Björn Waldegård

Björn Lars-Olov 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".

Career 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.

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.

Waldegård 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.

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.

Waldegård died on 29 August 2014 of cancer at the age of 70.

International victories 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 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 Complete IMC results Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1970 Porsche System Engineering Porsche 911 S MON1 SWE1 ITA KEN AUT1 GRERet GBRRet 1971 Porsche System Engineering Porsche 914/6 MON3 Porsche 911 S SWE4 ITA KENRet MAR AUT GRE GBR2 1972 Porsche System Engineering Porsche 911 S MONRet SWE2 KEN GRE AUT ITA USA GBR Citroën SM Maserati MARRet

Complete WRC results 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 MONRet PORRet MOR6 N/A N/A Volkswagen 1303S SWE6 Porsche 911 KENRet BMW Motorsport BMW 2002tii GRERet POL FIN AUT4 ITA51 USA GBR7 FRA 1974 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica GT MONC SWEC PORRet N/A N/A Toyota Corolla 1600 GBR4 FRA Björn Waldegård Porsche 911 KEN2 GREC Opel Ascona FIN10 ITA CAN USA 1975 Lancia Alitalia Lancia Stratos HF MON SWE1 KEN3 GRERet ITA1 FRA GBRDSQ N/A N/A Björn Waldegård Fiat 124 Abarth Spider MORRet Toyota Corolla 1600 PORRet FIN 1976 Lancia Alitalia Lancia Stratos HF MON2 SWERet POR KENRet GRERet MOR FIN ITA1 FRA N/A N/A Ford Motor Company Ltd Ford Escort RS1800 GBR3 1977 Ford Motor Company Ltd Ford Escort RS1800 MON SWE POR2 KEN1 NZL GRE1 FIN3 CAN ITA5 FRA GBR1 2nd 30 1978 Ford Motor Company Ltd Ford Escort RS1800 MON SWE1 PORRet GRE FIN CAN ITA CIV FRA 14th 18 Björn Waldegård Porsche 911 KEN4 Eaton Yale Ford Escort RS1800 GBR2 1979 Ford Motor Company Ltd Ford Escort RS1800 MON2 SWE2 POR2 FIN3 CAN1 ITA FRA GBR9 1st 120 D.T. Dobie / Daimler-Benz Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC KEN6 CIV2 Rothmans Rally Team Ford Escort RS1800 GRE1 NZL 1980 Fiat Italia Fiat 131 Abarth MON3 3rd 63 Fiat Sweden SWE3 C. Santos - Mercedes Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC POR4 D.T. Dobie / Daimler-Benz KEN10 Daimler-Benz GRERet Mercedes-Benz 500 SLC ARGRet FIN Cable-Price Corp. NZL5 ITA FRA SEACI CIV1 Toyota Team Great Britain Toyota Celica 2000 GT GBRRet 1981 Publimmo Racing Ford Escort RS1800 MON8 SWE 18th 17 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica 2000 GT POR3 KEN FRARet GRERet ARG BRA FIN9 ITA Premoto Toyota CIVRet Toyota Team Great Britain GBRRet 1982 Porsche Alméras Porsche 911 SC MON92 SWE 6th 36 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica 2000 GT PORRet KEN FRA GRE Toyota New Zealand NZL1 BRA FIN ITA Premoto Toyota CIV3 Toyota Team Great Britain GBR7 1983 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica Twincam Turbo MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRE NZL ARG FIN12 11th 20 Premoto Toyota CIV1 Toyota Team Great Britain GBRRet Pro Motor Sport Ferrari 308 GTB ITARet 1984 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica Twincam Turbo MON SWE PORRet FINRet ITA CIV 8th 28 Westlands Motors KEN1 FRA GRE Toyota New Zealand NZL5 ARG Toyota Team Great Britain GBRRet 1985 Westlands Motors Toyota Celica Twincam Turbo MON SWE POR KEN2 FRA GRE 8th 34 Toyota New Zealand NZLRet ARG Toyota Team Europe FIN7 ITA GBRRet Premoto Toyota CIV2 1986 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica Twincam Turbo MON SWE POR KEN1 FRA GRE NZL ARG FIN CIV1 ITA GBR USA5 4th 48 1987 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Supra 3.0i MON SWE POR KENRet FRA GRE USA6 NZL ARG FIN 36th 6 Toyota Supra Turbo CIVRet ITA GBR 1988 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Supra Turbo MON SWE POR KEN7 FRA 17th 16 Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 GRERet USA NZL ARG FIN CIV ITA Toyota Team Great Britain GBR3 1989 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 SWE MONRet PORRet 29th 10 Toyota Team Kenya Toyota Supra Turbo KEN4 FRA GRE NZL ARG FIN AUS ITA CIV GBR 1990 Toyota Team Kenya Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 MON POR KEN1 FRA GRE NZL ARG FIN AUS ITA CIV GBR 12th 20 1991 Toyota Kenya Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 MON SWE POR KEN4 FRA GRE NZL ARG FIN AUS ITA CIV ESP GBR 26th 10 1992 Martini Racing Lancia Delta HF Integrale MON SWE POR KENRet FRA GRE NZL ARG FIN AUS ITA CIV ESP GBR NC 0

Complete FIA European Rallycross Cup results

24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Team Co-Driver Car Class Laps 1971 Écurie Jean Sage Bernard Chenevière Porsche 911S GT +2.0 263

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