Walter Rohrl: “Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance”

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"Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-monte

Reckless men in drifting boxes: Walter Rohrl and co-driver Christian Geistdorfer in their Opel Ascona 400. At the end of the year, the duo also secured the world title

Source: picture-alliance / dpa

Walter Rohrl is the only German rally world champion. Back then, it all came down to the skill and endurance of the pilot. At Monte he went to the limit with a “dresser” – and beyond.

D.he Monte Carlo Rally is the most spectacular and best-known rally in the world. The 83rd edition is now running. Walter Rohrl (67) is the only German rally world champion. The Bavarian won the Monte four times between 1980 and 1984 for four different manufacturers: Fiat, Opel, Lancia and Audi.

The world: Mr. Rohrl, what does the Monte Carlo Rally mean to you?

Walter Rohrl: The Monte was my dream and my goal in life at the same time. I wanted to win this rally once in my life. When I started my career in 1968, there was still no title to be won in the drivers’ championship, so the Monte was the biggest, like Wimbledon in tennis. It was amazing that I was lucky enough to win the Monte four times.

The world: You made your debut at Monte in 1973. What was it that made you so attractive??

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-carlo

Cool winner: Walter Rohrl (left) in Monte Carlo 1982 with rally runner-up Hannu Mikkola from Finland

Source: picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PR

Rohrl: This rally includes everything from asphalt, gravel, ice, mud and snow. That was the perfect motivation for me. I was of the opinion that in these changing, difficult road conditions, only the perfect driver can win. A precise driving style is extremely important, the smallest mistake, and you crash into a rock wall or guardrail or fall down a ravine. Choosing tires was also a science in itself.

The world: And then you drove this bulky Opel Commodore, among other things.

Rohrl: We jokingly called the Opel the omnibus or the dresser, and all the good rally cars around us, such as the Renault Alpine. But it went pretty well, probably because the brakes weren’t working properly on me.

The world: You have to explain that.

Rohrl: I had to use the snow walls at the side of the road to brake, after which the car looked pretty dented. While driving through a town in the French Maritime Alps, there was a terrible blow when I collided violently with a village fountain made of granite. It was hidden under a large wall of snow. Fortunately, I was able to continue.

The world: How did you get there in the first place??

Rohrl: Unfortunately, a semi-axis was torn off on the last stage, which resulted in three penalty hours, but at least we still made it. My colleagues fared no better. In 1973 the courageous Trabant pilots from the GDR were there too. I already felt underpowered with 160 hp – but they kicked off with their tuned 46 hp Trabant. A 50 cut was prescribed everywhere on the liaison stages. And driving at this average speed at Monte means: They had to drive from the first second to the last hundred percent, otherwise they would not have made it. Hats off I have to say, unbelievable.

The world: At that time, fans are said to have shoveled snow on the street in some places to increase the action factor.

Rohrl and Stuck – the careers of two legends

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-monte

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Hans-Joachim Stuck (left) and Walter Rohrl – the two are still among the biggest names in German racing.

Source: Audi

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-rohrl

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Both became famous in the early seventies. While Stuck mixed up the circuit in a Ford Capri and BMW,…

Source: pa / dpa

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-rohrl

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… Walter Rohrl won the European Rally Championship in 1974 in an Opel Ascona. Here he advertises the car he drove afterwards, the Kadett GT / E.

Source: picture-alliance / gms

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-walter

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Stuck’s path led to Formula 1,…

Source: picture-alliance / Sven Simon

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-become

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… in which he was active until the late 1970s.

Source: picture alliance / HOCH ZWEI

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-carlo

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Rohrl (r.), On the other hand, found a dream partner: With his co-driver Christian Geistdorfer, he achieved everything that could be achieved in rallying.

Source: pa / dpa

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-rallye

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Rohrl and Geistdorfer drove Fiat, Opel and Lancia, briefly also Mercedes and Porsche. But most of all, her appearances in the Audi Quattro are remembered.

Source: picture-alliance / Sven Simon

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-become

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Its all-wheel drive represented a quantum leap in rallying. When the others followed suit,…

Source: pa / dpa

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-rohrl

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… Audi countered with more wings. And finally even…

Source: pa / dpa

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-rohrl

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… with a shortened version that was better off the corners.

Source: pa / dpa

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Rohrl and Geistdorfer made their last rally appearances in the Audi 200 Quattro. The “taxi model”, as the drivers called it.

Source: pa / dpa

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-become

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Rohrl then drove his last professional races on the circuit. As the second driver, he secured Hans-Joachim Stuck overall victory in the 1990 German Touring Car Championship …DTM.

Source: Audi

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-monte

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Rohrl then broke up, Stuck not yet. He was active in touring cars until 2011 – and won the 24-hour race at the Nurburgring.

Source: pa / dpa

Rohrl: I remember one descent where every year a couple of crazy people poured snow onto the road in the same bend. When you had to be the first to drive uphill through such a carpet of snow, it was very annoying. You can quickly lose ten seconds. Unfortunately, a few cars flew off again and again. In the 1980s that was no longer a problem for me with the Audi Quattro, the four-wheel drive car drove over it.

The world: Between 1982 and 1986 some of the cars had over 500 hp. There were serious accidents and spectators along the way died. How dangerous the Monte really was back then?

Rohrl: I said at the time that if you survive this time, it is the greatest thing. It was very borderline because there probably weren’t three pilots who could control these cars one hundred percent. Just relying on the prayer book, i.e. the announcements of the co-pilot, was no longer enough even then. The cars accelerated so fast that the risk of accidents increased rapidly. When driving to the limit, my photographic memory also helped me a lot. I memorized the routes exactly beforehand and was able to drive an optimal line.

The world: Was the regulation of engine power at the end of 1986 correct??

Rohrl: I found the cut too stark. In 1986 I drove the Monte with a 535 hp car, a year later I only had 230 hp available. Then I lost my interest in rallying because it had become too easy.

The world: How would you rate the sporting significance of the Monte today??

With this victory, the little Mini became a legend

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-rohrl

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As proud as ever: in 1964, Paddy Hopkirk won the famous Monte Carlo Rally with the Mini Cooper S. Today the Northern Irishman is 80 years old, but according to their own statements they still drive…rn mini.

Source: BMW

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-walter

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The victory of the Hopkirk / Liddon duo came as a surprise as the little British car had much less power than its main competitors.

Source: BMW

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-walter

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For a mini, however, around 90 hp and 1071 cubic centimeters were already quite a lot. But the Mercedes-Benz 300 SE and Ford Falcon had three and four times as much performance to bi…eten.

Source: BMW

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-monte

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However, the little Brit made a virtue out of necessity: In the changeable conditions, the front-wheel drive of the Mini and the transverse engine at the front were an advantage, as was the case…e the fact that the car was small and the roads were winding.

Source: BMW

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Paddy Hopkirk and his co-driver Henry Liddon secured the final victory in the circuit race through the streets of Monte Carlos.

Source: BMW

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-walter

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Jennifer, who became Paddy Hopkirk’s wife three years later, was one of the first to congratulate.

Source: Getty Images

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-carlo

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The winner of the Monte Carlo Rally received many congratulations, including from the British government. But what he remembers most is the telegram from Bea…tles drummer Ringo Starr.

Source: Getty Images

Walter Rohrl: "Rallye Monte Carlo has become a game of chance"-rallye

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Later the whole band got an autograph. The musicians added the following sentence to their signatures: "You’re one of us now, Paddy". What a great honor!

Source: Getty Images

Rohrl: At that time the Monte was between 4000 and 5000 kilometers long. That was an extremely tough reliability test for people and material. What counted was that the car held out and that the driver was able to sit behind the wheel for 40 hours without making a mistake. Today the length of the route is only a third. It is only driven during the day and hardly at night as it used to be. Today there is a service area from which the drivers drive to three tests. A lot has become easier there. The most important thing, however, is that the tires cannot be changed in between. In my opinion, this is Russian roulette given the constantly changing road conditions. That is irresponsible of the world automobile association, the Fia. This sport has become a game of chance. Today there are five tests that are run three times. There used to be 47 tests, and before each of these tests, the driver could choose between eight different types of tires, from spiked to slick tires.

The world: Nevertheless, feel like driving the Monte today?

Rohrl: In the fall, a co-organizer of the Histo-Monte (winter rally from Mainz to Monaco in historic cars, editor) asked me if I would like to take part in 2015. But unfortunately it doesn’t fit into my schedule.

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