1979 World Rally Championship
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The 1979 World Rally Championship was the seventh season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) World Rally Championship (WRC). The season consisted of 12 rallies, one more than the previous year.
1979 marked the first season for the new World Rally Championship for Drivers. This successor to the preceding FIA Cup for Rally Drivers was aligned with the World Rally Championship for Manufacturers. Both championships used the same schedule of events for accumulating points toward the titles, although the point awarding methods were different for each. Manufacturers continued to receive points under the system adopted in 1977, in which points were garnered for both placement overall and placement within the car's group. Only the top finishing car from each manufacturer would garner points, and regardless of group finish, an overall finish of 10th or better was required to obtain points. Drivers were awarded points on the former system, simply based on overall finish, from 20 points for 1st place to 1 point for 10th place.
After several years of competitive but ultimately unsuccessful attempts to seize the championship, Ford finally gathered its first WRC manufacturer's title. A strong season which included five rally wins gave it the edge over new challenger Datsun, whose 160J (Violet) proved successful, and former champion Fiat. Ford's fortune would be short-lived however, and despite determined and competitive participation in WRC events, 1979 would be the company's sole WRC title until their return to victory in 2006.
The competition for the first WRC driver's title was extremely close, and ultimately was decided by the two contenders placing first and second in the final rally of the season. The final difference between the winner, Swede Björn Waldegård, and the runner-up, Finn Hannu Mikkola, was only a single point.
Calendar
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This was the only season that all rounds counted towards the Manufacturers championship until 1993.
Events
[edit | edit source]| File:WRC-1979.png | |||
| Black = Tarmac | Brown = Gravel | Blue = Snow/Ice | Red = Mixed Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
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Championship for manufacturers
[edit | edit source]| Rank | Manufacturer | Event | Total points | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monaco MON |
Sweden SWE |
Portugal POR |
Kenya KEN |
Greece GRC |
New Zealand NZL |
Finland FIN |
Canada CAN |
Italy ITA |
France FRA |
United Kingdom GBR |
Ivory Coast CIV | |||
| 1 | United Kingdom Ford | 16 | 16 | 18 | - | 18 | 18 | (16) | 18 | (12) | - | 18 | - | 122 |
| 2 | Japan Datsun | - | (8) | 14 | 18 | 17 | (6) | 14 | 17 | - | - | 16 | 12 | 108 |
| 3 | Italy Fiat | 14 | 12 | - | 15 | - | - | 18 | - | 16 | 12 | 5 | - | 92 |
| 4 | Italy Lancia | 18 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 18 | 18 | 11 | - | 65 |
| 5 | Japan Toyota | - | - | 16 | - | - | - | 10 | 12 | - | 10 | - | 10 | 58 |
| 6 | Germany Opel | - | 13 | 9 | - | - | - | - | - | 14 | 13 | - | - | 49 |
| 7 | France Renault | 11 | - | - | - | 13 | - | - | - | - | 17 | - | - | 41 |
| 8 | Germany Mercedes | - | - | - | 17 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 18 | 35 |
| 9 | Germany Porsche | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9 | 15 | - | - | 32 |
| 10 | United Kingdom Vauxhall | - | 14 | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | 7 | - | 31 |
| 11 | France Peugeot | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | - | 6 | - | 8 | 22 |
| 12 | Sweden Saab | - | 18 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 18 |
| 13 | Japan Mitsubishi | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 13 | - | - | - | - | 13 |
| 14 | United Kingdom Talbot | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12 | - | - | - | 12 |
| 15 | Germany Audi | - | - | 11 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 11 |
| 16 | Japan Mazda | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 |
| 17 | United Kingdom Triumph | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
| 18 | Sweden Volvo | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 |
| Czechoslovakia Škoda | - | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | |
| 20 | Soviet Union Lada | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| Overall finish |
Group finish | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 | 18 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2 | 17 | 16 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 3 | 16 | 15 | 14 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 4 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 5 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 6 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | - | - | - | - |
| 7 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | - | - | - |
| 8 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | - | - |
| 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | - |
| 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Championship for drivers
[edit | edit source]| Rank | Driver | Event | Total points | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monaco MON |
Sweden SWE |
Portugal POR |
Kenya KEN |
Greece GRC |
New Zealand NZL |
Finland FIN |
Canada CAN |
Italy ITA |
France FRA |
United Kingdom GBR |
Ivory Coast CIV | |||
| 1 | Sweden Björn Waldegård | 15 | 15 | 15 | (6) | 20 | - | 12 | 20 | - | - | (2) | 15 | 112 |
| 2 | Finland Hannu Mikkola | 8 | 8 | 20 | 15 | - | 20 | - | - | - | - | 20 | 20 | 111 |
| 3 | Finland Markku Alén | 12 | 10 | - | 12 | - | - | 20 | - | 6 | - | 8 | - | 68 |
| 4 | Finland Timo Salonen | - | - | - | - | 15 | - | 8 | 15 | - | - | 12 | - | 50 |
| Finland Ari Vatanen | 1 | - | - | - | - | 12 | 15 | 12 | - | - | 10 | - | 50 | |
| 6 | France Bernard Darniche | 20 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 20 | - | - | 40 |
| 7 | France Jean Ragnotti | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | 15 | - | - | 25 |
| 8 | United Kingdom Andrew Cowan | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12 | 22 |
| 9 | West Germany Walter Röhrl | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | 15 | - | 3 | - | 21 |
| 10 | Sweden Stig Blomqvist | - | 20 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 20 |
| Kenya Shekhar Mehta | - | - | - | 20 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 20 | |
| Italy Antonio 'Tony' Fassina | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 20 | - | - | - | 20 | |
| 13 | Sweden Ove Andersson | - | - | 12 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | 20 |
| 14 | United Kingdom Andy Dawson | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | 20 |
| 15 | Finland Pentti Airikkala | - | 12 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | 16 |
| 16 | New Zealand Blair Robson | - | - | - | - | - | 15 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15 |
| United Kingdom Russell Brookes | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15 | - | 15 | |
| 18 | Sweden Harry Källström | - | - | - | 2 | 12 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 14 |
| 19 | Italy Attilio Bettega | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12 | - | - | - | 12 |
| France Pierre-Louis Moreau | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12 | - | - | 12 | |
| 21 | France Michèle Mouton | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | - | - | 12 |
| 22 | France Jean-Claude Andruet | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 |
| New Zealand Paul Adams | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | |
| Finland Ulf Grönholm | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | |
| United Kingdom Tony Pond | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | 10 | |
| France Alain Coppier | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | 10 | |
| Kenya Vic Preston, Jr. | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | 10 | |
| 28 | Portugal Carlos Torres | - | - | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 |
| Finland Rauno Aaltonen | - | - | - | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | |
| Greece Anastasios 'Iaveris' Markouizos | - | - | - | - | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | |
| New Zealand Shane Murland | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | |
| Canada Taisto Heinonen | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | - | - | - | - | 8 | |
| Italy Dario Cerrato | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | - | - | - | 8 | |
| 34 | France Jean-Pierre Nicolas | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 |
| Sweden Björn Johansson | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | |
| West Germany Harald Demuth | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | |
| Greece Iórgos Moschous | - | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | |
| New Zealand David Parkes | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | |
| Finland Lasse Lampi | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | |
| United States Hendrik Blok | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | 6 | |
| France Bernard Picone | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | 6 | |
| United Kingdom John Taylor | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | - | 6 | |
| France Alain Ambrosino | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | 6 | |
| 44 | Sweden Ola Strömberg | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| Sweden Freddy Kottulinsky | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | |
| Kenya Mike Kirkland | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | |
| Greece Evangelos Gallo | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | |
| New Zealand Brian Green | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | |
| Finland Tapio Rainio | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | |
| Canada Jack Swayze | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | 4 | |
| Italy Angelo Presotto | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | 4 | |
| France Paul Rouby | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | 4 | |
| France Michel Mitri | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | 4 | |
| 54 | France Guy Fréquelin | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 |
| Sweden Lars Carlsson | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | |
| Portugal Joaquim Santos | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | |
| Czech Republic Václav Blahna | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | |
| New Zealand Roger Goss | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | |
| Sweden Per Eklund | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | |
| France Claude Laurent | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | 3 | |
| Italy Antonio Tognana | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | 3 | |
| France Jean-Pierre Mari | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | 3 | |
| France Jean-Pierre Paure | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 3 | |
| 64 | France Jacques Alméras | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| Norway John Haugland | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | |
| Portugal Jorge Ortigão | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | |
| Soviet Union Nikolay Elizarov | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | |
| New Zealand Malcolm Stewart | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | |
| Finland Erkki Pitkänen | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | |
| Canada Nicole Quimet | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | 2 | |
| Italy Domenico 'Nico' Grosoli | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | 2 | |
| France Jean Bondrille | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | 2 | |
| 73 | Sweden Sven-Inge Neby | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Portugal Marques Baptista | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | |
| Italy Sandro Munari | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | |
| Soviet Union Sergey Vukovich | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | |
| New Zealand Bob Robb | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | |
| Finland Pekka Vilpponen | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | |
| Canada Paul Bourgeois | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | |
| Italy Paolo Pasutti | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | |
| France Jean-Charles Martinetti | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | |
| Australia Greg Carr | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | |
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| Points awarded by finish | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
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Teams
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See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]External links
[edit | edit source]
- FIA World Rally Championship 1979 at ewrc-results.com