Armin Schwarz
Schwarz at the 2005 Rally Finland
Personal information
NationalityGermany German
Born (1963-07-16) 16 July 1963
Neustadt an der Aisch, West Germany
World Rally Championship record
Active years1988–2005
Co-driverGermany Klaus Wicha
Sweden Arne Hertz
United Kingdom Nicky Grist
France Denis Giraudet
Germany Peter Thul
Germany Manfred Hiemer
TeamsToyota, Mitsubishi, Ford, Škoda, Hyundai
Rallies119
Championships0
Rally wins1
Podiums7
Stage wins100
Total points179
First rally1988 RAC Rally
First win1991 Rally Catalunya
Last rally2005 Rally Australia

Armin Schwarz (born 16 July 1963) is a German rally driver. He competed in the World Rally Championship from 1988 to 2005, winning the 1991 Rally Catalunya and taking six other podium finishes. Outside the WRC, he won the German Rally Championship (1987–88), the European Rally Championship (1996) and the "Rally Masters" event at the Race of Champions (2000).

Career

Schwarz at the 2001 Rally Finland.

Schwarz was born in Neustadt an der Aisch in Franken in 1963 and debuted in rallying in 1983. After having won the German Rally Championship for two years in a row, he made his debut in the World Rally Championship in 1988 and was signed by Toyota Team Europe, Toyota's factory WRC team, for the 1990 season.

Driving a Toyota Celica GT-Four, Schwarz led a world championship rally for the first time at the 1990 Rally Portugal, took his first podium finish at the 1991 Rally Australia and his first and only win at the 1991 Rally Catalunya.[1]

In 1996, due to Toyota's 12-month ban from the WRC, Schwarz drove for the team in the European Rally Championship. He won the Manx International Rally and the Cyprus Rally and captured the overall title. Later that same year, he drove to victory in the RAC Rally, then part of the 2-Litre World Championship ("Formula 2").[2]

In 1997 Schwarz drove for the now Cumbria based M-Sport Ford rally team but was later replaced by Juha Kankkunen after a series of disappointing performances.

In the 1999 season, after stints with Mitsubishi and Ford, Schwarz started his long partnership with the debuting Škoda works team. His best result with the team was third place at the 2001 Safari Rally. Schwarz retired from the world championship after the 2005 season, during which he took his first points finish in over a year at the season-ending Rally Australia.

Following the successful completion of its Red Bull Young Rally Driver's Search Program, Schwarz joined forces in 2006 with Global Sport Licensing Ltd. (“GSL”) and Mr. Baumschlage to create the WRC designated Red Bull Škoda Team. Simultaneously, Schwarz started in 2007 to race, as a GSL racing driver with the support of California-based All German Motorsport team, in the American SCORE International off-road championship which includes among others the internationally famous races Baja 1000.

Schwarz now lives in Austria. He is married with two children.

WRC victories

 #  Event Season Co-driver Car
1 Spain 27º Rallye Catalunya-Costa Brava (Rallye de España) 1991 Arne Hertz Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165

Complete World Rally Championship results

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 WDC Points
1988 Armin Schwarz Audi 200 Quattro MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRE USA NZL ARG FIN CIV ITA GBR
5		 37th 8
1989 Armin Schwarz Audi 200 Quattro SWE MON POR KEN FRA GRE
8		 NZL ARG AUS ITA
Ret		 CIV 41st 7
Schmidt Motorsport FIN
7		 GBR
Ret
1990 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 MON
5		 POR
Ret		 KEN FRA
Ret		 GRE NZL ARG FIN AUS ITA
Ret		 CIV GBR
7		 19th 12
1991 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 MON
4		 SWE POR
Ret		 KEN FRA
Ret		 GRE
5		 NZL ARG FIN
9		 AUS
3		 ITA
8		 CIV ESP
1		 GBR 6th 55
1992 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD MON
Ret		 SWE POR
Ret		 KEN FRA
5		 GRE
Ret		 NZL ARG FIN AUS ITA CIV ESP
5		 GBR 19th 16
1993 Mitsubishi Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer RS MON
6		 SWE POR
Ret		 KEN FRA GRE
3		 ARG NZL FIN
9		 AUS ITA ESP GBR
8		 12th 23
1994 Mitsubishi Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer RS MON
7		 POR KEN FRA 7th 31
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo II GRE
2		 ARG NZL
3		 FIN ITA
Ret		 GBR
1995 Toyota Castrol Team Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205 MON
Ret		 SWE
9		 POR
4		 FRA
Ret		 NZL
4		 AUS
5		 ESP
Ret		 GBR DSQ 30
1997 Ford Motor Co Ford Escort WRC MON
4		 SWE
6		 KEN
4		 POR
3		 ESP
Ret		 FRA
9		 ARG GRE NZL FIN IDN ITA AUS GBR 8th 11
1998 R.E.D. World Rally Team Ford Escort WRC MON SWE KEN POR ESP FRA ARG GRE NZL FIN ITA AUS GBR
7		 NC 0
1999 Škoda Motorsport Škoda Octavia WRC MON
Ret		 SWE KEN POR
Ret		 ESP
Ret		 FRA ARG GRE
12		 NZL FIN
Ret		 CHN ITA
Ret		 AUS GBR
Ret		 NC 0
2000 Škoda Motorsport Škoda Octavia WRC MON
7		 SWE KEN
7		 POR
8		 ESP
11		 ARG GRE
5		 NZL FIN 17th 2
Škoda Octavia WRC Evo2 CYP
Ret		 FRA ITA
12		 AUS GBR
13
2001 Škoda Motorsport Škoda Octavia WRC Evo2 MON
4		 SWE
Ret		 POR
Ret		 ESP
Ret		 ARG
Ret		 CYP
9		 GRE
7		 KEN
3		 FIN
15		 NZL ITA
Ret		 FRA
Ret		 AUS GBR
5		 12th 9
2002 Hyundai Castrol World Rally Team Hyundai Accent WRC2 MON
Ret		 SWE
Ret		 NC 0
Hyundai Accent WRC3 FRA
13		 ESP
16		 CYP
7		 ARG
Ret		 GRE
9		 KEN
Ret		 FIN
13		 GER
Ret		 ITA
Ret		 NZL
10		 AUS
Ret		 GBR
Ret
2003 Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai Accent WRC3 MON
8		 SWE
13		 TUR
Ret		 NZL
Ret		 ARG
Ret		 GRE
Ret		 CYP
7		 GER
12		 FIN
12		 AUS
13		 ITA FRA ESP GBR 18th 3
2004 Škoda Motorsport Škoda Fabia WRC MON SWE MEX NZL CYP GRE
Ret		 TUR ARG FIN
12		 GER
11		 JPN GBR
Ret		 ITA
Ret		 FRA
8		 ESP
11		 AUS 29th 1
2005 Škoda Motorsport Škoda Fabia WRC MON
Ret		 SWE MEX
9		 NZL
10		 ITA
EX		 CYP
13		 TUR
Ret		 GRE
18		 ARG
16		 FIN
11		 GER
Ret		 GBR
13		 JPN
10		 FRA
Ret		 ESP
11		 AUS
8		 24th 1

References

  1. ↑ "Armin Schwarz". World Rally Archive. Retrieved 1 June 2009.
  2. ↑ "Armin Schwarz". RallyBase. Retrieved 1 June 2009.
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