Björn Waldegård (12 November 1943 – 29 August 2014) was a Swedish rally driver, and the winner of the World Rally Championship for drivers in 1979. His Swedish nickname was "Walle".[1]

Björn Waldegård
Björn Waldegård during the Rally of the Midnight Sun in Västerås, Sweden in July 2011
Personal information
NationalitySweden Swedish
Born(1943-11-12)12 November 1943
Solna, Sweden
Died29 August 2014(2014-08-29) (aged 70)
Stockholm, Sweden
World Rally Championship record
Active years1973–1992
Co-driverSweden Hans Thorszelius
Sweden Fergus Sager
Sweden Arne Hertz
Sweden Claes-Göran Andersson
Sweden Claes Billstam
Sweden Ragnar Spjuth
Belgium Michel Lizin
United Kingdom Fred Gallagher
TeamsBMW, Toyota, Lancia, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Fiat
Rallies95
Championships1 (1979)
Rally wins16
Podiums35
Stage wins290
Total points428
First rally1973 Monte Carlo Rally
First win1975 Swedish Rally
Last win1990 Safari Rally
Last rally1992 Safari Rally

Career

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Waldegård, who came from Rimbo, had a career that spanned four decades; he made his debut in 1962 and, after winning the Swedish Rally Championship in 1967 and '68, continued to compete at the top level until 1992 when a broken arm suffered during a crash in the 1992 Safari Rally forced his retirement. His first international victory, at the wheel of a Porsche 911, came on the 1969 Monte Carlo Rally, while his last came for Toyota on the 1990 Safari. It made him the oldest driver to win a World Rally Championship event, a record he retained until the 2022 Monte Carlo Rally.[2]

In the mid-1970s Waldegård took part in the newborn European Championship for Rallycross Drivers with a privately entered Porsche Carrera RSR. His best overall result was to become the Runner-up to Austrian Franz Wurz, father of Alexander Wurz, of the 1974 Embassy European Rallycross Championship.

The Alitalia-backed Lancia team of the 1970s frequently choose between star drivers Waldegård and Italian frontrunner Sandro Munari. Waldegård and Munari came head to head in the 1976 Rallye Sanremo. Waldegård had a four-second lead over Munari entering the final stage, only to be forced to squander that advantage in keeping with the team's hopes for an 'equal' shootout. Waldegård, however, emerged as victor by four seconds, having disobeyed team orders and overtaken Munari – as a result, Waldegård left Lancia and joined Ford in late 1976.

Driving Ford Escort RS1800 models, Waldegård won three of the world's most punishing rallies in 1977; the East African Safari Rally, the Acropolis Rally, and the RAC Rally.

He was later victor in the inaugural World Rally Championship series in 1979 for Ford and Mercedes-Benz, beating Hannu Mikkola in the final round at the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire in the Ivory Coast, by finishing second behind his rival.

 
Waldegård at the 2008 Colin McRae Forest Stages.

In September 2008, Waldegård took part in the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally, a round of the Scottish Rally Championship centred in Perth in Scotland. He was one of a number of ex-world champions to take part in the event in memory of McRae, who died in 2007. On the event he drove a Porsche 911.

In addition to his rallying career, Waldegård also took part in the 1970 Targa Florio sports car endurance race on the Italian island of Sicily, the oldest motor race in the world at the time. He drove a factory supported, John Wyer-entered Porsche 908/3. The Targa Florio was more or less a rally-type race on a closed circuit made up of public roads, hence the reason for Waldegård's one-off drive with Porsche. Sharing driving duties with Briton Richard Attwood, he finished fifth.

Björn Waldegård died on 29 August 2014 of cancer at the age of 70.[3][4]

International victories

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Björn Waldegård, International victories
1969 38ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo Porsche 911 S
1970 39ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo Porsche 911 S
1970 21st International Swedish Rally Porsche 911 S
1970 41. Österreichische Alpenfahrt Porsche 911 S

WRC victories

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 #  Event Season Co-driver Car
1   25th International Swedish Rally 1975 Hans Thorszelius Lancia Stratos HF
2   17º Rallye Sanremo 1975 Hans Thorszelius Lancia Stratos HF
3   18º Rallye Sanremo 1976 Hans Thorszelius Lancia Stratos HF
4   25th Safari Rally 1977 Hans Thorszelius Ford Escort RS1800
5   24th Acropolis Rally 1977 Hans Thorszelius Ford Escort RS1800
6   26th Lombard RAC Rally 1977 Hans Thorszelius Ford Escort RS1800
7   28th International Swedish Rally 1978 Hans Thorszelius Ford Escort RS1800
8   26th Acropolis Rally 1979 Hans Thorszelius Ford Escort RS1800
9   7ème Critérium Molson du Québec 1979 Hans Thorszelius Ford Escort RS1800
10   12ème Rallye Côte d'Ivoire 1980 Hans Thorszelius Mercedes 500 SLC
11   12th Motogard Rally of New Zealand 1982 Hans Thorszelius Toyota Celica 2000GT
12   15ème Rallye Côte d'Ivoire 1983 Hans Thorszelius Toyota Celica TCT
13   32nd Marlboro Safari Rally 1984 Hans Thorszelius Toyota Celica TCT
14   34th Marlboro Safari Rally Kenya 1986 Fred Gallagher Toyota Celica TCT
15   18ème Rallye Côte d'Ivoire 1986 Fred Gallagher Toyota Celica TCT
16   38th Marlboro Safari Rally Kenya 1990 Fred Gallagher Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165

Racing record

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Complete IMC results

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Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1970 Porsche System Engineering Porsche 911 S MON
1
SWE
1
ITA KEN AUT
1
GRE
Ret
GBR
Ret
1971 Porsche System Engineering Porsche 914/6 MON
3
Porsche 911 S SWE
4
ITA KEN
Ret
MAR AUT GRE GBR
2
1972 Porsche System Engineering Porsche 911 S MON
Ret
SWE
2
KEN GRE AUT ITA USA GBR
Citroën SM Maserati MAR
Ret

Complete WRC results

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Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 WDC Points
1973 Björn Waldegård Fiat 124 Abarth Spider MON
Ret
POR
Ret
MOR
6
N/A N/A
Volkswagen 1303S SWE
6
Porsche 911 KEN
Ret
BMW Motorsport BMW 2002tii GRE
Ret
POL FIN AUT
4
ITA
51
USA GBR
7
FRA
1974 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica GT MON
C
SWE
C
POR
Ret
N/A N/A
Toyota Corolla 1600 GBR
4
FRA
Björn Waldegård Porsche 911 KEN
2
GRE
C
Opel Ascona FIN
10
ITA CAN USA
1975 Lancia Alitalia Lancia Stratos HF MON SWE
1
KEN
3
GRE
Ret
ITA
1
FRA GBR
DSQ
N/A N/A
Björn Waldegård Fiat 124 Abarth Spider MOR
Ret
Toyota Corolla 1600 POR
Ret
FIN
1976 Lancia Alitalia Lancia Stratos HF MON
2
SWE
Ret
POR KEN
Ret
GRE
Ret
MOR FIN ITA
1
FRA N/A N/A
Ford Motor Company Ltd Ford Escort RS1800 GBR
3
1977 Ford Motor Company Ltd Ford Escort RS1800 MON SWE POR
2
KEN
1
NZL GRE
1
FIN
3
CAN ITA
5
FRA GBR
1
2nd 30
1978 Ford Motor Company Ltd Ford Escort RS1800 MON SWE
1
POR
Ret
GRE FIN CAN ITA CIV FRA 14th 18
Björn Waldegård Porsche 911 KEN
4
Eaton Yale Ford Escort RS1800 GBR
2
1979 Ford Motor Company Ltd Ford Escort RS1800 MON
2
SWE
2
POR
2
FIN
3
CAN
1
ITA FRA GBR
9
1st 120
D.T. Dobie / Daimler-Benz Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC KEN
6
CIV
2
Rothmans Rally Team Ford Escort RS1800 GRE
1
NZL
1980 Fiat Italia Fiat 131 Abarth MON
3
3rd 63
Fiat Sweden SWE
3
C. Santos - Mercedes Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC POR
4
D.T. Dobie / Daimler-Benz KEN
10
Daimler-Benz GRE
Ret
Mercedes-Benz 500 SLC ARG
Ret
FIN
Cable-Price Corp. NZL
5
ITA FRA
SEACI CIV
1
Toyota Team Great Britain Toyota Celica 2000 GT GBR
Ret
1981 Publimmo Racing Ford Escort RS1800 MON
8
SWE 18th 17
Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica 2000 GT POR
3
KEN FRA
Ret
GRE
Ret
ARG BRA FIN
9
ITA
Premoto Toyota CIV
Ret
Toyota Team Great Britain GBR
Ret
1982 Porsche Alméras Porsche 911 SC MON
92
SWE 6th 36
Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica 2000 GT POR
Ret
KEN FRA GRE
Toyota New Zealand NZL
1
BRA FIN ITA
Premoto Toyota CIV
3
Toyota Team Great Britain GBR
7
1983 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica Twincam Turbo MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRE NZL ARG FIN
12
11th 20
Premoto Toyota CIV
1
Toyota Team Great Britain GBR
Ret
Pro Motor Sport Ferrari 308 GTB ITA
Ret
1984 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica Twincam Turbo MON SWE POR
Ret
FIN
Ret
ITA CIV 8th 28
Westlands Motors KEN
1
FRA GRE
Toyota New Zealand NZL
5
ARG
Toyota Team Great Britain GBR
Ret
1985 Westlands Motors Toyota Celica Twincam Turbo MON SWE POR KEN
2
FRA GRE 8th 34
Toyota New Zealand NZL
Ret
ARG
Toyota Team Europe FIN
7
ITA GBR
Ret
Premoto Toyota CIV
2
1986 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica Twincam Turbo MON SWE POR KEN
1
FRA GRE NZL ARG FIN CIV
1
ITA GBR USA
5
4th 48
1987 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Supra 3.0i MON SWE POR KEN
Ret
FRA GRE USA
6
NZL ARG FIN 36th 6
Toyota Supra Turbo CIV
Ret
ITA GBR
1988 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Supra Turbo MON SWE POR KEN
7
FRA 17th 16
Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 GRE
Ret
USA NZL ARG FIN CIV ITA
Toyota Team Great Britain GBR
3
1989 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 SWE MON
Ret
POR
Ret
29th 10
Toyota Team Kenya Toyota Supra Turbo KEN
4
FRA GRE NZL ARG FIN AUS ITA CIV GBR
1990 Toyota Team Kenya Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 MON POR KEN
1
FRA GRE NZL ARG FIN AUS ITA CIV GBR 12th 20
1991 Toyota Kenya Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 MON SWE POR KEN
4
FRA GRE NZL ARG FIN AUS ITA CIV ESP GBR 26th 10
1992 Martini Racing Lancia Delta HF Integrale MON SWE POR KEN
Ret
FRA GRE NZL ARG FIN AUS ITA CIV ESP GBR NC 0

Complete FIA European Rallycross Cup results

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Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ERC Points
1976 Björn Waldegård Porsche Carrera RSR AUT1
GER1
FIN
SWE
1
BEL
AUT2
NED
GBR1
GER2
GBR2
13th 20
1977 Björn Waldegård Porsche Carrera RSR AUT1
NED1
ITA
SWE1
3
FIN
BEL1
SWE2
NED2
BEL2
GER
AUT2
18th 12
1978 Björn Waldegård Ford Escort RS 1800 AUT
ITA
SWE
5
FIN
BEL
NED
FRA
GBR
GER
39th 8

24 Hours of Le Mans results

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Year Team Co-Driver Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1971   Écurie Jean Sage   Bernard Chenevière Porsche 911S GT +2.0 263 NC NC

Publications

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Björn Waldegård – Rally blev mitt liv, by Waldegård, Björn & Karlsson, Gerhard, Årets Bilsport 1994, 212 pages, Swedish language, ISBN 9188540464

References

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  1. ^ "First WRC champion Bjorn Waldegard dies at the age of 70". Archived from the original on 2014-09-04. Retrieved 2014-08-30.
  2. ^ Smith, Damien (26 January 2022). "Loeb shows that motor racing desperately needs its big-name heroes". Motor Sport magazine. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  3. ^ "MAXRALLY - Tributes flood in for Bjorn Waldegard". Archived from the original on 2014-09-11. Retrieved 2014-09-10.
  4. ^ "First WRC champion Bjorn Waldegard dies at the age of 70". Archived from the original on 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2014-08-30.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by
Markku Alén
(FIA Cup for Rally Drivers)
World Rally Champion
1979
Succeeded by
Records
Preceded by Most rally wins
11 wins,

8th at the 1979 Acropolis Rally
Succeeded by
Hannu Mikkola
18 wins,
12th at the 1982 RAC Rally
Preceded by
None
(FIA Cup for Rally Drivers)
Youngest World Rally Champion
36 years, 32 days
(1979 season)
Succeeded by
Walter Röhrl
33 years, 232 days
(1980 season)