1986 World Rally Championship

The 1986 World Rally Championship was the 14th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) World Rally Championship (WRC). The season consisted of 13 rallies, including all twelve venues of the previous season as well as the addition of the Olympus Rally. This marked the return of the WRC to the United States and North America, as well as the first world rally to be held on the western side of the continent. The December rally would also be the only WRC event to feature Group B competition in the United States.

The 1986 season was notable for being the last World Rally Championship season driven with the popular Group B rally cars, which were banned after the fatal crashes at the Rally Portugal, where three spectators were killed and more than 30 injured, and at the Tour de Corse, where Henri Toivonen and his co-driver Sergio Cresto died in a fireball accident. This was the year where Group B (first introduced in 1982) was at its peak, and the 1986 season saw some of the most powerful and sophisticated rally cars ever built, some of which were mid-engined, like the Lancia Delta S4 and the Ford RS200. The drivers' championship was won by Peugeot's Juha Kankkunen, followed by two other "Flying Finns", Lancia's Markku Alén and Kankkunen's teammate Timo Salonen. The manufacturers' title was taken by Peugeot, after a close battle with the Martini-sponsored Lancia team.^[1]

Summary

Hannu Mikkola at the Monte Carlo Rally

The season began with the Monte Carlo Rally and Henri Toivonen took the win with his Lancia Delta S4, making himself the favourite for the title. At the International Swedish Rally in wintery snow and ice, Toivonen had to retire due to an engine failure and Juha Kankkunen won the event with his Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2, ahead of Toivonen's teammate Markku Alén. At the next rally in Portugal, Joaquim Santos lost control of his Ford RS200 and plunged into the crowd, killing three spectators and injuring more than 30.^[2] All the factory team drivers decided to withdraw from the race, giving the win to home country's relatively unknown driver, Joaquim Moutinho.

After veteran Swede Bjorn Valdegard's triumph at the extremely arduous and difficult Safari Rally in Kenya driving a Group A Toyota Celica over Alen and his Group B Lancia 037 Evo (which was the S4's predecessor and used only by Lancia for the Safari Rally; the S4 was not used for the Safari Rally due to Lancia determining that it was too new and not developed enough for that rally), another fatal accident at the Tour de Corse on the French island of Corsica would change the course of rallying. Toivonen and his co-driver Sergio Cresto in their Lancia went off the side of the road, plunged down a ravine and landed on its roof. The aluminum fuel tank underneath the driver's seat was ruptured by the trees and exploded. Toivonen and Cresto had no time to get out and both men burned to death on their seats. The accident had no witnesses close enough to clearly see the accident.^[3]

Peugeot 205 T16 E2, Audi Quattro S1 and Lancia Delta S4 in Monte Carlo

This caused Jean-Marie Balestre and the FISA to immediately freeze the development of the Group B cars and ban them from competing for the 1987 season. Audi and Ford decided to withdraw from competing, while other teams continued with their Group B models until the end of the season. Peugeot boss Jean Todt was outraged over the ban and pursued legal action against the federation.^[4] The Tour de Corse was eventually won by Peugeot's Bruno Saby, which marked his career-first WRC victory. The Acropolis Rally in Greece and the New Zealand Rally were won consecutively by Kankunnen; and the third driver to take his debut win during the season was Lancia's Miki Biasion, who edged out teammate Alén to win the Rally Argentina.

Finnish drivers finished 1-2-3 in the Jyväskylä (otherwise known as the Finnish Rally, the fastest race of the year), with Salonen and Kankunnen giving Peugeot a 1-2 result, with Alen coming in 3rd for Lancia. This was not much of a surprise, as this rally had only ever been won by Finnish and Swedish drivers until 1990. The Ivory Coast Rally, which was considered to be the most demanding, gruelling and certainly the most attrition-filled rally of the year (a rally where drivers had an unbelievable 1 in 10 chance of finishing) was skipped by all of the Group B teams, and was won by Waldegard in his Celica, completing his World Championship African rally sweep. The season included more controversy when the organizers of the Rallye Sanremo disqualified the entire Peugeot team from the event due to illegal side skirts. However, the cars were proven legal by the FIA, and the Italian organizers were blamed for not allowing French Peugeots to take the win ahead of the Italian Lancias. Eventually, the FIA annulled the results of the whole event. Peugeot then became the manufacturers' champions, but Kankkunen was not sure about his title over Alén until three weeks after the season ended, at the RAC Rally in the United Kingdom, specifically Wales and England. Salonen won this race, with Alen finishing 2nd and Kankunnen 3rd, this was enough for Kankunnen to take the Driver's Championship. The last WRC round of the year was the first Olympus Rally in Washington State in the northwest United States, which Alen won, with Kankunnen finishing 2nd.^[5]

1986 marked the only season in which the FIA issued the World Championship for Drivers of Group A Cars. Swede Kenneth Eriksson, driving a Volkswagen Golf GTI 16V took the title ahead of Austrian Rudi Stohl in his Audi Coupe Quattro, a lower powered version of the Group B Quattros. This championship became unnecessary in future years due to the elimination of Group B cars. From 1987 onwards, Group A cars would be the vehicles used by drivers competing for the main World Rally Championship for Drivers.

Teams and drivers

Team	Constructor	Car	Tyre	Drivers	Rounds
Peugeot Talbot Sport	Peugeot	205 Turbo 16 E2	M	Timo Salonen	1–3, 5–7, 9, 11–12
				Juha Kankkunen	1–4, 6–9, 11–13
				Bruno Saby	1, 5–6, 8, 11
				Michèle Mouton	1, 5
				Shekhar Mehta	4
				Stig Blomqvist	9
				Andrea Zanussi	11
				Mikael Sundström	12
				Jon Woodner	13
Audi Sport	Audi	Quattro Sport S1	M	Walter Röhrl	1, 3, 6
				Hannu Mikkola	1, 6
				Rudi Stohl	1, 3–4, 6–8, 10–11
				Mikael Ericsson	2
				Gunner Pettersson	2
				Malcolm Stewart	7
				Wilfred Wiedner	10
				Adolphe Choteau	10
				John Buffum	13
Martini Racing	Lancia	Delta S4 Rally 037 evo	P	Markku Alén	1–9, 11–13
				Henri Toivonen	1–3, 5
				Miki Biasion	1, 3–8, 11
				Vic Preston Jr	4
				Greg Criticos	4
				John Hellier	4
				Mikael Ericsson	6–7, 9, 12
				Jorge Recalde	8
				Kalle Grundel	9
Austin Rover World Championship Team	MG	Metro 6R4	M	Tony Pond	1, 3, 5, 11–12
				Malcolm Wilson	1–3, 5, 9, 11–12
				Per Eklund	2, 9, 12
				Marc Duez	3, 11–12
				Didier Auriol	5
				Harri Toivonen	9, 12
				David Llewellin	12
				Jimmy McRae	12
Citroën Competition	Citroën	BX 4TC	M	Jean-Claude Andruet	1–2, 6
				Philippe Wambergue	1–2, 6
				Maurice Chomat	6
Ford Motor Company	Ford	RS200	M	Stig Blomqvist	2–3, 6, 12
				Kalle Grundel	2–3, 6, 12
				Joaquim Santos	3
				Mark Lovell	12
				Stig Andervang	12
Toyota Team Europe	Toyota	Celica TCT	P	Björn Waldegård	4, 10, 13
				Erwin Weber	4, 10
				Lars-Erik Torph	4, 10, 13
				Robin Ulyate	10
				Steve Millen	13
Team Nissan Europe	Nissan	240RS	D	Jayant Shah	4
				George Moschous	6
				Stratis Hatzipanayiotou	6
				Reg Cook	7
				Paddy Davidson	7
				Alain Ambrosino	10
				Louise Aitken-Walker	12
Opel Euro Sport	Opel	Manta 400	M	Basil Criticos	4, 8
				Russell Brookes	12
Société Diac	Renault	R5 Maxi Turbo	M	François Chatriot	5
Rothmans Porsche Rally Team	Porsche	911SC RS	M	Saeed Al-Hajri	6
Jolly Club	Lancia	Delta S4	P	Dario Cerrato	11
Mazda Rally Team Europe	Mazda	Familia 4WD	M	Ingvar Carlsson	1–2, 9, 12
				Achim Warmbold	1
				Rod Millen	7, 13
Volkswagen Motorsport	Volkswagen	Golf GTi	P	Franz Wittmann	1, 3–6, 8
				Kenneth Eriksson	1–9, 11–12
Fuji Heavy Industries	Subaru	RX Turbo	P	Mike Kirkland	4, 7
				Possum Bourne	4, 7
				Frank Turbo	4, 7
Renault Elf Philips	Renault	11 Turbo	M	Jean Ragnotti	5, 11
Škoda Motorsport	Škoda	Škoda 130	P	Ladislav Krecek	6, 9
				Svatopluk Kvaizar	6, 9
Major entries not registered as manufacturers
Jolly Club	Fiat	Uno Turbo	P	Giovanni del Zoppo	1, 3, 5–6, 11
				Michele Rayneri	1, 5–6, 11
				Alex Fiorio	1, 3, 5, 11

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	Car	Time
1	54ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo (18–24 January)	36 stages 867 km Tarmac	1	Henri Toivonen	Sergio Cresto	Lancia Delta S4	10:11:24
			2	Timo Salonen	Seppo Harjanne	Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2	10:15:28
			3	Hannu Mikkola	Arne Hertz	Audi Sport Quattro S1	10:18:46
2	36th International Swedish Rally (14–16 February)	30 stages 558 km Snow/Ice	1	Juha Kankkunen	Juha Piironen	Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2	5:09:19
			2	Markku Alén	Ilkka Kivimäki	Lancia Delta S4	5:11:13
			3	Kalle Grundel	Terry Harryman	Ford RS200	5:15:35
3	20º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto (5–8 March)	42 stages 556 km Gravel/Tarmac	1	Joaquim Moutinho	Edgar Fortes	Renault 5 Turbo	7:50:44
			2	Carlos Bica	Cândido Júnior	Lancia Rally 037	8:04:11
			3	Giovanni Del Zoppo	Loris Roggia	Fiat Uno Turbo	8:07:36
4	34th Marlboro Safari Rally (29 March–2 April)	63 controls 4190 km Gravel	1	Björn Waldegård	Fred Gallagher	Toyota Celica TCT	+5:06 pen
			2	Lars-Erik Torph	Bo Thorszelius	Toyota Celica TCT	+5:34 pen
			3	Markku Alén	Ilkka Kivimäki	Lancia Rallye 037	+6.12 pen
5	30ème Tour de Corse - Rallye de France (1–3 May)	24 stages 1017 km Tarmac	1	Bruno Saby	Jean-François Fauchille	Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2	11:52:44
			2	François Chatriot	Michel Périn	Renault 5 Maxi Turbo	12:06:32
			3	Yves Loubet	Jean-Marc Andrié	Alfa Romeo GTV6	12:45:59
6	33rd Acropolis Rally (2–4 June)	38 stages 575 km Gravel	1	Juha Kankkunen	Juha Piironen	Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2	7:20:01
			2	Miki Biasion	Tiziano Siviero	Lancia Delta S4	7:21:38
			3	Bruno Saby	Jean-François Fauchille	Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2	7:29:55
7	16th AWA Clarion Rally of New Zealand (5–8 July)	34 stages 597 km Gravel	1	Juha Kankkunen	Juha Piironen	Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2	5:43:45
			2	Markku Alén	Ilkka Kivimäki	Lancia Delta S4	5:45:25
			3	Miki Biasion	Tiziano Siviero	Lancia Delta S4	5:53:36
8	6º Marlboro Rally Argentina (6–9 August)	26 stages 569 km Gravel	1	Miki Biasion	Tiziano Siviero	Lancia Delta S4	6:36:26
			2	Markku Alén	Ilkka Kivimäki	Lancia Delta S4	6:36:50
			3	Stig Blomqvist	Bruno Berglund	Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2	6:40:42
9	36th 1000 Lakes Rally (5–7 September)	47 stages 382 km Gravel	1	Timo Salonen	Seppo Harjanne	Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2	3:32:45
			2	Juha Kankkunen	Juha Piironen	Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2	3:33:09
			3	Markku Alén	Ilkka Kivimäki	Lancia Delta S4	3:34:30
10	18ème Rallye Côte d'Ivoire[6] (24–27 September)	73 controls 3763 km Gravel	1	Björn Waldegård	Fred Gallagher	Toyota Celica TCT	+1:29 pen
			2	Lars-Erik Torph	Bo Thorszelius	Toyota Celica TCT	+1:37 pen
			3	Erwin Weber	Günter Wanger	Toyota Celica TCT	+2:27 pen
11	28º Rallye Sanremo (13–17 October)	39 stages 488 km Gravel/Tarmac	1	Markku Alén	Ilkka Kivimäki	Lancia Delta S4	5:31:35
			2	Dario Cerrato	Giuseppe Cerri	Lancia Delta S4	5:32:53
			3	Miki Biasion	Tiziano Siviero	Lancia Delta S4	5:33:17
12	35th Lombard RAC Rally (16–19 November)	45 stages 517 km Gravel/Tarmac	1	Timo Salonen	Seppo Harjanne	Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2	5:21:11
			2	Markku Alén	Ilkka Kivimäki	Lancia Delta S4	5:22:33
			3	Juha Kankkunen	Juha Piironen	Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2	5:27:16
13	21st Olympus Rally[6] (4–7 December)	39 stages 525 km Gravel/Tarmac	1	Markku Alén	Ilkka Kivimäki	Lancia Delta S4	5:26:10
			2	Juha Kankkunen	Juha Piironen	Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2	5:29:36
			3	John Buffum	Neil Wilson	Audi Sport Quattro	5:50:24

Standings

Drivers' championship

Rank	Driver	Event													Total points
		MON	SWE	POR	KEN	FRA	GRC	NZL	ARG	FIN	CIV	ITA	GBR	USA
1	Juha Kankkunen	5	1	WD	5		1	1	Ret	2		*	12	15	118
2	Markku Alén	Ret	2	WD	3	WD	Ret	2	2	3		*	15	20	104
3	Timo Salonen	2	Ret	WD		Ret	Ret	5		1		*	20	-	63
4	Björn Waldegård				1						1	*	-	8	48
5	Miki Biasion	Ret		WD	Ret	WD	2	3	1			*	-	-	47
6	Lars-Erik Torph				2						2	*	-	10	40
7	Bruno Saby	6				1	3		Ret			*	-	-	38
8	Mikael Ericsson		4				Ret	4		5		*	-	-	28
9	Kalle Grundel		3	WD			Ret			6		*	8	-	26
10	Kenneth Eriksson	9	7	WD	Ret	8	7	7	5	12		*	-	-	25
11	Stig Blomqvist		Ret	WD			Ret		3	4		*	-	-	22
	Erwin Weber				4						3	*	-	-	22
13	Henri Toivonen	1	Ret	WD		Ret						*			20
	Joaquim Moutinho			1								*			20
15	Rudi Stohl	17		WD	Ret		6	12	6		7	*	-	-	16
16	Carlos Bica			2								*	-	-	15
	François Chatriot					2						*	-	-	15
18	Hannu Mikkola	3										*	-	-	12
	Giovanni Del Zoppo	Ret		3		Ret	Ret					*	-	-	12
	Yves Loubet					3						*	-	-	12
	John Buffum											*	-	12	12
22	Walter Röhrl	4		WD								*	-	-	10
	Jorge Ortigão			4								*	-	-	10
	Jean Ragnotti					4						*	-	-	10
	Saeed Al-Hajri						4					*	-	-	10
	Jorge Recalde								4			*	-	-	10
	Robin Ulyate										4	*	-	-	10
	Mikael Sundström									Ret		*	10	-	10
29	Gunnar Pettersson		5							Ret		*	-	-	8
	Auguste Turiani	Ret		5			Ret					*	-	-	8
	Jean-Claude Torre					5						*	-	-	8
	Stratis Hatzipanayiotou						5					*	-	-	8
	Samir Assef										5	*	-	-	8
34	Per Eklund		Ret							7		*	4	-	8
35	Franz Wittmann	10		WD	12	Ret	9		7			*	-	-	7
36	Jean-Claude Andruet	Ret	6				Ret					*	-	-	6
	Jean-Sébastien Couloumiès			6								*	-	-	6
	Mike Kirkland				6			Ret				*	-	-	6
	Paul Rouby					6						*	-	-	6
	Neil Allport							6				*	-	-	6
	Wilfried Wiedner										6	*	-	-	6
	Tony Pond	Ret		WD		Ret						*	6	-	6
	Paolo Alessandrini											*	-	6	6
44	Rod Millen							10				*	-	4	5
45	Salvador Servià	7										*	-	-	4
	Ramiro Fernandes			7								*	-	-	4
	Frank Tundo				7			Ret				*	-	-	4
	Michel Neri					7						*	-	-	4
49	Alain Oreille	8				Ret						*	-	-	3
	Roger Ericsson		8									*	-	-	3
	Giovanni Recordati			8		Ret	19					*	-	-	3
	Shekhar Mehta				8							*	-	-	3
	Iórgos Moschous						8					*	-	-	3
	Paddy Davidson							8				*	-	-	3
	José Celsi								8			*	-	-	3
	Harri Toivonen									8		*	-	-	3
	Alain Ambrosino										8	*	-	-	3
	Jimmy McRae											*	3	-	3
	Possum Bourne				Ret			Ret				*	-	3	3
60	Björn Johansson		9									*	-	-	2
	António Segurado			9								*	-	-	2
	Greg Criticos				9							*			2
	Gilbert Casanova					9						*	-	-	2
	Reg Cook							9				*	-	-	2
	Ernesto Soto								9			*	-	-	2
	Lasse Lampi									9		*	-	-	2
	Patrick Copetti										9	*	-	-	2
	David Llewellin											*	2		2
	Clive Smith											*		2	2
70	Sören Nilsson		10									*			1
	António Coutinho			10								*			1
	Johnny Hellier				10							*			1
	Christian Gardavot					10						*			1
	Michele Rayneri	Ret		Ret		Ret	10					*			1
	Basil Criticos				11				10			*			1
	Malcolm Wilson	Ret	Ret	WD		Ret				10		*	-	-	1
	Martial Yacé										10	*			1
	Ingvar Carlsson	Ret	Ret							Ret		*	1		1
	Paul Choiniere											*		1	1
	Ladislav Krecek						12			26		*			0
	Svatopluk Kvaizar						14			37		*			0
	Alex Fiorio	Ret		Ret		WD	Ret					*			0
	Philippe Wambergue	Ret	Ret				Ret					*			0
	Michele Mouton	Ret				Ret						*			0
	Achim Warmbold	Ret										*			0
	Joaquim Santos			Ret								*			0
	Jayant Shah				Ret							*			0
	Vic Preston Jr.				Ret							*			0
	Didier Auriol					Ret						*			0
	Maurice Chomat						Ret					*			0
	Malcolm Stewart							Ret				*			0
	Adolphe Choteau										Ret	*			0
	Marc Duez			WD								*			0
	* - Note: FISA annulled the results for the Rallye Sanremo

Manufacturers' championship

Rank	Manufacturers	Event											Total points
		MON	SWE	POR	KEN	FRA	GRC	NZL	ARG	FIN	ITA	GBR
1	Peugeot	17	20	-	(10)	20	20	20	(14)	20	*	20	137
2	Lancia	20	17	-	(14)	-	17	17	20	14	*	17	122
3	Volkswagen	9	10	-	-	9	11	12	14	-	*	-	65
4	Audi	14	15	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	*	-	29
5	Ford	-	14	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	*	10	24
6	Toyota	-	-	-	20	-	-	-	-	-	*	-	20
7	Renault	-	-	-	-	14	-	-	-	-	*	-	14
8	Subaru	-	-	-	13	-	-	-	-	-	*	-	13
9	Austin Rover	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	4	*	8	12
10	Citroën	-	10	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	*	-	10
11	Mazda	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	*	9	9
12	Opel	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	5	-	*	-	5
* - Note: FISA annulled the results for the San Remo Rally

Pointscoring systems

Drivers' championship

Manufacturers' championship

References

See also

• 1986 in sports