More Group B drivers

Behind the world champions ran a broad midfield of works drivers, specialists and local heroes. Some won one rally a year on their favourite surface; others are remembered above all for a single moment.

Grouve Sport documentary

Episode 7 — The Underdogs: Toyota, Opel, Nissan, Mazda, Renault, Citroën, Porsche & Ferrari

The specialists, local heroes and one-moment men of Group B.

Full profiles

The following drivers now have their own pages: Björn Waldegård, Per Eklund, Jean Ragnotti, Bruno Saby, Lars-Erik Torph, Tony Pond, Kalle Grundel, Jimmy McRae, Malcolm Wilson, Shekhar Mehta, Jean-Claude Andruet and Pentti Airikkala.

Joaquim Santos

The Portuguese driver lost control of his Ford RS200 on the 1986 Rally de Portugal and went into the crowd. Three spectators were killed and more than thirty injured. The works teams then withdrew from the rally. See Rally Portugal 1986 and iconic moments.

Bernard Darniche

Darniche, Mouton’s great French rival of the 1970s, won the Tour de Corse six times (a record later equalled by Didier Auriol), the last time in 1981, just before Group B began.

Others on the podium

  • Carlos Reutemann, the former Formula One driver, finished third on Rally Argentina 1985 in a Peugeot 205 Turbo 16.
  • Ingvar Carlsson finished third on the 1985 Acropolis in the Mazda RX-7.
  • Rauno Aaltonen was second on the 1984 Safari in an Opel Manta 400.
  • François Chatriot finished second in Corsica in 1986 in a Renault 5 Maxi Turbo, ahead of Yves Loubet’s Alfa Romeo GTV6.
  • Wilfried Wiedner was second in Argentina in 1985 in an Audi quattro A2.
A Datsun Violet from Nissan's Safari years.
A Datsun Violet from Nissan’s Safari years.Photo: TTTNIS via Wikimedia Commons, CC0

More from Drivers

Walter RöhrlTwo-time world champion (1980, 1982), four-time Monte Carlo winner with four different makes.Read more →Stig BlomqvistThe 1984 world champion and, with eight wins, the driver who won the most world rallies between 1982 and 1986. A master of left-foot braking.Read more →Hannu MikkolaThe 1983 world champion, the first man to drive the Quattro to victory, and a seven-time winner of the 1000 Lakes.Read more →The co-drivers of Group BNo co-driver, no victory. The men and women in the right-hand seat: Geistdörfer, Hertz, Cederberg, Pons, Harjanne, Harryman, Piironen, Gallagher, Kivimäki, Cresto and more.Read more →Pentti AirikkalaMitsubishi and Lancia driver, 1979 British champion and 1989 RAC Rally winner.Read more →Jean-Claude AndruetThe first world championship rally winner, later second in a Ferrari and sixth in the BX 4TC.Read more →

Sources

  1. Wikipedia (EN), World Rally Championship season articles 1982–1986 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_World_Rally_Championship
  2. Wikipedia (EN), Per Eklund — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per_Eklund
  3. Wikipedia (EN), Bernard Darniche — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Darniche
  4. Wikipedia (EN), Joaquim Santos — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joaquim_Santos
  5. Wikipedia (EN), Toyota Team Europe — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Team_Europe

All text is original writing for Grouve Sports Management Group, based on the sources above. Facts checked on 21 October 2026.

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