Röhrl: Gr. B would take precedence over F1

Walter Röhrl is not a man to mince his words. For AUTOhebdo - currently on sale - he looks back at length on his career and especially on his races at the wheel of the Audi Sport quattro, a car resulting from the innovation of the firm with the rings, which revolutionized the world of automobiles and motorsport with its all-wheel drive. Seeing this car enter competition, Walter Röhrl knew that a new future was opening up. “ From January (1981), I went to Jänner Rally, in Austria, where the car debuted, in the hands of Franz Wittmann (the father of the current driver Peugeot in IRC, editor’s note). At the start of a completely snowy special, I remained amazed: after four hundred meters of straight line, Franz was ahead of everyone by eight seconds. I immediately said to myself: “We are entering a new world.” I went home and bought myself a stock 80 quattro. Every time I took it out on the snow, I couldn't believe how effective it was... »

The German driver, once he tested this car, recognized the qualities provided by four-wheel drive. Despite everything, Röhrl won very little for Audi, at a time when competition was very strong. “ The Sport quattro S1 should have won more often: it was more stable than the mid-engined cars and, above all, more powerful, he explains to AUTOhebdo. That said, when I drove a Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 for the first time, in the Race of Champions, I understood how and why they won everything behind the wheel. It is so easy to fly! »

“Easy to drive” is also an expression that Walter Röhrl used to talk about the Audi quattro, saying that a monkey could win at the wheel! “ In 1982, I went out with the Austrian alpine ski team, comments Röhrl to put this expression in context. I take them with me on a special stage on gravel, made up of a succession of hairpins uphill. In the evening, one of the skiers points to me and exclaims: “This guy is a genius. It's impossible to go faster than him behind the wheel of a car! ". On the fly, I retort: ​​“You're kidding: I only have two driving wheels. On this terrain, with a quattro, even a monkey would be faster than me! ". A journalist is present. He echoes the sentence by referring to Michèle Mouton. Him creates a comparison that I had never thought of. This caused a scandal and I understand that Michèle did not appreciate it. »

Present in WRC during the 80s, Wlater Röhrl was still happy to have been there “at the right time”, hardly appreciating modern rallying. “ I'm so happy to have been there at the exact time I needed to be there: Group 4, Group B! Today, cars are so easy to drive that too many can go fast. I couldn't win with a three-second lead! I loved winning with a ten-minute advantage. Today, too many things prevent the best from emerging: physical resistance no longer matters, we no longer drive at night and we no longer have to be intelligent to keep our car in perfect working order. We drive “hard” and that’s enough! »

Furthermore, the German driver believes that Group B owes its disappearance not only to the various fatal accidents which took place in the mid-80s. According to him, these super-powerful cars were condemned by the highest authorities in motorsport? “ Group B could not survive. He was going to take precedence over the F1. The decision to assassinate him was political. Okay, those cars were dangerous, but they were dangerous to Mr. Ecclestone first. Measures had been taken to make Gr.B safer. It was Group S (300 hp maximum and various safety measures, editor's note). He was buried at the same time as the Gr.B. »

Find the complete file (22 pages) on the thirty years of the Audi quattro, as well as interviews with Walter Röhrl, Michèle Mouton and Franz Wittmann, in AUTOhebdo n°1750, currently on sale.