Monday, July 8, 2013
Stig Blomqvist
Stig Blomqvist
Nationality: Swedish
Active years: 1973 - 2006
Teams: Audi, Ford, Saab, Talbot
Rallies: 122
Championships :1 (1984)
Rally wins : 11
Podiums: 33
Stage wins: 486
Total points: 573
First rally: 1973 Swedish Rally
Last rally: 2006 Swedish Rally
"Stig" Lennart Blomqvist (born 29 July 1946 in Örebro, Sweden) is a Swedish rally driver. Blomqvist won the Swedish Rally several times, and was the 1984 World Rally Champion.
Stig Blomqvist acquired his driving licence at the age of 18, and immediately took 2nd place in a 1964 local rally event near the Swedish town of Karlstad, behind the wheel of a Saab 96. He proceeded to drive with the Saab team, and achieved his first international victory at the 1971 British RAC Rally.
He won the Swedish Rally in 1971 (Saab 96 V4), 1972 (Saab 96V V4), 1973 (Saab 96 V4), 1977 (Saab 99 EMS) and 1979 (Saab 99 Turbo). He won the 1976 Boucles de Spa Rally, in the Saab 99 EMS. His long-time association with Saab ended when the Saab Sport department hung up their spurs, in 1982 but he had enjoyed much success with the team. In 1971 alone, he started 16 rallies and scored 11 wins.
He continued with top performances with Lancia and Talbot Sunbeam Lotus and, in the early 1980s, he became one of the first to drive a four-wheel drive rally car, with an Audi Quattro. Competing alongside such other rally greats as Walter Röhrl, Markku Alén, Michèle Mouton and Hannu Mikkola, he achieved five victories in 1984, becoming the World Rally Champion.
His rally career was at its peak during the Group B rally car era of the mid-1980s, when he excelled with the Nissan, Ford and Peugeot teams. In the 1990s he used his experience of two-wheel drive cars and helped the Škoda Motorsport team to develop the Felicia Kit Car. During a guest appearance at the 1996 Rally of Great Britain, the 50-year-old veteran finished 3rd overall with a Skoda Felicia Kit Car 1,6.
In 2001, Stig Blomqvist, together with co-driver Ana Goñi, competed in the World Rally Championship with a group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI, finishing in 5th place overall in the 2001 FIA group N classification.
In September 2008, Blomqvist took part in the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally, a round of the Scottish Rally Championship centred in Perth in Scotland. He was one of a number of ex-world champions to take part in the event in memory of McRae, who died in 2007. On the event he was co-driven by Ana Goñi in a Ford Escort RS 1600.
There has been a rumour that Blomqvist was intended as the first test driver for the 2002 relaunched version of the BBC series Top Gear, but when he declined the anonymous driver The Stig was created. Blomqvist has denied this story.
Teams: Audi, Ford, Saab, Talbot
Rallies: 122
Championships :1 (1984)
Rally wins : 11
Podiums: 33
Stage wins: 486
Total points: 573
First rally: 1973 Swedish Rally
Last rally: 2006 Swedish Rally
"Stig" Lennart Blomqvist (born 29 July 1946 in Örebro, Sweden) is a Swedish rally driver. Blomqvist won the Swedish Rally several times, and was the 1984 World Rally Champion.
Stig Blomqvist acquired his driving licence at the age of 18, and immediately took 2nd place in a 1964 local rally event near the Swedish town of Karlstad, behind the wheel of a Saab 96. He proceeded to drive with the Saab team, and achieved his first international victory at the 1971 British RAC Rally.
He won the Swedish Rally in 1971 (Saab 96 V4), 1972 (Saab 96V V4), 1973 (Saab 96 V4), 1977 (Saab 99 EMS) and 1979 (Saab 99 Turbo). He won the 1976 Boucles de Spa Rally, in the Saab 99 EMS. His long-time association with Saab ended when the Saab Sport department hung up their spurs, in 1982 but he had enjoyed much success with the team. In 1971 alone, he started 16 rallies and scored 11 wins.
He continued with top performances with Lancia and Talbot Sunbeam Lotus and, in the early 1980s, he became one of the first to drive a four-wheel drive rally car, with an Audi Quattro. Competing alongside such other rally greats as Walter Röhrl, Markku Alén, Michèle Mouton and Hannu Mikkola, he achieved five victories in 1984, becoming the World Rally Champion.
His rally career was at its peak during the Group B rally car era of the mid-1980s, when he excelled with the Nissan, Ford and Peugeot teams. In the 1990s he used his experience of two-wheel drive cars and helped the Škoda Motorsport team to develop the Felicia Kit Car. During a guest appearance at the 1996 Rally of Great Britain, the 50-year-old veteran finished 3rd overall with a Skoda Felicia Kit Car 1,6.
In 2001, Stig Blomqvist, together with co-driver Ana Goñi, competed in the World Rally Championship with a group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI, finishing in 5th place overall in the 2001 FIA group N classification.
In September 2008, Blomqvist took part in the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally, a round of the Scottish Rally Championship centred in Perth in Scotland. He was one of a number of ex-world champions to take part in the event in memory of McRae, who died in 2007. On the event he was co-driven by Ana Goñi in a Ford Escort RS 1600.
There has been a rumour that Blomqvist was intended as the first test driver for the 2002 relaunched version of the BBC series Top Gear, but when he declined the anonymous driver The Stig was created. Blomqvist has denied this story.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment