1973 International Swedish Rally
Encyclopedia
The 1973 International Swedish Rally was the 24th running of the International Swedish Rally and the second round of the inaugural World Rally Championship
season. Run in mid-February around Karlstad, Sweden, the rally was the only snow and ice rally of the WRC calendar, a distinction it would keep as it remained a fixture of the WRC through the years. Only in 2007 would it finally be joined on the schedule by a second snow rally in Norway
.
In 1973, and for several years afterward, only manufacturers were given points for finishes in WRC events. After the Alpine A110
s dominated the earlier Monte Carlo Rally
, Sweden was instead taken by Swedish drivers Stig Blomqvist
and Per Eklund
, both driving Swedish-built Saab 96 V4
cars. While Jean-Luc Thérier
did get an Alpine onto the podium in third place, it was the only such car to finish and he was one of only two drivers not of Scandinavian nationality to complete the race.
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
season. Run in mid-February around Karlstad, Sweden, the rally was the only snow and ice rally of the WRC calendar, a distinction it would keep as it remained a fixture of the WRC through the years. Only in 2007 would it finally be joined on the schedule by a second snow rally in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
In 1973, and for several years afterward, only manufacturers were given points for finishes in WRC events. After the Alpine A110
Alpine A110
The Alpine A110, also known as the "Berlinette", was a sports car produced by the French manufacturer Alpine from 1961 to 1977. The A110 was powered by various Renault engines....
s dominated the earlier Monte Carlo Rally
Monte Carlo Rally
The Monte Carlo Rally or Rally Monte Carlo is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco which also organises the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix and the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique. The rally takes place along the French Riviera in the Principality of Monaco and...
, Sweden was instead taken by Swedish drivers Stig Blomqvist
Stig Blomqvist
"Stig" Lennart Blomqvist is a Swedish rally driver. He made his international breakthrough in 1971. Driving an Audi Quattro for the Audi factory team, Blomqvist won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1984 and finished runner-up in 1985...
and Per Eklund
Per Eklund
Per Eklund, born on June 26, 1946 in Skönnerud , Eda Municipality of Värmland in Sweden, is a Rally and Rallycross driver who lives in Arvika. His nickname is "Pekka". In rallying he never made it to the very top but he has been very successful in his later rallycross career.- Saab works...
, both driving Swedish-built Saab 96 V4
Saab 96
For the modern car, see Saab 9-6The Saab 96 is an automobile made by Saab. It was introduced in 1960 and was produced until January 1980, a run of 20 years. Like the 93 it replaced, the 96 was a development from the old Saab 92 chassis and, on account of its improvements and modernisation, it...
cars. While Jean-Luc Thérier
Jean-Luc Thérier
Jean-Luc Thérier is a French former rally driver. He was the highest scoring driver in the inaugural World Rally Championship in 1973 and the only one to win three events...
did get an Alpine onto the podium in third place, it was the only such car to finish and he was one of only two drivers not of Scandinavian nationality to complete the race.
Results
| Finish | Total time |
Group | Car # | Driver | Car | Mfr. points |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | In group |
||||||
| 1 | 1 | 9 h : 18 m : 31 s | 1/2 | 1 |  Stig BlomqvistStig Blomqvist "Stig" Lennart Blomqvist is a Swedish rally driver. He made his international breakthrough in 1971. Driving an Audi Quattro for the Audi factory team, Blomqvist won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1984 and finished runner-up in 1985... |
Saab 96 V4 | 20 |
| 2 | 2 | 9 h : 20 m : 53 s | 1/2 | 7 | Per Eklund Per Eklund Per Eklund, born on June 26, 1946 in Skönnerud , Eda Municipality of Värmland in Sweden, is a Rally and Rallycross driver who lives in Arvika. His nickname is "Pekka". In rallying he never made it to the very top but he has been very successful in his later rallycross career.- Saab works... |
Saab 96 V4 | |
| 3 | 1 | 9 h : 34 m : 12 s | 4 | 11 |  Jean-Luc ThérierJean-Luc Thérier Jean-Luc Thérier is a French former rally driver. He was the highest scoring driver in the inaugural World Rally Championship in 1973 and the only one to win three events... |
Alpine-Renault A110 1800 | 12 |
| 4 | 2 | 9 h : 37 m : 14 s | 4 | 3 | Harry Källstrom Harry Källström Harry "Sputnik" Källström was a Swedish professional rally driver who debuted in 1957 and competed in the World Rally Championship in the 1970s. Prior to the forming of the WRC, Källström won the RAC Rally in a Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF in 1969 and 1970... |
Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF | 10 |
| 5 | 3 | 9 h : 40 m : 41 s | 4 | 2 | Håkan Lindberg |
Fiat Abarth 124 Rallye | 8 |
| 6 | 3 | 9 h : 57 m : 28 s | 1/2 | 4 | Björn Waldegård Björn Waldegård Björn Waldegård from Rimbo is a former Swedish rally driver, and the winner of the inaugural World Rally Championship for drivers in 1979... |
Volkswagen 1303S | 6 |
| 7 | 4 | 10 h : 0 m : 58 s | 1/2 | 10 | Bror Danielsson |
BMW 2002 | 4 |
| 8 | 5 | 10 h : 35 m : 41 s | 1/2 | 18 |  John HauglandJohn Haugland John Haugland is a Norwegian former rally driver. He competed in 27 world rally championship events, more often than not at the wheel of a Škoda. He had four Top 10 finishes in his career... |
Škoda 110L | 3 |
| 9 | 6 | 10 h : 36 m : 42 s | 1/2 | 9 | Per-Inge Walfridsson |
Volvo 142 S | 2 |
| 10 | 7 | 10 h : 37 m : 22 s | 1/2 | 14 |  Fredrik Donner |
Opel Ascona Opel Ascona The Opel Ascona was a mid-sized car produced by Opel. It had three generations produced from 1970 to 1988. In motorsport, the Ascona 400 rally car driven by Walter Röhrl won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in the 1982 season.... |
1 |
| 11 | 8 | 10 h : 38 m : 7 s | 1/2 | 33 | Stig Abrahamsson |
Saab 96 V4 | |
| 12 | 9 | 10 h : 39 m : 23 s | 1/2 | 28 | Kjell Ivarsson |
Saab 96 V4 | |
| 13 | 10 | 10 h : 41 m : 31 s | 1/2 | 13 | Per Tjerneld |
Opel Ascona Opel Ascona The Opel Ascona was a mid-sized car produced by Opel. It had three generations produced from 1970 to 1988. In motorsport, the Ascona 400 rally car driven by Walter Röhrl won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in the 1982 season.... |
|
| 14 | 11 | 10 h : 44 m : 30 s | 1/2 | 8 | Jean-Pierre Nicolas Jean-Pierre Nicolas Jean-Pierre Nicolas is a retired French professional rally driver who competed mainly in the 1970s.Nicolas took five WRC event wins in the World Rally Championship... |
Renault 12 Gordini | |
| 15 | 12 | 10 h : 49 m : 25 s | 1/2 | 52 | Sören Bergstedt |
Renault 12 Gordini | |
| 16 | 13 | 10 h : 50 m : 3 s | 1/2 | 64 | Per Engseth |
Volkswagen 1303S | |
| 17 | 14 | 11 h : 2 m : 52 s | 1/2 | 17 | Hans Sevelius |
Alfa Romeo Giulia S | |
| 18 | 15 | 11 h : 6 m : 50 s | 1/2 | 47 | Jan Carlsson |
Volvo 142 S | |
| 19 | 16 | 11 h : 8 m : 21 s | 1/2 | 16 | Egil Stenshagen |
Datsun Cherry E | |
| 20 | 17 | 11 h : 12 m : 34 s | 1/2 | 20 | Ole Edvin Granberg |
BMW 2002 | |
| 21 | 18 | 11 h : 16 m : 9 s | 1/2 | 38 | Erik Aaby |
Opel Ascona Opel Ascona The Opel Ascona was a mid-sized car produced by Opel. It had three generations produced from 1970 to 1988. In motorsport, the Ascona 400 rally car driven by Walter Röhrl won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in the 1982 season.... |
|
| 22 | 19 | 11 h : 19 m : 32 s | 1/2 | 45 | Bjørn Flygind |
Opel Ascona Opel Ascona The Opel Ascona was a mid-sized car produced by Opel. It had three generations produced from 1970 to 1988. In motorsport, the Ascona 400 rally car driven by Walter Röhrl won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in the 1982 season.... |
|
| 23 | 20 | 11 h : 30 m : 56 s | 1/2 | 57 | Freddy Kottulinsky Freddy Kottulinsky Winfried Philippe Adalbert Karl Graf Kottulinsky Freiherr von Kottulin, better known as Freddy Kottulinsky , was a German-Swedish racing and rallying driver who won the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1980. He was born in München.... |
Toyota Corolla Toyota Corolla The Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million... |
|
| 24 | 21 | 11 h : 38 m : 33 s | 1/2 | 51 | Mats Andersson |
Saab 96 V4 | |
| 25 | 22 | 11 h : 41 m : 59 s | 1/2 | 25 | Johnny Lindersson |
Volvo 142 S | |
| Retired | 4 | 6 | Ove Andersson Ove Andersson Ove Andersson was a Swedish rally driver and the first head of Toyota's F1 program. His nickname was "Påven" .-Early life:... |
Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF | |||
| Retired | 1/2 | 12 | Lars Nyström |
Volkswagen 1303S | |||
| Retired | 1/2 | 18 | Roger Johansson |
Saab 96 V4 | |||
| Retired | 1/2 | 21 | Bernard Darniche Bernard Darniche Bernard Darniche is a French former rally driver. He won the European Rally Championship in 1976 and 1977 and the French Rally Championship in 1976 and 1978, each time behind the wheel of a Lancia Stratos... |
Renault 12 Gordini | |||
Championship standings
| After round 2 | Team | Season end | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Points | Position | Points | |
| 1 | 32 | Alpine Renault |
1 | 147 |
| 2 | 20 | Saab Saab Saab AB is a Swedish aerospace and defence company, founded in 1937. From 1947 to 1990 it was the parent company of automobile manufacturer Saab Automobile, and between 1968 and 1995 the company was in a merger with commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania, known as Saab-Scania.-History:"Svenska... |
5 | 42 |
| 3 | 13 |  LanciaLancia Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Some modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more... |
13 | 17 |
| 2 | 12 | Fiat Fiat FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli... |
2 | 84 |
| 6 | 10 |  Ford |
3 | 76 |
| 7 | 6 |  VolkswagenVolkswagen Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is... |
15 | 15 |
| 8 | 4 | BMW BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands... |
8 | 28 |
| 9 | 3 |  ŠkodaŠkoda Auto Škoda Auto , more commonly known as Škoda, is an automobile manufacturer based in the Czech Republic. Škoda became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group in 2000, positioned as the entry brand to the group... |
18 | 3 |
| 10 | 2 |  DatsunDatsun Datsun was an automobile marque. The name was created in 1931 by the DAT Motorcar Co. for a new car model, spelling it as "Datson" to indicate its smaller size when compared to the existing, larger DAT car. Later, in 1933 after Nissan Motor Co., Ltd... |
6 | 34 |
| 11 | 2 | Volvo Volvo AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services... |
4 | 44 |
| 12 | 1 | Opel Opel Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929... |
11 | 25 |
See also
- 1973 World Rally Championship season
- Swedish RallySwedish RallyThe Uddeholm Swedish Rally , formerly the Swedish Rally, is an automobile rally competition held in Värmland, Sweden in early February. First held in 1950, when it was called the Rally to the Midnight Sun with start and finish at separate locations, seventeen years later both start and finish...
- 24th International Swedish Rally at Rallybase
- 1973 Swedish Rally, WRC Round 2 at Rallye-info