertaining for the spectators. The 1983 season established Blomqvist as the quickest driver in the Audi team, however, he couldn't grab the title due to a lack of mechanical reliability.
1984 was to be Blomqvist's year. Audi had the constructor's title wrapped up fairly early in the year, so Audi was able to concentrate all their efforts on helping Blomqvist beat Markku Alen and Lancia for the driver's crown. Blomqvist was not to be denied. The Quattro's performance advantage over Lancia's 037 and Blomqvist's natural talent combined to take the 1984 driver's title. Blomqvist later went on to compete in the Paris-Dakar rally.
John Buffum
John Buffum is the most successful American rally driver of all time, and he holds the world record for most national rally wins, with about 115 wins. Buffum was given a works Audi ride in 1981, and he became unstoppable in the American rally series. He won nearly every American championship during his time with Audi, and in the 1987 season, he won every event he entered. 1987 was also his last season as a full-time driver. Buffum occasionally enters a rally to keep himself sharp, but now his main focus is his racing company, Libra racing, and on his stepson's rally career.
Juha Kankkunen (jovato y todo y gano aca en el 99 con 44 pirulos!)
Juha Kankkunen drove for Peugeot during the Group B days, with whom he won a world championship. He won the 1986 title with Peugeot, the 1987 and 1991 titles with Lancia, and the 1993 title with Toyota. Juha is one of the greatest drivers who ever lived (in my opinion), and he is still actively competing. Juha is still one of the top drivers in the world. He is currently driving for the Subaru works rally program. He was driving for the Ford team, but quit after learning that Ford had hired Colin McRae to be their number 1 driver. Kankkunen didn't want to have to play second fiddle to anyone. Juha was signed within days by Subaru to partner Richard Burns and Bruno Thiry (his current teammate who also left Ford). Juha has won a total of four world rally titles, more than any other driver in history. He could potentially claim his fifth title in the near future. Kankkunen is second on the all-time win list for rally drivers (behind Carlos Sainz), with 21 victories to his credit.
Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Mikkola was a critical part of the development of the Audi Quattro. He drove with Audi for many years, and he assisted their development of the Quattro starting in 1980. He was there when the Quattro was unveiled, and he was Audi's number 1 driver for a number of years. He has won 18 rallies in the World Rally Championship, placing him in a tie for fourth on the all-time win list. Mikkola gave Audi their first international victory on their third international rally, the 1981 Swedish rally. His luck wasn't very good the following season, but his teammate Michèle Mouton nearly won the title. Audi managed to win the constructors' title. Mikkola won the World Rally Championship for drivers in 1983, however, Audi didn't have a very good year, finishing second in manufacturers' points. Mikkola was one of the most intelligent drivers in rallying.
Michèle Mouton
Michèle Mouton set a record that can never be broken: she was the first woman to win a round of the World Rally Championship. She came within one event of winning the 1982 world title for Audi, but a transmission failure and her concern for her father's illness ended her chances at the title nearing the end of the Ivory Coast rally. She narrowly lost the title to Walter Röhrl. Later, Audi sent her to conquer the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, much to the annoyance of some of her competitors at Pikes Peak. She won the event twice, and set a new overall record for the race. Michèle is probably the most successful and internationally famous female racing driver.
Walter Röhrl
Walter Röhrl is certainly one of the greatest rally drivers of all time. He was able to control himself, in that if there was a driver who was clearly going faster than him, he would be happy to grab whatever points he could. He won his first world title in 1980 for Fiat, and he won his second in the early days of Group B. He won the 1982 world title in an Opel Ascona, which was the same season that Audi entered their Quattro. The following season saw Röhrl driving for the Lancia team and finishing third in the championship behind his teammate Markku Alen and the winner of the title, Hannu Mikkola. 1984 was a bit of a struggle for Röhrl, since Audi was still having some reliability problems, but his teammate Stig Blomqvist managed to grab the title after a battle all season with Alen. The 1985 season was better for him, but not for Audi, since Peugeot took over as the dominant force in rallying. Röhrl finished third in the championship (despite continued mechanical failures), and grabbed a win on the San Remo rally.
Röhrl was also very highly regarded by his engineers. His feedback was an important part of his success, since he was able to tell the engineers exactly what the car was doing. Röhrl is also a perfectionist in his driving, and he isn't a specialist on one type of surface, as many drivers are. He is quick everywhere, on gravel, tarmac, snow, anything that comes his way. He has 14 wins to his credit, placing him tenth on the all time WRC win list. His other major achievement was his 1987 win of the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, where he set the overall fastest time up the mountain. He still competes actively in "old-timer" rallies.
Timo Salonen
Timo Salonen was the 1985 World Champion, and he was the first driver to win a World Championship for Peugeot. He tends to be overlooked for his significant accomplishment because he was originally signed to be the second driver, behind team leader Ari Vatanen. He probably wouldn't have won the title, but Vatanen's nearly fatal crash in Argentina plus some fine driving allowed Salonen to grab the title. Salonen spent a couple of seasons with Datsun and Nissan before joining Peugeot. He sits tied with Blomqvist for 11th on the all-time WRC win list, with 11 wins. Salonen went on to drive in the Paris-Dakar rally following the end of Group B. He managed to win the world-famous rally a couple of times.
Henri Toivonen
Henri Toivonen was one of the most spectacular drivers in the world to watch. He was able to make up enormous amounts of time in single stages. Toivonen's Group B career started with Opel, in the Ascona, partnering Walter Röhrl. Toivonen won the 1980 RAC rally at the age of 24, which is still the record for youngest driver ever to win a round of the WRC. He stayed with Opel until the 1984 season, achieving little success because of the Opel's lack of pace compared to the all-conquering Audis. In 1984, Toivonen had two rides: he drove a Rothmans-sponsored Porsche 911 in the European championship, and he ran a works Lancia 037 with limited success.
1985 saw Toivonen staying with the Lancia team, with Markku Alen as a teammate. By this point, the 037 was well behind Peugeot and Audi in terms of performance. The team was pinning their hopes on their new Delta S4. The S4 completely changed Lancia's fortunes. Its first event, the 1985 RAC, saw Toivonen, Alen, and Lancia completely crush the opposition. 1986 started as 1985 had finished. Toivonen looked set to run away with the title. Then, tragedy struck; On the 18th stage in the Tour de Corse, Toivonen's S4 left the road while leading. Toivonen and his co-driver, Sergio Cresto, were killed in the crash. Group B and Group S were cancelled immediately following his crash. Henri Toivonen will not be forgotten; it's a shame he never won the title he so richly deserved.
Ari Vatanen ( para mi el mejor piloto de rally de todos los tiempos!)
Ari Vatanen was the 1981 world champion, and he is one of the most spectacular drivers in the world to watch. Vatanen was Peugeot's first driver for their works rally team. He was their driver in the 1984 Tour de Corse rally where Peugeot nearly won their first ever event. Vatanen probably holds the record for the greatest drive in rally history. In the 1985 Monte Carlo Rally, he was hit with an 8 minute penalty after arriving at a time control too early. Ari refused to give up, and he spent the rest of the rally playing catch-up. Eventually, he got back in the lead and won the rally.
Ari was one of the top drivers in the world, and he was on his way to winning the 1985 World Rally championship. However, in Argentina that year, he hit a washout at high speed and was nearly killed in the crash. His co-driver had minor injuries, but Ari was out of rallying for over a year because his seat mounts broke during the roll, and he bounced around inside the car. He made an incredible recovery to win the Paris-Dakar rally (in his first try at the rally) for Peugeot in a new 205 once Group B was banned. He also broke Röhrl's record at Pikes Peak by less than a second
He is now a member of the European Union parliament
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