Sports car world championship 1981

Factory Lancia Beta Monte Carlo; Lancia won the title of constructors world champion with the Group 5 racing cars, which had a 1.4-liter 4-cylinder turbo engine

With the 935, Porsche - here the Weralit Racing Team's car - had to admit defeat in the overall standings of the Lancia championship

The Sports Car World Championship 1981 was the 29th edition of the FIA Sports Car World Championship, which was announced for the first time in 1953 . The racing series comprised 15 races, starting with the 24-hour race in Daytona on February 1 and ending with the 1000 km race at Brands Hatch on September 27 this year.

championship

In 1981 the driver's title was awarded for the first time in the history of the World Sports Car Championship. From 1953 to 1980 only world championships for designers and teams were held. Group 5 racing cars, group 4 touring cars, group 3 GT racing cars, group 2 touring cars and group 1 series touring cars were eligible to compete in the branded world championship . There were titles for racing cars over and under 2-liter displacement .

Of the 15 world championship races, only six were part of the constructors 'championship, but all 15 races were part of the drivers' world championship. For the constructors, only the best five results from the six races counted. Points were awarded as follows for the first ten: 20-15-12-10-8-6-4-3-2-1.

Lancia secured the title of brand world champion and the title for racing cars under 2 liters . Porsche won the classification for cars over 2 liters. At the end of the season, both manufacturers had achieved the same number of points as well as overall and class wins. The decisive factor for Lancia was the fourth place of the Lancia Beta Montecarlo , entered by Peter Sauber in the 1000 km race at the Nürburgring in Group 5 (class over 2 liters) , driven by Hans Heyer and Piercarlo Ghinzani . Although the race was stopped after Herbert Müller's death and only half points were scored, Lancia had six points more to win the title.

The drivers' championship was won by the American Bob Garretson ahead of the German Harald Grohs . Third was Bobby Rahal , another American.

Racing calendar

No.	date	Race name / circuit	team	Overall winner	vehicle	championship
1	February 1st	Daytona 24 Hours ( Daytona International Speedway )	Garretson Racing Style Car	Bob Garretson Bobby Rahal Brian Redman	Porsche 935K3	Drivers and brands
2	March 21st	Sebring 12-hour race ( Sebring International Raceway )	Bayside Disposal Racing	Hurley Haywood Al Holbert Bruce Leven	Porsche 935/80	Driver only
3	12. April	6-hour race of Mugello ( Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello )	Osella Squadra Corse	Giorgio Francia Lella Lombardi	Osella PA9	Driver only
4th	26th of April	Monza 1000 km race ( Autodromo Nazionale Monza )	Weralit Racing Team	Edgar Dören Jürgen Lässig Gerhard Holup	Porsche 935K3	Drivers and brands
5	26th of April	6 Hours of Riverside ( Riverside International Raceway )	John Fitzpatrick Racing	John Fitzpatrick Jim Busby	Porsche 935K3 / 80	Driver only
6th	10th of May	Silverstone 6 Hours ( Silverstone Circuit )	Vegla Racing Team	Walter Röhrl Dieter Schornstein Harald Grohs	Porsche 935J	Drivers and brands
7th	May 24th	1000 km race on the Nürburgring ( Nürburgring )	GS tuning	Hans-Joachim Stuck Nelson Piquet	BMW M1 clean	Drivers and brands
8th	14th June	24 Hours of Le Mans ( Circuit des 24 Heures )	Porsche system	Jacky Ickx Derek Bell	Porsche 936	Drivers and brands
9	June 28th	6 hour race of Pergusa ( Autodromo di Pergusa )	Grid team Lola	Emilio de Villota Guy Edwards	Lola T600	Driver only
10	2nd July	Daytona 6 Hours ( Daytona International Speedway )	Mandeville Racing	Roger Mandeville Amos Johnson	Mazda RX-3	Driver only
11	July 12	6 Hours of Watkins Glen ( Watkins Glen International )	Martini Racing	Riccardo Patrese Michele Alboreto	Lancia Beta Montecarlo	Drivers and brands
12	July 26th	Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour race ( Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps )	Mazda Motul TWR Team	Tom Walkinshaw Pierre Dieudonné	Mazda RX-7	Driver only
13	August 16	Mosport 6 Hour Race ( Mosport International Raceway )	Andial Masters Racing	Rolf Stommelen Harald Grohs	Porsche 935M16	Driver only
14th	August 23	500-mile race at Road America ( Road America )	Andial Masters Racing	Rolf Stommelen Harald Grohs	Porsche 935M16	Driver only
15th	September 27th	Brands Hatch 1000km Race ( Brands Hatch Circuit )	Banco Occidental Ultramar Team Lola	Emilio de Villota Guy Edwards	Lola T600	Driver only

Brand world championship for designers

Overall rating

position	constructor	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	10	11	12	13	14th	15th	total
1 =	Lancia - II				20th		20th	(10)	20th			20th					100
1 =	Lancia - I.							6th									6th
2	Porsche	20th			20th		20th	(7.5)	20th			20th					100
3 =	BMW - I	8th			15th		15th	10	4th								52
3 =	BMW - II						15th	7.5									22.5
4th	Ferrari				3				15th								18th
5	Mazda	6th					8th	0.5									14.5
6th	Datsun	10															10
7th	ford							5									5
8th	Toyota							3									3
9	Opel							2									2
9	Morgan						2										2
11	Alfa Romeo							1									1

Final score over 2-liter displacement

position	constructor	1	4th	6th	7th	8th	11	total
1	Porsche	20th	20th	20th	(7.5)	20th	20th	100
2	BMW	8th	15th	15th	10	4th		52
3	Ferrari		3			15th		18th
4th	Datsun	10						10
5	Lancia				6th			6th
6th	Morgan			2				2

Final rating below 2-liter displacement

position	constructor	1	4th	6th	7th	8th	11	total
1	Lancia	20th	20th	20th	(10)	20th	20th	100
2	BMW			15th	7.5			22.5
3	Mazda	6th		8th	0.5			14.5
4th	ford				5			5
5	Toyota				3			3
6th	Opel				2			2
7th	Alfa Romeo				1			1

Drivers World Championship

Overall rating

In this table the first ten positions of the world championship are recorded.

position	driver	constructor	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	10	11	12	13	14th	15th	total
1	Bob Garretson	Porsche	21st	(5)			18th			16			19th		15th	18th	20th	127
2	Harald Grohs	Porsche		18th				21st	7.5	12			16		15th	18th	20th	116.5
3	Bobby Rahal	Porsche	21st	(5)			19th	16					16			17th	20th	109
4th	Edgar Dören	Porsche			10	21st		17th	8.5		19th				18th		14th	107.5
5 =	Giorgio Francia	Osella			22nd	21st		19th			21st						18th	101
5 =	Lella Lombardi	Osella			22nd	21st		19th			21st						18th	101
7th	Derek Bell	Porsche BMW	20th					20th		20th				18th			19th	96
8th	Bob Akin	Porsche	20th					16				5	14th	19th	10			84
9	Jim Busby	Porsche					21st						18th		16	16		81
10	Brian Redman	Porsche Lola	21st	(5)			19th								20th	20th		80

literature

• Alain Bienvenu: Endurance. 50 ans d'histoire. Volume 2: 1964-1981. Éditions ETAI, Boulogne-Billancourt 2004, ISBN 2-7268-9327-9 .
• Peter Higham: The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing. A complete Reference from Formula 1 to Touring Car. Guinness Publishing Ltd., London 1995, ISBN 0-85112-642-1 .

Web links

• Results at WSRP