Teams and team managers

Behind every Group B car stood an organisation of hundreds of people: engineers, mechanics, recce crews, helicopter pilots and a team manager who held it all together. The great teams of the 1980s also shaped the people who would later run Formula 1 and the World Rally Championship — Jean Todt, Cesare Fiorio and David Richards first among them.

Grouve Sport documentary

Episode 8 — The Architects: Fiorio, Todt, Gumpert, Turner & the People Behind Group B

Gumpert, Fiorio, Todt, Turner and Andersson: the strategists behind Group B.

At a glance

Team Base Team leadership Group B car(s) Manufacturers’ titles
Audi Sport Ingolstadt (D) Roland Gumpert Quattro, Sport Quattro S1 1982, 1984
Lancia Martini Turin (I) Cesare Fiorio 037, Delta S4 1983
Peugeot Talbot Sport Boulogne-Billancourt (F) Jean Todt 205 T16 1985, 1986
Ford Motorsport Boreham (GB) Stuart Turner RS200 —
Austin Rover Great Britain John Davenport Metro 6R4 —
Toyota Team Europe Cologne (D) Ove Andersson Celica TCT —
Opel Germany / Great Britain Tony Fall; David Richards (Rothmans Opel) Ascona 400, Manta 400 —
Rothmans Porsche / Prodrive Banbury (GB) David Richards 911 SC RS —
Other teams various incl. Achim Warmbold (Mazda) BX 4TC, 240RS, RX-7, R5 Turbo —

Team pages

Audi SportThe Ingolstadt team that changed rallying with four-wheel drive. Under Roland Gumpert: two manufacturers’ titles (1982, 1984) and two drivers’ titles (1983, 1984).Read more →Lancia MartiniCesare Fiorio’s Turin team won the last manufacturers’ title for a two-wheel-drive car in 1983 and introduced the Delta S4 in 1985 — with Abarth as its engineering powerhouse.Read more →Peugeot Talbot SportFrom 1981 Jean Todt built a team that conquered the world within three years. With the 205 T16: manufacturers’ titles in 1985 and 1986, and drivers’ titles for Salonen and Kankkunen.Read more →Ford MotorsportIn 1983 Stuart Turner scrapped the RS1700T and started again with a clean sheet of paper: the RS200. It became a beautiful car that arrived too late.Read more →Austin Rover (MG Metro 6R4)British, naturally aspirated and idiosyncratic: John Davenport had Williams Grand Prix Engineering develop a rally car based on the Metro. Third on its debut.Read more →Toyota Team EuropeOve Andersson’s Cologne team won six world rallies with the rear-wheel-drive Celica Twincam Turbo — all of them in Africa.Read more →Opel (Opel Motorsport and Rothmans Opel)Opel won the 1982 drivers’ world title with the Ascona 400 (Röhrl). Tony Fall ran the German works team; David Richards co-ran the Rothmans-backed team.Read more →Rothmans Porsche and ProdrivePorsche never fought for the world title, but David Richards’ new Prodrive company ran the Rothmans 911 SC RS in the European championship and on world championship asphalt rallies.Read more →Other teams and privateersCitroën, Nissan, Mazda Rally Team Europe, Renault, Jolly Club and the privateers who gave Group B its depth.Read more →Designers and engineersThe people behind the machines: Limone and Lombardi (Lancia/Abarth), de Cortanze and Welter (Peugeot), Southgate and Wheeler (Ford), Bensinger and Piëch (Audi), David Wood (Metro 6R4).Read more →

Wins by make

Based on every world championship podium from 1982 to 1986. The sources used do not list team names for 1982, so this table counts by make.

Wins by team (1983–1986)

More from Group B

Iconic rallies and momentsThe Col de Turini, Mouton in Sanremo, Vatanen in Argentina, Bettega and Toivonen in Corsica, the tragedy of Portugal 1986 and the Sanremo title that was taken back.Read more →The end of Group BPortugal, Corsica and FISA's decision of May 1986: how Group B was removed from the World Rally Championship, why Group S died with it, and how the 1986 season played out.Read more →Group B timelineFrom the introduction of the rules in 1982 to the ban in 1986 and its aftermath: every key moment on one interactive timeline.Read more →The drivers of Group BChampions, prodigies and co-drivers: the people who tamed the fastest rally cars ever built. With profiles, results and a sortable record of every world rally win.Read more →The cars of Group BFrom the Audi Quattro to the Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione: every significant Group B car, with engineering, history, results and an interactive comparison tool.Read more →European and national championshipsThe European Rally Championship and the national championships where Group B cars raced most: how they worked, who won them and links to every championship page.Read more →

Sources

  1. Wikipedia (EN), Peugeot Talbot Sport — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peugeot_Talbot_Sport
  2. Wikipedia (EN), Roland Gumpert — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Gumpert
  3. Wikipedia (EN), Cesare Fiorio — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesare_Fiorio
  4. Wikipedia (EN), Toyota Team Europe — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Gazoo_Racing_Europe
  5. Wikipedia (EN), Prodrive — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prodrive
  6. Wikipedia (EN), Tony Fall — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Fall

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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