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1983 World Rally Championship

11th season of the FIA World Rally Championship

Hannu Mikkola World Manufacturers' Champion: Lancia The 1983 World Rally Championship was the 11th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) World Rally Championship (WRC). The season consisted of 12 rallies. By this time, the schedule format had become generally stable, with only one or two changes to venues year to year. 1983 brought the return of Argentina to the schedule in place of Brazil. Audi's Hannu Mikkola beat the defending world champion Walter Röhrl and his Lancia teammate Markku Alén to the drivers' title. Lancia captured the manufacturers' title from Audi by just two points.

Summary

German Walter Röhrl, champion of the previous year despite his manufacturer's failed bid to capture the title, was tapped to drive for the Martini Racing team along with Finn Markku Alén in the new Lancia Rally 037 car. Audi Sport meanwhile carried forward from its successful title run in 1982 led by the same pair of drivers, Finn Hannu Mikkola and Frenchwoman Michèle Mouton, equipped with the Quattro A1 (later in the season upgrading to the A2 model). The team also included future champion Swede Stig Blomqvist. Rothmans Opel Rally Team tapped former champion Finn Ari Vatanen and fellow countryman Henri Toivonen to drive the Ascona 400 during the season.

Competition was fierce both for drivers and manufacturers. The works battle quickly centered on the Audi and Lancia, and over the course of the season the two cars won 10 of the 12 events and sit on 30 of the year's 36 podium positions. Lancia emerged on top, returning the manufacturer to glory for the first time since the company seized three consecutive titles in the mid-1970s, despite deciding not to participate in last two events. Audi's performance was impressive and the car was improved in the second half of the season, winning three of the final four events to nearly catch the Italian maker (who, of course, withdrew from two last events, leaving Audi with little competition).

Driver competition was no less intense, with both of the Martini team-mates scoring well through the season. They were outpaced by Mikkola, who was able to garner four wins and seven podiums to take the title by a healthy margin in the end. While Mikkola appeared in all events, Röhrl and Alén only appeared in six and seven events respectively, which gave Mikkola clear path to the title. Mikkola teammate Blomqvist was impressive, finally winning in the last event of the year to place fourth overall, but Mouton's season was a disappointment, her fifth-place finish well off the pace. The Rothmans team meanwhile suffered an unimpressive season, the lone highlight being Vatanen's win in Kenya. This was the team's only podium finish, and Ari himself finished a distant sixth place on the year.

As with previous seasons, while all 12 events were calculated for tallying the drivers' scores, only 10 of the events applied to the championship for manufacturers. The two events in 1983 that applied only to driver standings were Sweden and the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire.

Calendar

Rd.	Start date	Finish date	Rally	Rally headquarters	Surface	Stages	Distance
22 January	28 January	MON 51st Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo	Monte Carlo	Mixed	31	776.80 km	Drivers & Manufacturers
11 February	13 February	SWE 33rd International Swedish Rally	Karlstad, Värmland County	Snow	25	476.10 km	Drivers only
2 March	5 March	POR 17th Rallye de Portugal - Vinho do Porto	Estoril, Lisbon	Mixed	43	671.39 km	Drivers & Manufacturers
30 March	4 April	KEN 31st Marlboro Safari Rally	Nairobi	Gravel	N/A	5035 km	Drivers & Manufacturers
5 May	7 May	FRA 27th Tour de Corse - Rallye de France	Ajaccio, Corsica	Tarmac	32	1066.10 km	Drivers & Manufacturers
30 May	2 June	GRC 30th Rothmans Acropolis Rally	Athens	Gravel	46	843.30 km	Drivers & Manufacturers
25 June	28 June	NZL 14th Sanyo Rally of New Zealand	Auckland	Gravel	33	1071.09 km	Drivers & Manufacturers
2 August	6 August	ARG 3rd Marlboro Rally Argentina	Buenos Aires	Gravel	18	1275.29 km	Drivers & Manufacturers
26 August	28 August	FIN 33rd Rally of the 1000 Lakes	Jyväskylä, Central Finland	Gravel	50	472.63 km	Drivers & Manufacturers
2 October	7 October	ITA 25th Rallye Sanremo	Sanremo, Liguria	Mixed	58	775.89 km	Drivers & Manufacturers
25 October	30 October	CIV 15th Rallye Cote d'Ivoire	Abidjan	Gravel	N/A	4498 km	Drivers only
19 November	22 November	GBR 39th Lombard RAC Rally	Bath, Somerset	Gravel	59	835.33 km	Drivers & Manufacturers
Sources:

Teams and drivers

Team	Constructor	Car	Tyre	Drivers
ITA Martini Racing	Rally 037		DEU Walter Röhrl	1, 3, 5–7, 10
FIN Markku Alén	1, 3, 5–6, 8–10
FRA Jean-Claude Andruet	1, 5
ITA Adartico Vudafieri	3, 8
ITA Attilio Bettega	5–7, 10
ARG Francisco Mayorga	8
FIN Pentti Airikkala	9
DEU Audi Sport	Quattro A1
Quattro A2
FIN Hannu Mikkola	All
FRA Michèle Mouton	1–10, 12
SWE Stig Blomqvist	1–3, 6–10, 12
FIN Lasse Lampi	2, 9, 11–12
AUT Franz Wittmann	3, 6
KEN Vic Preston Jr	4
KEN Shekhar Mehta	8
ARG Rubén Luis di Palma	8
SWE Per Eklund	9
FRA Bernard Darniche	10
USA John Buffum	12
DEU Rothmans Opel Rally Team	Ascona 400
Manta 400		FIN Ari Vatanen	1–2, 4, 6, 9–10, 12
FIN Henri Toivonen	1, 6, 9–10, 12
FRA Guy Frequelin	1, 5
FIN Rauno Aaltonen	4
GBR Jimmy McRae	6, 12
GBR Phil Colins	12
GBR Clinton Smith	12
GBR Alastair Sutherland	12
GBR Alex Jackson	12
FRA Renault Elf	5 Turbo		FRA Jean Ragnotti	1, 5–6
FRA Jean-Luc Thérier	1, 3, 5
FRA Bruno Saby	1, 5
FRA Dany Snobeck	1
FRA Philippe Touren	1, 5
FRA Gilbert Sau	1
POR Manuel Pereira	3
FRA François Chatriot	5
FRA Jean-Pierre Manzagol	5
JPN Team Nissan Europe	240RS		FIN Timo Salonen	1, 3–4, 6–7, 9, 12
GBR Terry Kaby	3
KEN Shekhar Mehta	4, 6–7
KEN Mike Kirkland	4
KEN Jayant Shah	4
GBR Tony Pond	5
GRC George Moschous	6
NZL Reg Cook	7
FIN Erkki Pitkänen	9
FIN Peter Geitel	12
GBR Automobiles Talbot	Sunbeam Lotus		GBR Chris Lord	1
ESP Antonio Zanini	3
USA Jon Woodner	12
GBR David Keating	12
FRA Alain Truchet	12
GBR Colin Barrell	12
FRA Citroën Compétitions	Visa		FRA Maurice Chomat	1, 3, 6, 12
FRA Alain Coppier	1, 3, 5–6, 9–10, 12
FRA Christian Dorche	1–3, 5–6, 12
POR Francisco Romãozinho	3
FRA Philippe Wambergue	3, 6, 12
FRA Christian Rio	3, 6, 12
FRA Olivier Tabatoni	3, 5–6, 9
POR Rufino Fontes	3
JPN Mitsubishi Ralliart	Lancer 2000 Turbo		AUT Georg Fischer	3, 9
FIN Harri Toivonen	9, 12
FRA Peugeot Sport	504 Pick-up V6		KEN John Hellier	4
KEN Basil Criticos	4
FRA BMW Motul	M1		FRA Bernard Béguin	5
ITA Jolly Club	Rally 037		Italia Adartico Vudafieri	5, 10
Italia Miki Biasion	10
Italia Tonino Tognana	10
JPN Toyota Team Europe	Celica TCT		SWE Björn Waldegård	9, 11–12
FIN Juha Kankkunen	9, 11–12
SWE Per Eklund	11–12
ITA Pro Motor Sport	308 GTB		SWE Björn Waldegård	10
ITA Federico Ormezzano	10
ITA Maurizio Cavalli	10
GBR GM Dealer Sport	Chevette 2300 HSR		GBR Russell Brookes	12
GBR Terry Kaby	12
GBR George Hill	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
Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo
(22–29 January 1983)	SWE
Swedish Rally
(11–13 February 1983)	PRT
Rallye de Portugal
(2–5 March 1983)	KEN
Safari Rally
(30 March – 4 April 1983)	FRA
Tour de Corse
(5–7 May 1983)	GRC
Acropolis Rally Greece
(30 May – 2 June 1983)	NZL
Rally New Zealand
(25–28 June 1983)	ARG
Rally Argentina
(2–6 August 1983)	FIN
Rally Finland
(26–28 August 1983)	ITA
Rallye Sanremo
(2–8 October 1983)	Ivory Coast
Rallye Côte d'Ivoire
(25–30 October 1983)	GBR
RAC Rally
(19–23 November 1983)
1	30 stages
709 km
Tarmac	1	FRG Walter Röhrl	FRG Christian Geistdörfer	ITA Martini Racing	Lancia Rally 037	7:58:57
2	FIN Markku Alén	FIN Ilkka Kivimäki	ITA Martini Racing	Lancia Rally 037	8:05:59
3	SWE Stig Blomqvist	SWE Björn Cederberg	FRG Audi Sport	Audi Quattro A1	8:10:15
2	24 stages
466 km
Snow/Ice	1	FIN Hannu Mikkola	SWE Arne Hertz	FRG Audi Sport	Audi Quattro A1	4:28:47
2	SWE Stig Blomqvist	SWE Björn Cederberg	FRG Audi Sport	Audi 80 Quattro	4:29:34
3	FIN Lasse Lampi	FIN Pentti Kuukkala	FRG Audi Sport	Audi Quattro A1	4:32:51
3	40 stages
642 km
Gravel/Tarmac	1	FIN Hannu Mikkola	SWE Arne Hertz	FRG Audi Sport	Audi Quattro A1	7:17:24
2	FRA Michèle Mouton	ITA Fabrizia Pons	FRG Audi Sport	Audi Quattro A1	7:18:19
3	FRG Walter Röhrl	FRG Christian Geistdörfer	ITA Martini Racing	Lancia Rally 037	7:19:14
4	87 controls
5035 km
Gravel	1	FIN Ari Vatanen	GBR Terry Harryman	FRG Rothmans Opel Rally Team	Opel Ascona 400	+3:96 pen
2	FIN Hannu Mikkola	SWE Arne Hertz	FRG Audi Sport	Audi Quattro A1	+4:02 pen
3	FRA Michèle Mouton	ITA Fabrizia Pons	FRG Audi Sport	Audi Quattro A1	+4:55 pen
5	28 stages
1008 km
Tarmac	1	FIN Markku Alén	FIN Ilkka Kivimäki	ITA Martini Racing	Lancia Rally 037	12:43:38
2	FRG Walter Röhrl	FRG Christian Geistdörfer	ITA Martini Racing	Lancia Rally 037	12:45:27
3	ITA Adartico Vudafieri	ITA Luigi Pirollo	ITA Jolly Club	Lancia Rally 037	12:50:08
6	45 stages
836 km
Gravel	1	FRG Walter Röhrl	FRG Christian Geistdörfer	ITA Martini Racing	Lancia Rally 037	11:12:22
2	FIN Markku Alén	FIN Ilkka Kivimäki	ITA Martini Racing	Lancia Rally 037	11:18:42
3	SWE Stig Blomqvist	SWE Björn Cederberg	FRG Audi Sport	Audi Quattro A2	11:26:18
7	33 stages
1069 km
Gravel	1	FRG Walter Röhrl	FRG Christian Geistdörfer	ITA Martini Racing	Lancia Rally 037	12:10:13
2	FIN Timo Salonen	FIN Seppo Harjanne	JPN Team Nissan Europe	Nissan 240RS	12:26:11
3	ITA Attilio Bettega	ITA Maurizio Perissinot	ITA Martini Racing	Lancia Rally 037	12:41:42
8	18 stages
1274 km
Gravel	1	FIN Hannu Mikkola	SWE Arne Hertz	FRG Audi Sport	Audi Quattro A2	10:18:54
2	SWE Stig Blomqvist	SWE Björn Cederberg	FRG Audi Sport	Audi Quattro A2	10:21:28
3	FRA Michèle Mouton	ITA Fabrizia Pons	FRG Audi Sport	Audi Quattro A2	10:25:35
9	50 stages
473 km
Gravel	1	FIN Hannu Mikkola	SWE Arne Hertz	FRG Audi Sport	Audi Quattro A2	4:23:44
2	SWE Stig Blomqvist	SWE Björn Cederberg	FRG Audi Sport	Audi Quattro A2	4:24:05
3	FIN Markku Alén	FIN Ilkka Kivimäki	ITA Martini Racing	Lancia Rally 037	4:24:33
10	58 stages
775 km
Gravel/Tarmac	1	FIN Markku Alén	FIN Ilkka Kivimäki	ITA Martini Racing	Lancia Rally 037	8:50:17
2	FRG Walter Röhrl	FRG Christian Geistdörfer	ITA Martini Racing	Lancia Rally 037	8:52:26
3	ITA Attilio Bettega	ITA Maurizio Perissinot	ITA Martini Racing	Lancia Rally 037	8:55:27
11	54 controls
4600 km
Gravel	1	SWE Björn Waldegård	SWE Hans Thorszelius	JPN Toyota Team Europe	Toyota Celica TCT	+5:18 pen
2	FIN Hannu Mikkola	SWE Arne Hertz	FRG Audi Sport	Audi Quattro A2	+5:29 pen
3	SWE Per Eklund	GBR Dave Whittock	JPN Toyota Team Europe	Toyota Celica TCT	+6:58 pen
12	57 stages
790 km
Gravel/Tarmac	1	SWE Stig Blomqvist	SWE Björn Cederberg	GBR Audi Sport UK	Audi Quattro A2	8:50:28
2	FIN Hannu Mikkola	SWE Arne Hertz	FRG Audi Sport	Audi Quattro A2	9:00:21
3	GBR Jimmy McRae	GBR Ian Grindrod	FRG Rothmans Opel Rally Team	Opel Manta 400	9:12:19

Standings

Drivers' championship

Rank	Driver	Event	Total
points	MCO
MON	SWE
SWE	PRT
POR	KEN
KEN	FRA
FRA	GRC
GRC	NZL
NZL	ARG
ARG	FIN
FIN	ITA
ITA	Ivory Coast
CIV	GBR
GBR	1	125	2	102	3	100	4	89	5	53	6	44	7	42	8	26	9	26	10	22	11	20	12	20	13	18	14	16	15	15	16	11	17	10	10	19	10	20	9	21	8	8	8	8	8	8	27	8	28	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	35	4	4	4	4	4	4	41	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	49	3	50	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	59	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
FIN Hannu Mikkola	(10)	20	20	15	–	–	–	20	20	–	15	15
FRG Walter Röhrl	20	–	12	–	15	20	20	–	–	15	–	–
FIN Markku Alén	15	–	10	–	20	15	–	8	12	20	–	–
SWE Stig Blomqvist	12	15	–	–	–	12	–	15	15	–	–	20
FRA Michèle Mouton	–	10	15	12	–	–	–	12	–	4	–	–
FIN Ari Vatanen	8	6	–	20	–	10	–	–	–	–	–	–
ITA Attilio Bettega	–	–	–	–	10	8	12	–	–	12	–	–
FIN Lasse Lampi	–	12	–	–	–	–	–	–	4	–	–	10
KEN Shekhar Mehta	–	–	–	–	–	6	10	10	–	–	–	–
SWE Per Eklund	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	10	–	12	–
SWE Björn Waldegård	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	20	–
ITA Adartico Vudafieri	–	–	8	–	12	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
FIN Timo Salonen	–	–	–	–	–	–	15	–	3	–	–	–
FIN Henri Toivonen	6	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	10	–	–
GBR Jimmy McRae	–	–	–	–	–	3	–	–	–	–	–	12
SWE Kalle Grundel	–	8	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	3
KEN Jayant Shah	–	–	–	10	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
FRA Alain Ambrosino	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	10	–
FIN Juha Kankkunen	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	6	–	–	4
FRA Bruno Saby	1	–	–	–	8	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
KEN Johnny Hellier	–	–	–	8	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
NZL Reg Cook	–	–	–	–	–	–	8	–	–	–	–	–
FIN Pentti Airikkala	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	8	–	–	–
ITA Miki Biasion	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	8	–	–
Ivory Coast Eugène Salim	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	8	–
GBR Russell Brookes	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	8
AUT Franz Wittmann	–	–	4	–	–	4	–	–	–	–	–	–
ESP Antonio Zanini	–	–	6	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
FRG Wolfgang Stiller	–	–	–	6	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
GBR Tony Pond	–	–	–	–	6	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
NZL Possum Bourne	–	–	–	–	–	–	6	–	–	–	–	–
AUT Franz Wurz	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	6	–	–	–	–
ITA Dario Cerrato	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	6	–	–
USA John Buffum	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	6
FRA Jean Ragnotti	4	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
SWE Sören Nilsson	–	4	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
KEN Manoj Shah	–	–	–	4	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
FRA Jean-Sébastien Couloumiès	–	–	–	–	4	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
NZL Michael Bish	–	–	–	–	–	–	4	–	–	–	–	–
ARG Ernesto Soto	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	4	–	–	–	–
FRA Jean-Claude Andruet	3	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
SWE Mikael Ericsson	–	3	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
GBR Terry Kaby	–	–	3	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
KEN Paul de Voest	–	–	–	3	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
FRA Alain Coppier	–	–	–	–	3	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
NZL Peter Watt	–	–	–	–	–	–	3	–	–	–	–	–
ARG Jorge Recalde	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	3	–	–	–	–
ITA Lucky	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	3	–	–
FIN Mikael Sundström	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	–	–	2
FRA Francis Serpaggi	2	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
SWE Lars-Erik Walfridsson	–	2	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
FRA Christian Dorche	–	–	2	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
FRA Jean-Michel Guyot	–	–	–	–	2	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
FRA Philippe Wambergue	–	–	–	–	–	2	–	–	–	–	–	–
NZL Mike Cameron	–	–	–	–	–	–	2	–	–	–	–	–
ARG Carlos Celis	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2	–	–	–	–
FIN Erkki Pitkänen	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2	–	–	–
FRA Bernard Darniche	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2	–	–
SWE Ola Strömberg	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
BEL Marc Duez	–	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
FRA Jean-Louis Ravenel	–	–	–	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
FRA Maurice Chomat	–	–	–	–	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
ARG Gerardo del Campo	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	–	–	–	–
ITA Gabriele Noberasco	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	–	–
SWE Mats Holmbom	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1

Manufacturers' championship

Rank	Manufacturers	Event	Total
points	MCO
MON	PRT
POR	KEN
KEN	FRA
FRA	GRC
GRC	NZL
NZL	ARG
ARG	FIN
FIN	ITA
ITA	GBR
GBR	1	118	2	116	3	87	4	52	5	27	6	24	7	13	8	11	11	10	10	10	12	9	9	14	9	15	8	16	7
ITA Lancia	18	14	–	18	18	18	(10)	14	18	–
FRG Audi	14	18	16	–	14	–	18	18	(6)	18
FRG Opel	10	(9)	18	12	12	–	–	9	12	14
JPN Nissan	–	4	12	8	8	16	–	4	–	–
FRA Renault	6	–	–	10	–	–	11	–	–	–
JPN Toyota	–	–	10	–	–	–	–	8	–	6
JPN Subaru	–	–	–	–	–	13	–	–	–	–
GBR British Leyland Cars	–	–	–	–	–	11	–	–	–	–
FRG Volkswagen	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	11
FRA Peugeot	–	–	10	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
GBR Vauxhall	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	10
JPN Mazda	–	–	–	–	–	9	–	–	–	–
ITA Alfa Romeo	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	9	–
FRA Citroën	–	2	–	5	2	–	–	–	–	–
GBR Talbot	–	8	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
JPN Mitsubishi	–	–	–	–	–	7	–	–	–	–

Pointscoring systems

Drivers' championship

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

Manufacturers' championship

Overall
finish	Group finish	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
1	18	–
2	17	16
3	16	15
4	15	14
5	14	13
6	13	12
7	12	11
8	11	10
9	10	9
10	9	8

References

"WRC 1983". [[eWRC-results.com]].
"1983 WRC calendar". Jonkka's World Rally Archive.
Event not included in the Manufacturers' Championship

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