# 1981 World Rally Championship

The 1981 World Rally Championship was the ninth season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) World Rally Championship (WRC). The season consisted of 12 rallies. While this number was the same as the previous year, one change was made to the schedule, replacing New Zealand with the Brazil.
The 1981 World Rally Championship for Drivers was won by Ari Vatanen driving a Rothmans Rally Team Ford Escort RS1800, the only time a privateer team has won the Drivers' Championship until 2017. The Makes' Championship was won by Talbot with their Sunbeam Lotus. It also saw the beginning of a new era in the sport with the arrival of the Audi Quattro, the first four-wheel drive rally car. Initially regarded as too heavy and complex for rally stages, it proved its worth with three wins in its debut season, including a maiden victory for Michèle Mouton at the Rallye Sanremo, the only woman to win a WRC event.

## Teams and drivers

| Team | Constructor | Car | Drivers | Rounds |
| David Sutton Motorsport | Ford | Escort RS 1800 | Björn Waldegård | 1 |
| David Sutton Motorsport | Ford | Escort RS 1800 | Raymond Rué | 1, 3 |
| David Sutton Motorsport | Ford | Escort RS 1800 | Lasse Lampi | 2, 9, 12 |
| David Sutton Motorsport | Ford | Escort RS 1800 | Bror Danielsson | 2 |
| David Sutton Motorsport | Ford | Escort RS 1800 | Yves Loubet | 5 |
| David Sutton Motorsport | Ford | Escort RS 1800 | Domingo De Vitta | 7–8 |
| David Sutton Motorsport | Ford | Escort RS 1800 | Roger Clark | 12 |
| Fiat Auto Torino | Fiat | 131 Abarth | Markku Alén | 1, 3, 6, 9–10 |
| Fiat Auto Torino | Fiat | 131 Abarth | Attilio Bettega | 1, 3, 6, 10 |
| Fiat Auto Torino | Fiat | 131 Abarth | Dario Cerrato | 1, 3, 10 |
| Fiat Auto Torino | Fiat | 131 Abarth | Rob Collinge | 4 |
| Fiat Auto Torino | Fiat | 131 Abarth | Kalevi Aho | 9 |
| Rothmans Rally Team | Ford | Escort RS 1800 | Ari Vatanen | 1–3, 6–12 |
| Rothmans Rally Team | Ford | Escort RS 1800 | Pentti Airikkala | 2, 9, 12 |
| Rothmans Rally Team | Ford | Escort RS 1800 | Malcolm Wilson | 3, 6, 12 |
| Rothmans Rally Team | Ford | Escort RS 1800 | John Taylor | 11 |
| Team Chardonnet | Lancia | Stratos HF | Bernard Darniche | 1, 5 |
| Team Chardonnet | Lancia | Stratos HF | Markku Alén | 12 |
| Audi Sport | Audi | Quattro | Hannu Mikkola | 1–3, 5–6, 9–10, 12 |
| Audi Sport | Audi | Quattro | Michèle Mouton | 1, 3, 5–6, 9–10, 12 |
| Audi Sport | Audi | Quattro | Franz Wittmann | 6, 9 |
| Audi Sport | Audi | Quattro | Michele Cinotto | 10 |
| Audi Sport | Audi | Quattro | Adolphe Choteau | 11 |
| Opel Euro Händler Team | Opel | Opel Ascona 400 | Jochi Kleint | 1, 4, 6 |
| Opel Euro Händler Team | Opel | Opel Ascona 400 | Anders Kulläng | 1–4 |
| Opel Euro Händler Team | Opel | Opel Ascona 400 | Björn Johansson | 2, 9, 12 |
| Opel Euro Händler Team | Opel | Opel Ascona 400 | Jimmy McRae | 12 |
| Opel Euro Händler Team | Opel | Opel Ascona 400 | Malcolm Patrick | 12 |
| Talbot Sport | Talbot | Sunbeam Lotus | Henri Toivonen | 1, 3, 5–6, 9–10, 12 |
| Talbot Sport | Talbot | Sunbeam Lotus | Guy Fréquelin | 1, 3, 5–8, 10, 12 |
| Talbot Sport | Talbot | Sunbeam Lotus | Gunnar Fagerlind | 2, 12 |
| Talbot Sport | Talbot | Sunbeam Lotus | Stig Blomqvist | 9, 12 |
| Talbot Sport | Talbot | Sunbeam Lotus | Russell Brookes | 12 |
| Renault Elf | Renault | Renault 5 Turbo | Jean Ragnotti | 1, 5, 12 |
| Renault Elf | Renault | Renault 5 Turbo | Bruno Saby | 1, 5, 12 |
| Renault Elf | Renault | Renault 5 Turbo | Alain Coppier | 1, 5 |
| Renault Elf | Renault | Renault 5 Turbo | Pierre-Louis Moreau | 5 |
| Renault Elf | Renault | Renault 5 Turbo | Jean-Pierre Manzagol | 5 |
| Porsche Alméras | Porsche | Porsche 911 SC | Jean-Luc Thérier | 1, 3, 5, 10 |
| Porsche Alméras | Porsche | Porsche 911 SC | Jacques Alméras | 1, 5 |
| Porsche Alméras | Porsche | Porsche 911 SC | Per Eklund | 2, 9 |
| Porsche Alméras | Porsche | Porsche 911 SC | Francis Vincent | 5 |
| Porsche Alméras | Porsche | Porsche 911 SC | Walter Röhrl | 10 |
| Team Datsun Europe | Datsun | 160J Violet GT | Rauno Aaltonen | 1, 4 |
| Team Datsun Europe | Datsun | 160J Violet GT | Sören Nilsson | 2, 12 |
| Team Datsun Europe | Datsun | 160J Violet GT | Timo Salonen | 3–7, 9–12 |
| Team Datsun Europe | Datsun | 160J Violet GT | Tony Pond | 3, 5, 10 |
| Team Datsun Europe | Datsun | 160J Violet GT | Santinho Mendes | 3 |
| Team Datsun Europe | Datsun | 160J Violet GT | Shekhar Mehta | 4, 6–8, 11 |
| Team Datsun Europe | Datsun | 160J Violet GT | John Hellier | 4 |
| Team Datsun Europe | Datsun | 160J Violet GT | Mike Kirkland | 4 |
| Team Datsun Europe | Datsun | 160J Violet GT | Terry Kaby | 5 |
| Team Datsun Europe | Datsun | 160J Violet GT | George Moschous | 6 |
| Team Datsun Europe | Datsun | 160J Violet GT | Ricardo Zunino | 7 |
| Team Datsun Europe | Datsun | 160J Violet GT | Jorge Recalde | 7–8 |
| Team Datsun Europe | Datsun | 160J Violet GT | Erkki Pitkänen | 9 |
| Team Datsun Europe | Datsun | 160J Violet GT | Peter Geitel | 9 |
| Team Datsun Europe | Datsun | 160J Violet GT | Michel Mitri | 11 |
| Team Datsun Europe | Datsun | 160J Violet GT | Pierre-Louis Moreau | 11 |
| Team Datsun Europe | Datsun | 160J Violet GT | Andy Dawson | 12 |
| Saab Sport | Saab | 99 Turbo 99 EMS | Stig Blomqvist | 2 |
| Saab Sport | Saab | 99 Turbo 99 EMS | Ola Stömberg | 2 |
| Saab Sport | Saab | 99 Turbo 99 EMS | Kalle Grundel | 2 |
| Toyota Team Europe | Toyota | Celica 2000GT | Björn Waldegård | 3, 5–6, 9, 11–12 |
| Toyota Team Europe | Toyota | Celica 2000GT | Per Eklund | 3, 5–6, 11–12 |
| Toyota Team Europe | Toyota | Celica 2000GT | Achim Warmbold | 3 |
| Toyota Team Europe | Toyota | Celica 2000GT | Tapio Rainio | 9 |
| Toyota Team Europe | Toyota | Celica 2000GT | Samir Assef | 11 |
| Toyota Team Europe | Toyota | Celica 2000GT | Terry Kaby | 12 |
| Peugeot Esso | Peugeot | 504 Coupé V6 | Alain Ambrosino | 4, 11 |
| Peugeot Esso | Peugeot | 504 Coupé V6 | Guy Fréquelin | 4, 11 |
| Peugeot Esso | Peugeot | 504 Coupé V6 | Timo Mäkinen | 4 |
| Peugeot Esso | Peugeot | 504 Coupé V6 | Jean-Claude Lefèbvre | 4 |
| Peugeot Esso | Peugeot | 504 Coupé V6 | Carlos Garro | 7 |
| Peugeot Esso | Peugeot | 504 Coupé V6 | Francisco Alcuaz | 7 |
| Peugeot Esso | Peugeot | 504 Coupé V6 | Jacques Durieu | 11 |
| Charles Pozzi | Ferrari | 308 GTB | Jean-Claude Andruet | 5 |
| Team Ralliart | Mitsubishi | Lancer 2000 Turbo | Anders Kulläng | 6, 9, 12 |
| Team Ralliart | Mitsubishi | Lancer 2000 Turbo | Andrew Cowan | 6, 12 |
| Team Ralliart | Mitsubishi | Lancer 2000 Turbo | Georg Fischer | 6 |
| Team Ralliart | Mitsubishi | Lancer 2000 Turbo | Kyösti Hämäläinen | 9 |
| Team Ralliart | Mitsubishi | Lancer 2000 Turbo | Antero Laine | 9, 12 |
| Jolly Club | Fiat | 131 Abarth | Adartico Vudafieri | 11 |
| Mercedes Kassel | Mercedes | 500 SL | Holger Bohne | 11 |
| Dealer Team Vauxhall | Vauxhall | Chevette 2300 HSR | Tony Pond | 12 |
| Dealer Team Vauxhall | Vauxhall | Chevette 2300 HSR | George Hill | 12 |

## Events

* ↑ Event not included in the Manufacturers' Championship