RAC Rally 1982
Round 12 of the 1982 World Rally Championship · 21–25 November 1982
Hannu Mikkola’s RAC win sealed Audi’s first manufacturers’ title, with Mouton second.
Episode 1 — Birth of a Monster: How Group B Began (1982)
The RAC Rally 1982 features in this episode of our documentary series.
At a glance
The podium
Photo: Jiří Sedláček via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0Photo: Jiří Sedláček via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: SG2012 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0Car photos are representative pictures of the model, not of this event.
Route and surface
Forest gravel in Wales, northern England and Scotland, plus spectator stages in parks and on race-circuit grounds: dark, wet and cold in late November.
Key entries
The leading seeded crews (start numbers 1–8):
- #1 Hannu Mikkola / Arne Hertz — Audi Quattro (Audi Sport)
- #2 Ari Vatanen / Terry Harryman — Opel Ascona 400 (Rothmans Opel Team)
- #3 Markku Alén / Ilkka Kivimäki — Lancia Rally 037 (Martini & Rossi Ltd)
- #4 Jochi Kleint / Günther Wanger — Opel Ascona 400 (Rothmans Opel Team)
- #5 Michèle Mouton / Fabrizia Pons — Audi Quattro (Audi Sport)
- #6 Stig Blomqvist / Björn Cederberg — Talbot Sunbeam (Peugeot Talbot Sport)
- #7 Henri Toivonen / Fred Gallagher — Opel Ascona 400 (Rothmans Opel Team)
- #8 Björn Waldegård / Ragnar Spjuth — Toyota Celica (Team Toyota GB)
Hannu Mikkola’s RAC win sealed Audi’s first manufacturers’ title, with Mouton second.
How the rally unfolded
Markku Alén twice led in the Lancia 037, but Mikkola took over on stage 17 and stayed ahead to the finish. He won 26 of 69 stages. Mouton finished second, 4 minutes 17 seconds back, with Henri Toivonen third in the Opel.
Ari Vatanen crashed his Ascona on stage 30. Stig Blomqvist drove a Group 2 Talbot Sunbeam for Peugeot Talbot Sport and finished eighth — a reminder that the Peugeot organisation was already preparing for Group B. Malcolm Wilson completed the top ten in a British-run Quattro.
The decisive moment
Mikkola took the lead on stage 17 and held it for the remaining 52 stages. Audi ended the season as manufacturers’ champions, the Quattro’s first world title.
Result — top 10
| Pos. | No. | Crew | Car | Entrant | Gp. | Time / gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Hannu Mikkola / Arne Hertz | Audi Quattro | Audi Sport | G4 | 8:01:46 |
| 2 | 5 | Michèle Mouton / Fabrizia Pons | Audi Quattro | Audi Sport | G4 | +4:17 |
| 3 | 7 | Henri Toivonen / Fred Gallagher | Opel Ascona 400 | Rothmans Opel Team | G4 | +4:26 |
| 4 | 3 | Markku Alén / Ilkka Kivimäki | Lancia Rally 037 | Martini & Rossi Ltd | B | +9:57 |
| 5 | 24 | Harald Demuth / John Daniels | Audi Quattro | Audi Sport | G4 | +12:24 |
| 6 | 18 | Russell Brookes / Mike Broad | Vauxhall Chevette 2300 | Andrews Heat for Hire | G4 | +13:04 |
| 7 | 8 | Björn Waldegård / Ragnar Spjuth | Toyota Celica | Team Toyota GB | G4 | +14:43 |
| 8 | 6 | Stig Blomqvist / Björn Cederberg | Talbot Sunbeam | Peugeot Talbot Sport | G2 | +15:26 |
| 9 | 14 | Per Eklund / David Whittock | Toyota Celica | Toyota Team GB | G4 | +19:56 |
| 10 | 17 | Malcolm Wilson / Mike Greasley | Audi Quattro | Audi Sport UK | G4 | +20:46 |
Retirements of note
- #2 Ari Vatanen / Terry Harryman (Opel Ascona 400) — accident, stage 30
- #4 Jochi Kleint / Günther Wanger (Opel Ascona 400) — accident, stage 13
- #9 Tony Pond / Rob Arthur (Vauxhall Chevette 2300) — accident, stage 8
- #10 Pentti Airikkala / Juha Piironen (Mitsubishi Lancer 2000 Turbo) — accident, stage 7
- #11 Jimmy McRae / Ian Grindrod (Opel Ascona 400) — rear axle, stage 40
- #12 Timo Salonen / Seppo Harjanne (Nissan Violet) — accident, stage 20
The RAC Rally base given here is inferred from the start and finish locations in the itinerary; the event visited several regions of Great Britain.
Results, retirements, stage wins and leaders are taken from Jonkka’s World Rally Archive. Names are given with their correct spelling; the archive itself omits diacritics.
Related pages
- 1982 season overview
- All 1982 rallies
- Previous round: Ivory Coast Rally 1982
- Cars: Audi Quattro, Opel Manta 400
- Teams: Audi Sport, Opel
- Iconic moments · Timeline · Statistics
All rounds of 1982
In pictures 4 photos
Photos from this event where free-licensed pictures exist; otherwise the podium cars, photographed on the occasion stated in each caption.
Further resources
- Motor Sport (January 1983): Lombard RAC Rally EN · article · subscription
Contemporary report from Motor Sport magazine's January 1983 issue, written as the season unfolded. - WRC.com season archive 1982 EN · archive
Official summary of the 1982 season: calendar, winners and both championship tables. - Wikipedia: RAC Rally EN · archive
History of the RAC Rally with its list of winners over the decades.
The same rally in other Group B years
Sources
- Jonkka's World Rally Archive (juwra.com), RAC Rally 1982: event page — https://www.juwra.com/rac_rally_1982.html
- Jonkka's World Rally Archive, results — https://www.juwra.com/rac_rally_1982_results.html
- Jonkka's World Rally Archive, entry list — https://www.juwra.com/rac_rally_1982_entries.html
- Jonkka's World Rally Archive, stage winners and leaders — https://www.juwra.com/rac_rally_1982_stage_winners.html
- Wikipedia (EN), 1982 World Rally Championship — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_World_Rally_Championship
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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