Toyota clean sweep stunning upset in rally

Press, 30 June 1982, Page 42

Toyota clean sweep stunning upset in rally

From JOHN FRIDD, in Wellington Bjorn Waldegard, of Sweden, scored his first world-championship rally win for two years when he brought home his Toyota Celica first in the Motogard Rally, which ended in Wellington yesterday afternoon. The lanky Swede, the 1979 world champion, held his advantage over his Toyota team-mate, Per Eklund, also of Sweden, on the final special stage from Hastings to Wellington to win by almost 3*2 minutes.

The Toyota clean sweep was a stunning upset in the

tough rallv. which was expected to be dominated by the Audi Quattros and the Opel of Walter Rohri. Toyota last won a championship rally in 1975, when Hannu Mikkola took the 1000 Lakes rally in a Celica, but in the Motogard Mikkola failed to reach the finish in his Quattro while Waldegard and Eklund kept their cars in front, helped by their Pirelli tyres, acknowledged to be the best used in the event.

Rohrl’s Opel and Timo Salonen’s Datsun Silvia just did not have the pace of the Toyota Celicas, and both drivers continually

complained of a lack of power. Mikkola looked a great threat on Monday evening but his rally ended near Tarawera the same night when the Quattro’s steering collapsed and he was unable to crawl out of the stage in time.

“We had to fight very hard when the Audi was there but once it was not with us any more we knew we could win quite easily,” said Waldegard in Wellington yesterday. The expatriate New Zealander, Rod Millen, brought his Blue Badge Madza RX7 home in a fine fifth place, and first in group two, 13

minutes behind Timo Salonen’s Datsun and 36 minutes ahead of the first resident New Zealander, Tony Teesdale (Auckland, Escort RS).

Teesdale had an enthralling battle with Jean-Louis Leyraiid, of New Caledonia, for most of the final leg to Wellington. Leyraud started the leg over six minutes ahead but was pegged back gradually during the night as he struggled to keep his Escort’s motor in one piece, as it was leaking oil badly. The New Zealander finally took over sixth place yesterday with four special stages to go when Leyraud had to stop twice during the stage

to refill his car’s engine with oil.

Behind this pair there was another tense battle between Malcolm Stewart (Dannevirke, Escort RS1800), Paul Adams (Auckland, Toypta Starlet 1300) and Reg Cook (Auckland, Datsun Bluebird Turbo). During the extremely arduous final leg, which involved 21 hours of driving from Taupo to the capital, each of the three drivers had turns at filling eighth place before Stewart finally took it for keeps In his more powerful car, leaving Adams to hold off Cook for ninth place. However, the perform-

ances of both Adams, in his tiny Starlet, and Cook, driving in his first long event in a car that was huge by comparison with the other cars, were meritorious.

Three of the four South Islanders in the 2211 km event reached Wellington, but they all had their problems.

Dave- Parkes looked headed for a top 10 placing before he crashed off the road near Taup on Monday evening, losing 20 minutes, but by the finish last evening the gritty Motueka driver had fought his way back up to fifteenth over all. Grant Aitken, of Dunedin,

brought home his ailing Datsun 1600 in twentieth place and John Sergei, of Christchurch, finished twenty-fifth of the 31 finishers in his Skin Jeans Starlet after an eventful rally, which included losing 58 minutes in road penalties alone after striking mechanical trouble early in the event.

Final results.— B. Waldegard/ H. Thorszelius (Sweden, Toyota Celica), 10 hours 28 minutes 8 seconds elapsed, 1; P.Eklund/R. Spjuth (Sweden, Toyota Celica), 10:31.21, 2: W. Rohrl/C. Geistdorfer (West Germany, Rothmans Opel Ascona), 10:33.37, 3; T. Saionen/S. Harjanne (Finland,

Datsun Silvia). 10:41.25. 4; RMillen/J. Bellefleur. (N2.,'Canada, Bine Badge' Mazda RX7). 10:54.55. 5; T. Teesdale/G. Smith (Auckland, Forte Escort RS). 11:30.17, 6: J-L. Leyraud/E. Johnston (New Caledonia, Escort RS). 11:37.22, 7; M. Stewart/D. Parkhill (Dannevirkc. Escort RS1800), 11:51.26, 8: P. Adams/J. Scott (Auckland. Tovota Starlet 1300), 11:55.06, 9; R. Cook/W. Jones (Auckland, Datsun Bluebird Turbo), 1156.54, 10.

Classes.-— Modified: 1300 to 2000 cu cm, Waldegard; over 2000 cu cm. Rohr); mildly modified: 0 to 1300, Adams; 1300 to 1600. M. Chandler (Auck., Lancer); 1600 to 2000, Stewart; over 2000, Millen.