WRC Central Europe: Local Hero

New for 2023, the Central European Rally takes the World Rally Championship to Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria: three nations with a great heritage in the sport and plenty of local heroes. But one, Walter Rohrl, is a bit more heroic than the rest.

Rohrl was born in Regensburg in the German region of Bavaria, a little over an hour's drive from some of the Central European Rally stages. As well as training as a ski instructor, the young Rohrl worked as a chauffeur for a company that represented the local bishop. In 1968, aged 21, he took part in his first Rally Bavaria driving a humble Fiat 850.

Less than five years later, Rohrl was on the startline of the first ever WRC rally, the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally, in an Opel Ascona fitted with Pirelli tyres. The following season, he became European champion, and in 1975 he achieved his first WRC victory on the almighty Acropolis Rally – again, with Opel and Pirelli.

Later, Rohrl became a factory Fiat driver, continuing his relationship with Pirelli and becoming world champion for the first time in 1980. He would claim a second title two years later after returning to Opel and managing to fend off the increasingly strong four-wheel drive Audi Quattro of Michele Mouton.

Rohrl drove another iconic Group B vehicle, the Lancia 037, to victories in 1983 before joining Audi the following year. He won on his debut in the Quattro at the Monte Carlo Rally: his fourth win on the event in as many starts in four different cars, earning him the nickname Montemeister.

He didn't win another WRC title but Rohrl became best-known for his driving exploits in the mighty Quattro, even conquering the famed Pikes Peak hillclimb in record time. He was also a winner in the American IMSA sportscar series and Germany's DTM with Audi, and went on to become a senior test driver for Porsche. A true German driving legend.