The 1985 World Rally Championship was the 13th 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. Peugeot Sport's Timo Salonen beat Audi Sport's Stig Blomqvist and Walter Röhrl to the drivers' title. Peugeot won their first manufacturers' title, ahead of Audi and Lancia.

Summary

Peugeot Talbot Sport, having made a successful late-season entry to the Group B with their new Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 car, returned in 1985 for a full season with the car. Ari Vatanen, who had won three of the last four rallies of 1984 in the car, also returned with the team and in the first rally of the season, passed Walter Röhrl's Quattro in the snowy and icy terrain after incurring an eight-minute penalty caused by co-driver Terry Harryman's error. At the Swedish Rally, Vatanen won again, establishing himself as the early favorite for a driver's title, as well as putting Peugeot ahead of Audi.

A disaster struck in May at the Tour de Corse. On the 4th stage of the rally, Italian driver Attilio Bettega crashed his Lancia 037 into a tree and was killed instantly. His co-driver Maurizio Perissinot survived the crash uninjured. The crash raised questions about the safety aspects of Group B cars. Exactly one year later at the same event Henri Toivonen suffered a similar fatal accident forcing FIA to ban Group B.

Unfortunately, Vatanen had a major accident in Argentina while speeding down a long, straight road in top gear when his car crashed and rolled end-over-front. The flimsy exterior of the car shattered, but the strong rollcage absorbed most of the impact. The drivers were airlifted to hospital by Peugeot's helicopter, and Vatanen's injuries were severe and seemed life-threatening. Although he would recover and return to the sport, the Peugeot team was forced to turn to its other driver, Timo Salonen. Salonen had already taken the points lead and finished with the driver's championship on the strength of five rally wins.

Audi Sport Quattro driven in 1985

Audi Sport faced the dual pressure of Peugeot's strong 205 car in competition, and waning company commitment to the Quattro rally program. With the danger of Group B rally becoming a more publicized issue, the company was questioning its involvement in the sport unless major changes were made to improve safety. While both Stig Blomqvist and Walter Röhrl were retained as drivers, they suffered generally at the hands of the Peugeot team although they would ultimately place second and third respectively. Their season however only included a single rally win between them, with Röhrl's triumph at Sanremo proving to be Audi's last Group B victory in the World Rally Championship.

The Lancia Martini team's season was an even greater disappointment than Audi's. The rear-wheel drive Lancia Sport 037 met with little success, even in the hands of such drivers as Markku Alén, Massimo Biasion, and Henri Toivonen. Toivonen would suffer an accident, breaking three vertebrae in his neck early on and missing most of the season.[1] The team awaited the arrival of the Delta S4, a four-wheel-drive car, hoping it would give them a competitive advantage. Arriving for the final rally of the season, the RAC Rally, it succeeded in collecting the victory and giving the team hope for competing in the following season.

Austin Rallying made its entrance to the rally scene with the new MG Metro 6R4 and its 3.0L V6 engine, taking a podium position at the RAC. Austin's success would be brief however, as the Metro would struggle in the final season of Group B competition in 1986. As with previous seasons, while all 12 events were calculated for tallying the drivers' scores, only 11 of the events applied to the championship for manufacturers. The event in 1985 which applied only to driver standings was Rallye Côte d'Ivoire.

Teams and drivers

Team Manufacturer Car Tyre Drivers Rounds
Germany Audi Sport Audi Quattro Sport M Sweden Stig Blomqvist 1–4, 6–9
Germany Walter Röhrl 1–3, 5–7, 10, 12
Finland Hannu Mikkola 2, 4, 9, 12
Sweden Per Eklund 2, 9, 12
Finland Lasse Lampi 2, 9
United Kingdom Malcolm Wilson 2
United Kingdom David Llewellin 2
New Zealand Malcolm Stewart 7
Austria Wilfred Wiedner 8
France Michèle Mouton 11
Germany Franz Braun 11
France Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 Turbo 16
205 Turbo 16 E2
M Finland Ari Vatanen 1–8
Finland Timo Salonen 1–10, 12
France Bruno Saby 1, 4–5, 10
Argentina Carlos Reutemann 8
Sweden Kalle Grundel 9, 12
Italy Giovanni del Zoppo 10
Finland Mikael Sundström 12
Italy Martini Racing Lancia Rally 037 evo
Delta S4
P Finland Henri Toivonen 1, 9–10, 12
Finland Markku Alén 4–5, 9–10, 12
Italy Attilio Bettega 4–5
Kenya Vic Preston Jr 4
Italy Jolly Club Lancia Rally 037 evo P Italy Miki Biasion 1, 3, 5, 10
Italy Dario Cerrato 10
France Citroën Compétitions Citroën Visa M France Jean-Claude Andruet 1
France Philippe Wambergue 1
France François Chauche 1
France Maurice Chomat 1
France Christian Dorche 1
France Olivier Tabatoni 5
Italy Gabriele Noberasco 10
Japan Mazda Rally Team Europe Mazda RX-7 M Sweden Ingvar Carlsson 2, 6, 12
Germany Achim Warmbold 6
New Zealand Neil Allport 7
New Zealand Mike Montgomery 7
Finland Minna Sillankorva 9
New Zealand Rod Millen 12
Germany Opel Euro Team Opel Manta 400 M Finland Rauno Aaltonen 4
Germany Erwin Weber 4, 12
France Guy Fréquelin 5
United Kingdom Russell Brookes 12
United Kingdom Jimmy McRae 12
United Kingdom Phil Colins 12
Japan Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica TCT P Sweden Björn Waldegård 4, 7, 9, 11–12
Kenya Dave Horsey 4
Finland Juha Kankkunen 4, 7, 9, 11–12
Japan Team Nissan Europe Nissan 240RS D Kenya Shekhar Mehta 4, 6–8
Kenya Jayant Shah 4, 6, 8
Kenya Mike Kirkland 4, 6, 11
France Alain Ambrosino 4, 11
Greece George Moschous 6
Greece Stratis Hatzipanayiotou 6
New Zealand Reg Cook 7
New Zealand Jim Donald 7
Finland Peter Geitel 9
United Kingdom Terry Kaby 12
France Renault Elf Philips Renault R5 Maxi Turbo M France Jean Ragnotti 5
France François Chatriot 5
France Didier Auriol 5
Germany Rothmans Porsche Rally Team Porsche 911SC RS M France Bernard Béguin 5
Republic of Ireland Billy Coleman 5
Qatar Saeed Al-Hajri 6
Italy West Lancia Team Lancia Rally 037 evo P Italy Andrea Zanussi 6
Italy Mauro Pregliasco 6
United Kingdom Austin Rover World Rally Team MG Metro 6R4 M United Kingdom Tony Pond 12
United Kingdom Malcolm Wilson 12
Germany Volkswagen Motorsport Volkswagen Golf GTi P Germany Jochi Kleint 3, 5–6, 10
Austria Franz Wittmann 3, 5–6, 10
Japan Subaru Motor Sport Subaru RX Turbo P Kenya Mike Kirkland 7
New Zealand Possum Bourne 7
New Zealand Tony Teesdale 7

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 Monaco Monte Carlo Rally
(26 January–1 February)
34 stages
852 km
Tarmac
1 Finland Ari Vatanen United Kingdom Terry Harryman France Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 T16 10:20:49
2 West Germany Walter Röhrl West Germany Christian Geistdörfer West Germany Audi Sport Audi Sport Quattro 10:26:06
3 Finland Timo Salonen Finland Seppo Harjanne France Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 T16 10:30:54
2 Sweden Swedish Rally
(15–17 February)
29 stages
505 km
Snow/Ice
1 Finland Ari Vatanen United Kingdom Terry Harryman France Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 T16 4:38:49
2 Sweden Stig Blomqvist Sweden Björn Cederberg West Germany Audi Sport Audi Sport Quattro 4:40:38
3 Finland Timo Salonen Finland Seppo Harjanne France Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 T16 4:42:15
3 Portugal Rally de Portugal
(6–9 March)
47 stages
733 km
Gravel/Tarmac
1 Finland Timo Salonen Finland Seppo Harjanne France Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 T16 8:07.25
2 Italy Miki Biasion Italy Tiziano Siviero Italy Jolly Club Lancia 037 Rally evo 8:12:12
3 West Germany Walter Röhrl West Germany Christian Geistdörfer West Germany Audi Sport Audi Sport Quattro 8:13:23
4 Kenya Safari Rally
(4–8 April)
88 controls
5167.6 km
Gravel
1 Finland Juha Kankkunen United Kingdom Fred Gallagher Japan Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica TCT +5:18 pen
2 Sweden Björn Waldegård Sweden Hans Thorszelius Japan Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica TCT +5:52 pen
3 Kenya Mike Kirkland Kenya Anton Levitan Japan Team Nissan Europe Nissan 240RS +6:01 pen
5 France Tour de Corse

(2–4 May)

29 stages
1078 km
Tarmac
1 France Jean Ragnotti France Pierre Thimonier France Renault Elf Philips Renault R5 Maxi Turbo 12:54:15
2 France Bruno Saby France Jean-François Fauchille France Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 T16 E2 13:06:47
3 France Bernard Béguin France Jean-Jacques Lenne West Germany Rothmans Porsche Rally Team Porsche 911 SC 13:20:04
6 Greece Acropolis Rally

(27–30 May)

47 stages
807.8 km
Gravel
1 Finland Timo Salonen Finland Seppo Harjanne France Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 T16 10:20:19
2 Sweden Stig Blomqvist Sweden Björn Cederberg West Germany Audi Sport Audi Sport Quattro 10:24:34
3 Sweden Ingvar Carlsson Sweden Benny Melander Japan Mazda Rally Team Europe Mazda RX-7 11:08:25
7 New Zealand Rally New Zealand
(29 June–2 July)
46 stages
894 km
Gravel
1 Finland Timo Salonen Finland Seppo Harjanne France Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 T16 E2 8:29:16
2 Finland Ari Vatanen United Kingdom Terry Harryman France Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 T16 E2 8:30:33
3 West Germany Walter Röhrl West Germany Christian Geistdörfer West Germany Audi Sport Audi Sport Quattro 8:31:42
8 Argentina Rally Argentina
(31 July–3 August)
23 stages
959 km
Gravel
1 Finland Timo Salonen Finland Seppo Harjanne France Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 T16 E2 10:04:33
2 Austria Wilfred Wiedner Austria Franz Zehetner West Germany Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 10:18:29
3 Argentina Carlos Reutemann France Jean-François Fauchille France Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 T16 E2 10:35:47
9 Finland 1000 Lakes Rally

(23–25 August)

50 stages
479 km
Gravel
1 Finland Timo Salonen Finland Seppo Harjanne France Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 T16 E2 4:10:35
2 Sweden Stig Blomqvist Sweden Björn Cederberg West Germany Audi Sport Audi Sport Quattro S1 4:11:23
3 Finland Markku Alén Finland Ilkka Kivimäki Italy Martini Racing Lancia 037 Rally evo 4:14:14
10 Italy Rallye Sanremo

(29 September–4 October)

45 stages
650 km
Gravel/Tarmac
1 West Germany Walter Röhrl West Germany Christian Geistdörfer West Germany Audi Sport Audi Sport Quattro S1 7:10:10
2 Finland Timo Salonen Finland Seppo Harjanne France Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 T16 E2 7:16:39
3 Finland Henri Toivonen Finland Juha Piironen Italy Martini Racing Lancia 037 Rally evo 7:18:02
11 Ivory Coast Rallye Côte d'Ivoire[2]

(30 October-3 November)

63 controls
4187 km
Gravel
1 Finland Juha Kankkunen United Kingdom Fred Gallagher Japan Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica TCT +4:46 pen
2 Sweden Björn Waldegård Sweden Hans Thorszelius Japan Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica TCT +4:46 pen
3 France Alain Ambrosino France Daniel Le Saux Japan Team Nissan Europe Nissan 240RS +6:19 pen
12 United Kingdom RAC Rally

(24–28 November)

63 stages
880 km
Gravel/Tarmac
1 Finland Henri Toivonen United Kingdom Neil Wilson Italy Martini Racing Lancia Delta S4 9:32.05
2 Finland Markku Alén Finland Ilkka Kivimäki Italy Martini Racing Lancia Delta S4 9:33.01
3 United Kingdom Tony Pond United Kingdom Rob Arthur United Kingdom Austin Rover World Rally Team MG Metro 6R4 9:34.32

Standings

Drivers

Rank Driver Event Total
points
Monaco
MON
Sweden
SWE
Portugal
POR
Kenya
KEN
France
FRA
Greece
GRC
New Zealand
NZL
Argentina
ARG
Finland
FIN
Italy
ITA
Ivory Coast
CIV
United Kingdom
GBR
1 Finland Timo Salonen 12 12 20 4 - 20 20 20 20 15 - - 127
2 Sweden Stig Blomqvist 10 15 10 - - 15 10 - 15 - - - 75
3 West Germany Walter Röhrl 15 - 12 - - - 12 - - 20 - - 59
4 Finland Ari Vatanen 20 20 - - - - 15 - - - - - 55
5 Finland Juha Kankkunen - - - 20 - - - - - - 20 8 48
6 Finland Henri Toivonen 6 - - - - - - - 10 12 - 20 48
7 Finland Markku Alén - - - - - - - - 12 10 - 15 37
8 Sweden Björn Waldegård - - - 15 - - - - 4 - 15 - 34
9 Kenya Mike Kirkland - - - 12 - 4 - - - - 10 - 26

References

  1. Maruszewska, Witolda. "Henri Toivonen biography". Post 14. Archived from the original on 31 December 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
  2. Event not included in the Manufacturers' Championship
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