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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.
Teams and drivers
| Team | Constructor | Car | Tyre | Drivers | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Martini Racing |
Lancia | Rally 037 | P |  Walter Röhrl |
1, 3, 5–7, 10 |
 Markku Alén |
1, 3, 5–6, 8–10 | ||||
 Jean-Claude Andruet |
1, 5 | ||||
| Adartico Vudafieri |
3, 8 | ||||
| Attilio Bettega |
5–7, 10 | ||||
 Francisco Mayorga |
8 | ||||
| Pentti Airikkala |
9 | ||||
| Audi Sport |
Audi | Quattro A1 Quattro A2 |
M P |
Hannu Mikkola |
All |
| Michèle Mouton |
1–10, 12 | ||||
 Stig Blomqvist |
1–3, 6–10, 12 | ||||
| Lasse Lampi |
2, 9, 11–12 | ||||
 Franz Wittmann |
3, 6 | ||||
 Vic Preston Jr |
4 | ||||
| Shekhar Mehta |
8 | ||||
| Rubén Luis di Palma |
8 | ||||
| Per Eklund |
9 | ||||
| Bernard Darniche |
10 | ||||
 John Buffum |
12 | ||||
| Rothmans Opel Rally Team |
Opel | Ascona 400 Manta 400 |
M | Ari Vatanen |
1–2, 4, 6, 9–10, 12 |
| Henri Toivonen |
1, 6, 9–10, 12 | ||||
| Guy Frequelin |
1, 5 | ||||
| Rauno Aaltonen |
4 | ||||
 Jimmy McRae |
6, 12 | ||||
| Phil Colins |
12 | ||||
| Clinton Smith |
12 | ||||
| Alastair Sutherland |
12 | ||||
| Alex Jackson |
12 | ||||
| Renault Elf |
Renault | 5 Turbo | M | Jean Ragnotti |
1, 5–6 |
| Jean-Luc Thérier |
1, 3, 5 | ||||
| Bruno Saby |
1, 5 | ||||
| Dany Snobeck |
1 | ||||
| Philippe Touren |
1, 5 | ||||
| Gilbert Sau |
1 | ||||
 Manuel Pereira |
3 | ||||
| François Chatriot |
5 | ||||
| Jean-Pierre Manzagol |
5 | ||||
 Team Nissan Europe |
Nissan | 240RS | D | Timo Salonen |
1, 3–4, 6–7, 9, 12 |
| Terry Kaby |
3 | ||||
| Shekhar Mehta |
4, 6–7 | ||||
| Mike Kirkland |
4 | ||||
| Jayant Shah |
4 | ||||
| Tony Pond |
5 | ||||
 George Moschous |
6 | ||||
 Reg Cook |
7 | ||||
| Erkki Pitkänen |
9 | ||||
| Peter Geitel |
12 | ||||
| Automobiles Talbot |
Talbot | Sunbeam Lotus | M | Chris Lord |
1 |
 Antonio Zanini |
3 | ||||
| Jon Woodner |
12 | ||||
| David Keating |
12 | ||||
| Alain Truchet |
12 | ||||
| Colin Barrell |
12 | ||||
| Citroën Compétitions |
Citroën | Visa | M | Maurice Chomat |
1, 3, 6, 12 |
| Alain Coppier |
1, 3, 5–6, 9–10, 12 | ||||
| Christian Dorche |
1–3, 5–6, 12 | ||||
| Francisco Romãozinho |
3 | ||||
| Philippe Wambergue |
3, 6, 12 | ||||
| Christian Rio |
3, 6, 12 | ||||
| Olivier Tabatoni |
3, 5–6, 9 | ||||
| Rufino Fontes |
3 | ||||
| Mitsubishi Ralliart |
Mitsubishi | Lancer 2000 Turbo | Y | Georg Fischer |
3, 9 |
| Harri Toivonen |
9, 12 | ||||
| Peugeot Sport |
Peugeot | 504 Pick-up V6 | M | John Hellier |
4 |
| Basil Criticos |
4 | ||||
| BMW Motul |
BMW | M1 | P | Bernard Béguin |
5 |
| Jolly Club |
Lancia | Rally 037 | P | Adartico Vudafieri |
5, 10 |
| Miki Biasion |
10 | ||||
| Tonino Tognana |
10 | ||||
| Toyota Team Europe |
Toyota | Celica TCT | P | Björn Waldegård |
9, 11–12 |
| Juha Kankkunen |
9, 11–12 | ||||
| Per Eklund |
11–12 | ||||
| Pro Motor Sport |
Ferrari | 308 GTB | M | Björn Waldegård |
10 |
| Federico Ormezzano |
10 | ||||
| Maurizio Cavalli |
10 | ||||
| GM Dealer Sport |
Vauxhall | Chevette 2300 HSR | M | Russell Brookes |
12 |
| Terry Kaby |
12 | ||||
| George Hill |
12 | ||||
Events
Map
 | |||
| Black = Tarmac | Brown = Gravel | Blue = Snow/Ice | Red = Mixed Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
Schedule and results
Standings
Drivers' championship
| Rank | Driver | Event | Total points | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 MON |
SWE |
POR |
KEN |
FRA |
GRC |
NZL |
ARG |
FIN |
ITA |
 CIV |
GBR | |||
| 1 | Hannu Mikkola |
(10) | 20 | 20 | 15 | – | – | – | 20 | 20 | – | 15 | 15 | 125 |
| 2 | Walter Röhrl |
20 | – | 12 | – | 15 | 20 | 20 | – | – | 15 | – | – | 102 |
| 3 | Markku Alén |
15 | – | 10 | – | 20 | 15 | – | 8 | 12 | 20 | – | – | 100 |
| 4 | Stig Blomqvist |
12 | 15 | – | – | – | 12 | – | 15 | 15 | – | – | 20 | 89 |
| 5 | Michèle Mouton |
– | 10 | 15 | 12 | – | – | – | 12 | – | 4 | – | – | 53 |
| 6 | Ari Vatanen |
8 | 6 | – | 20 | – | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 44 |
| 7 | Attilio Bettega |
– | – | – | – | 10 | 8 | 12 | – | – | 12 | – | – | 42 |
| 8 | Lasse Lampi |
– | 12 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | – | – | 10 | 26 |
| 9 | Shekhar Mehta |
– | – | – | – | – | 6 | 10 | 10 | – | – | – | – | 26 |
| 10 | Per Eklund |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | – | 12 | – | 22 |
| 11 | Björn Waldegård |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 20 | – | 20 |
| 12 | Adartico Vudafieri |
– | – | 8 | – | 12 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 20 |
| 13 | Timo Salonen |
– | – | – | – | – | – | 15 | – | 3 | – | – | – | 18 |
| 14 | Henri Toivonen |
6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | – | – | 16 |
| 15 | Jimmy McRae |
– | – | – | – | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | 12 | 15 |
| 16 | Kalle Grundel |
– | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | 11 |
| 17 | Jayant Shah |
– | – | – | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 |
| Alain Ambrosino |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | – | 10 | |
| 19 | Juha Kankkunen |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | – | – | 4 | 10 |
| 20 | Bruno Saby |
1 | – | – | – | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9 |
| 21 | Johnny Hellier |
– | – | – | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8 |
| Reg Cook |
– | – | – | – | – | – | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | 8 | |
| Pentti Airikkala |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8 | – | – | – | 8 | |
| Miki Biasion |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8 | – | – | 8 | |
| Eugène Salim |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8 | – | 8 | |
| Russell Brookes |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8 | 8 | |
| 27 | Franz Wittmann |
– | – | 4 | – | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8 |
| 28 | Antonio Zanini |
– | – | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 |
| Wolfgang Stiller |
– | – | – | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | |
| Tony Pond |
– | – | – | – | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | |
| Possum Bourne |
– | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | |
| Franz Wurz |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | – | – | – | – | 6 | |
| Dario Cerrato |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | – | – | 6 | |
| John Buffum |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | 6 | |
| 35 | Jean Ragnotti |
4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 |
| Sören Nilsson |
– | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | |
| Manoj Shah |
– | – | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | |
| Jean-Sébastien Couloumiès |
– | – | – | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | |
| Michael Bish |
– | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | |
| Ernesto Soto |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | 4 | |
| 41 | Jean-Claude Andruet |
3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 |
| Mikael Ericsson |
– | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | |
| Terry Kaby |
– | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | |
| Paul de Voest |
– | – | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | |
| Alain Coppier |
– | – | – | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | |
| Peter Watt |
– | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | |
| Jorge Recalde |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | 3 | |
| Lucky |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | – | – | 3 | |
| 49 | Mikael Sundström |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | 2 | 3 |
| 50 | Francis Serpaggi |
2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 |
| Lars-Erik Walfridsson |
– | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | |
| Christian Dorche |
– | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | |
| Jean-Michel Guyot |
– | – | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | |
| Philippe Wambergue |
– | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | |
| Mike Cameron |
– | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | |
| Carlos Celis |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | 2 | |
| Erkki Pitkänen |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | 2 | |
| Bernard Darniche |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | – | 2 | |
| 59 | Ola Strömberg |
– | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Marc Duez |
– | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
| Jean-Louis Ravenel |
– | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
| Maurice Chomat |
– | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
| Gerardo del Campo |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
| Gabriele Noberasco |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | |
| Mats Holmbom |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | |
Manufacturers' championship
| Rank | Manufacturers | Event | Total points | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MON |
POR |
KEN |
FRA |
GRC |
NZL |
ARG |
FIN |
ITA |
GBR | |||
| 1 | Lancia |
18 | 14 | – | 18 | 18 | 18 | (10) | 14 | 18 | – | 118 |
| 2 | Audi |
14 | 18 | 16 | – | 14 | – | 18 | 18 | (6) | 18 | 116 |
| 3 | Opel |
10 | (9) | 18 | 12 | 12 | – | – | 9 | 12 | 14 | 87 |
| 4 | Nissan |
– | 4 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 16 | – | 4 | – | – | 52 |
| 5 | Renault |
6 | – | – | 10 | – | – | 11 | – | – | – | 27 |
| 6 | Toyota |
– | – | 10 | – | – | – | – | 8 | – | 6 | 24 |
| 7 | Subaru |
– | – | – | – | – | 13 | – | – | – | – | 13 |
| 8 | British Leyland Cars |
– | – | – | – | – | 11 | – | – | – | – | 11 |
| Volkswagen |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11 | 11 | |
| 10 | Peugeot |
– | – | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 |
| Vauxhall |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | 10 | |
| 12 | Mazda |
– | – | – | – | – | 9 | – | – | – | – | 9 |
| Alfa Romeo |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9 | – | 9 | |
| 14 | Citroën |
– | 2 | – | 5 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | 9 |
| 15 | Talbot |
– | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8 |
| 16 | Mitsubishi |
– | – | – | – | – | 7 | – | – | – | – | 7 |
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
External links
- FIA World Rally Championship 1983 at ewrc-results.com