Rohrl's Opel designed for reliability

Press, 15 July 1982, Page 21

Rohrl's Opel designed for reliability

By

PETER GREENSLADE

Third place in‘the recent Motogard Rally, the New Zealand round in this year’s championships for drivers and manufacturers, was good enough to consolidate Walter Rohrl and Opel as leaders in each series. •

Rohrl now has 84 points to be well clear of his main rival, the Frenchwoman, Michele Mouton, who has 52 points, and Per Eklund on 40 points. Opel, the West German General Motors manufacturer, now has 88 points, while Audi has 58 and is followed by Datsun (42), Toyota (34) arid Renault (32). Rohrl’s Rothmans-spon-sored Opel Ascona 400. specially prepared for the Motogard, was built to be down bn power but ultrareliable and.' consequently, the West German driver just could not foot it on the faster special stages with the four-wheel-drive Audi Quattros of Hannu Mikkola and Mouton and. after they had retired with mechanical troubles, the new-shape Toyota Celicas of the winner, Bjorn Waldgaard, and the secondplaced man, Eklund. After it was all over Rohrl made the point that the major objective of his team was to win both world titles and not necessarily individual rallies, although 'he readily admitted that it was always good if they could, dp that also.

"While I was driving very hard at times just to keep up the pressure on the Audis and Toyotas, I wasn’t willing to risk over-revving my engine or straining the car and throwing away, valuable points.’ It was really only two punctures that kept me out of second place,” he said. In the rally, comprising 38 special stages, Rohrl shared

fastest time on the first 3.5 kilometre stage with Mouton

and was fastest on six other stages. The winner, Waldgaard, was fastest on seven stages and his Toyota team-mate. Eklund, was fastest on five. In Rohrl's estimation the Motogard was an excellent rally, run to a very high standard and well worthy of its championship status. . Although future sponsorship of the rally is still in doubt, I understand from an individual who should know, but at this stage wishes to remain anonymous, that several potential sponsors are evaluating the publicity

value of such an international event.

My informant said it is hoped that when an announcement is made about the future of New Zealand’s international rally, it will be made by the new sporfsor and not the Motorsport Association of New Zealand or the Rally Organisers' Association of New Zealand, Ltd. The Motogard will be followed by the Rally of Brazil, which has replaced the cancelled Codasur Rally in the Argentine. It will take place between August 10 and 15.