1985 World Rally Championship
# 1985 World Rally Championship

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

## Events

### Schedule and results

| Round | Rally name | Stages | Podium finishers | Podium finishers | Podium finishers | Podium finishers | Podium finishers | Podium finishers |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Round | Rally name | Stages | Rank | Driver | Co-driver | Team | Car | Time |
| 1 | Monte Carlo Rally (26 January–1 February) | 34 stages 852 km Tarmac | 1 | Ari Vatanen | Terry Harryman | Peugeot Talbot Sport | Peugeot 205 T16 | 10:20:49 |
| 1 | Monte Carlo Rally (26 January–1 February) | 34 stages 852 km Tarmac | 2 | Walter Röhrl | Christian Geistdörfer | Audi Sport | Audi Sport Quattro | 10:26:06 |
| 1 | Monte Carlo Rally (26 January–1 February) | 34 stages 852 km Tarmac | 3 | Timo Salonen | Seppo Harjanne | Peugeot Talbot Sport | Peugeot 205 T16 | 10:30:54 |
| 2 | Swedish Rally (15–17 February) | 29 stages 505 km Snow/Ice | 1 | Ari Vatanen | Terry Harryman | Peugeot Talbot Sport | Peugeot 205 T16 | 4:38:49 |
| 2 | Swedish Rally (15–17 February) | 29 stages 505 km Snow/Ice | 2 | Stig Blomqvist | Björn Cederberg | Audi Sport | Audi Sport Quattro | 4:40:38 |
| 2 | Swedish Rally (15–17 February) | 29 stages 505 km Snow/Ice | 3 | Timo Salonen | Seppo Harjanne | Peugeot Talbot Sport | Peugeot 205 T16 | 4:42:15 |
| 3 | Rally de Portugal (6–9 March) | 47 stages 733 km Gravel/Tarmac | 1 | Timo Salonen | Seppo Harjanne | Peugeot Talbot Sport | Peugeot 205 T16 | 8:07.25 |
| 3 | Rally de Portugal (6–9 March) | 47 stages 733 km Gravel/Tarmac | 2 | Miki Biasion | Tiziano Siviero | Jolly Club | Lancia 037 Rally evo | 8:12:12 |
| 3 | Rally de Portugal (6–9 March) | 47 stages 733 km Gravel/Tarmac | 3 | Walter Röhrl | Christian Geistdörfer | Audi Sport | Audi Sport Quattro | 8:13:23 |
| 4 | Safari Rally (4–8 April) | 88 controls 5167.6 km Gravel | 1 | Juha Kankkunen | Fred Gallagher | Toyota Team Europe | Toyota Celica TCT | +5:18 pen |
| 4 | Safari Rally (4–8 April) | 88 controls 5167.6 km Gravel | 2 | Björn Waldegård | Hans Thorszelius | Toyota Team Europe | Toyota Celica TCT | +5:52 pen |
| 4 | Safari Rally (4–8 April) | 88 controls 5167.6 km Gravel | 3 | Mike Kirkland | Anton Levitan | Team Nissan Europe | Nissan 240RS | +6:01 pen |
| 5 | Tour de Corse (2–4 May) | 29 stages 1078 km Tarmac | 1 | Jean Ragnotti | Pierre Thimonier | Renault Elf Philips | Renault R5 Maxi Turbo | 12:54:15 |
| 5 | Tour de Corse (2–4 May) | 29 stages 1078 km Tarmac | 2 | Bruno Saby | Jean-François Fauchille | Peugeot Talbot Sport | Peugeot 205 T16 E2 | 13:06:47 |
| 5 | Tour de Corse (2–4 May) | 29 stages 1078 km Tarmac | 3 | Bernard Béguin | Jean-Jacques Lenne | Rothmans Porsche Rally Team | Porsche 911 SC | 13:20:04 |
| 6 | Acropolis Rally (27–30 May) | 47 stages 807.8 km Gravel | 1 | Timo Salonen | Seppo Harjanne | Peugeot Talbot Sport | Peugeot 205 T16 | 10:20:19 |
| 6 | Acropolis Rally (27–30 May) | 47 stages 807.8 km Gravel | 2 | Stig Blomqvist | Björn Cederberg | Audi Sport | Audi Sport Quattro | 10:24:34 |
| 6 | Acropolis Rally (27–30 May) | 47 stages 807.8 km Gravel | 3 | Ingvar Carlsson | Benny Melander | Mazda Rally Team Europe | Mazda RX-7 | 11:08:25 |
| 7 | Rally New Zealand (29 June–2 July) | 46 stages 894 km Gravel | 1 | Timo Salonen | Seppo Harjanne | Peugeot Talbot Sport | Peugeot 205 T16 E2 | 8:29:16 |
| 7 | Rally New Zealand (29 June–2 July) | 46 stages 894 km Gravel | 2 | Ari Vatanen | Terry Harryman | Peugeot Talbot Sport | Peugeot 205 T16 E2 | 8:30:33 |
| 7 | Rally New Zealand (29 June–2 July) | 46 stages 894 km Gravel | 3 | Walter Röhrl | Christian Geistdörfer | Audi Sport | Audi Sport Quattro | 8:31:42 |
| 8 | Rally Argentina (31 July–3 August) | 23 stages 959 km Gravel | 1 | Timo Salonen | Seppo Harjanne | Peugeot Talbot Sport | Peugeot 205 T16 E2 | 10:04:33 |
| 8 | Rally Argentina (31 July–3 August) | 23 stages 959 km Gravel | 2 | Wilfred Wiedner | Franz Zehetner | Audi Sport | Audi Quattro A2 | 10:18:29 |
| 8 | Rally Argentina (31 July–3 August) | 23 stages 959 km Gravel | 3 | Carlos Reutemann | Jean-François Fauchille | Peugeot Talbot Sport | Peugeot 205 T16 E2 | 10:35:47 |
| 9 | 1000 Lakes Rally (23–25 August) | 50 stages 479 km Gravel | 1 | Timo Salonen | Seppo Harjanne | Peugeot Talbot Sport | Peugeot 205 T16 E2 | 4:10:35 |
| 9 | 1000 Lakes Rally (23–25 August) | 50 stages 479 km Gravel | 2 | Stig Blomqvist | Björn Cederberg | Audi Sport | Audi Sport Quattro S1 | 4:11:23 |
| 9 | 1000 Lakes Rally (23–25 August) | 50 stages 479 km Gravel | 3 | Markku Alén | Ilkka Kivimäki | Martini Racing | Lancia 037 Rally evo | 4:14:14 |
| 10 | Rallye Sanremo (29 September–4 October) | 45 stages 650 km Gravel/Tarmac | 1 | Walter Röhrl | Christian Geistdörfer | Audi Sport | Audi Sport Quattro S1 | 7:10:10 |
| 10 | Rallye Sanremo (29 September–4 October) | 45 stages 650 km Gravel/Tarmac | 2 | Timo Salonen | Seppo Harjanne | Peugeot Talbot Sport | Peugeot 205 T16 E2 | 7:16:39 |
| 10 | Rallye Sanremo (29 September–4 October) | 45 stages 650 km Gravel/Tarmac | 3 | Henri Toivonen | Juha Piironen | Martini Racing | Lancia 037 Rally evo | 7:18:02 |
| 11 | Rallye Côte d'Ivoire (30 October-3 November) | 63 controls 4187 km Gravel | 1 | Juha Kankkunen | Fred Gallagher | Toyota Team Europe | Toyota Celica TCT | +4:46 pen |
| 11 | Rallye Côte d'Ivoire (30 October-3 November) | 63 controls 4187 km Gravel | 2 | Björn Waldegård | Hans Thorszelius | Toyota Team Europe | Toyota Celica TCT | +4:46 pen |
| 11 | Rallye Côte d'Ivoire (30 October-3 November) | 63 controls 4187 km Gravel | 3 | Alain Ambrosino | Daniel Le Saux | Team Nissan Europe | Nissan 240RS | +6:19 pen |
| 12 | RAC Rally (24–28 November) | 63 stages 880 km Gravel/Tarmac | 1 | Henri Toivonen | Neil Wilson | Martini Racing | Lancia Delta S4 | 9:32.05 |
| 12 | RAC Rally (24–28 November) | 63 stages 880 km Gravel/Tarmac | 2 | Markku Alén | Ilkka Kivimäki | Martini Racing | Lancia Delta S4 | 9:33.01 |
| 12 | RAC Rally (24–28 November) | 63 stages 880 km Gravel/Tarmac | 3 | Tony Pond | Rob Arthur | Austin Rover World Rally Team | MG Metro 6R4 | 9:34.32 |

## Standings

### Drivers

| Rank | Driver | Event | Event | Event | Event | Event | Event | Event | Event | Event | Event | Event | Event | Total points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Rank | Driver | MON | SWE | POR | KEN | FRA | GRC | NZL | ARG | FIN | ITA | CIV | GBR | Total points |
| 1 | Timo Salonen | 12 | 12 | 20 | 4 | - | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 15 | - | - | 127 |
| 2 | Stig Blomqvist | 10 | 15 | 10 | - | - | 15 | 10 | - | 15 | - | - | - | 75 |
| 3 | Walter Röhrl | 15 | - | 12 | - | - | - | 12 | - | - | 20 | - | - | 59 |
| 4 | Ari Vatanen | 20 | 20 | - | - | - | - | 15 | - | - | - | - | - | 55 |
| 5 | Juha Kankkunen | - | - | - | 20 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 20 | 8 | 48 |
| 6 | Henri Toivonen | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | 12 | - | 20 | 48 |
| 7 | Markku Alén | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12 | 10 | - | 15 | 37 |
| 8 | Björn Waldegård | - | - | - | 15 | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | 15 | - | 34 |
| 9 | Mike Kirkland | - | - | - | 12 | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | 26 |
