1997 World Rally Championship

1997 WRC season

World Champion
Driver:	Tommi Mäkinen
Manufacturer:	Subaru
Season dates
Number of rallies:	14th
<1996 season	1998 season>

The FIA - World Rally Championship in 1997 was in January 19, Monte Carlo started and ended on 24 November in the UK . A total of 14 world championship races were held on five continents. Tommi Mäkinen became world champion for the second time in a row.

Teams and drivers

team	Manufacturer	automobile	driver	rally
Team Mitsubishi Ralliart	Mitsubishi	Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III	Tommi Mäkinen	All
			Uwe Nittel	1-2, 5-6, 10, 12
			Richard Burns	3-4, 7-9, 11, 13-14
			Uwe Nittel	8th
			Ed Ordynski	13
			Kenjirō Shinozuka	13
Subaru World Rally Team	Subaru	Subaru Impreza WRC 97	Colin McRae	All
			Piero Liatti	1, 5-6, 12
			Kenneth Eriksson	2-4, 7-11, 13-14
			Piero Liatti	14th
Ford Motor Company	ford	Ford Escort WRC	Carlos Sainz	All
			Armin Schwarz	1-6
			Juha Kankkunen	7-14
			Angelo Medeghini	14th
Toyota Castrol team	Toyota	Toyota Corolla WRC	Didier Auriol	10-14
			Neal Bates	11, 13
			Marcus Grönholm	10, 14
			Freddy Loix	12
Peugeot Sport	Peugeot	Peugeot 306 Maxi	Gilles Panizzi	5-6
			François Delecour	5-6
Renault Sport Société Diac	Renault	Renault Mégane Maxi	Philippe Bugalski	6th
			Serge Jordan	6th
Teams without notification of manufacturer points
RAS Sport	ford	Ford Escort (Europe) RS Cosworth	Didier Auriol	1
			Jean-Pierre Richelmi	4, 8
Mobil Ford Motorsport			Stig Blomqvist	2
Blue Rose team			Jarmo Kytölehto	2
Mats Jonsson			Mats Jonsson	2
Gazprom Rally Team			Alexander Zheludov	14th
		Ford Escort WRC	Bruno Thiry	14th
Totta Peres Competicao			Fernando Peres	4th
Belgacom Turbo Team			Gregoire de Mevius	4, 8, 12, 14
Leonídas Kyrkos			Leonídas Kyrkos	8th
Blue Rose team			Jarmo Kytölehto	10
Ford Team Finland			Sebastian Lindholm	10
Jolly Club			Gianfranco Cunico	12
Motorsport Consultancy			Ari Vatanen	14th
Toyota Castrol team	Toyota	Toyota Celica GT-Four	Freddy Loix	1, 4, 8, 10, 13
			Isolde Holderied	1
			Thomas Rådström	2, 8
			Tomas Jansson	2, 10
			Marcus Grönholm	2, 4
			Mats Thorszelius	2
			Ian Duncan	3
			Neal Bates	9
			Fujimoto Yoshio	11, 13
HF handles			Raúl Sufan	4-5, 7-13
			Didier Auriol	6th
			Marcus Grönholm	6th
			Andrea Aghini	12
			Pierlorenzo Zanchi	12

Competitions

The kilometers entered correspond to the distance of the special stages. The distance between the connecting routes between the individual WPs is not included.

colour Underground gold gravel silver asphalt blue Ice / snow bronze Mixed

rally	rank	driver	vehicle	Total time h: min: sec	Number of WP	length	Started	in the target
Rally Monte Carlo 19. – 22. January 1997	1.	Piero Liatti	Subaru Impreza 555	4:26:58	18th	409.74 km	23	17th
	2.	Carlos Sainz	Ford Escort WRC	+ 00:55
	3.	Tommi Mäkinen	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4	+ 02:31
Rally Sweden 7-10 February 1997	1.	Kenneth Eriksson	Subaru Impreza WRC	3:51:49	24	413.45 km	73	44
	2.	Carlos Sainz	Ford Escort WRC	+ 00:16
	3.	Colin McRae	Subaru Impreza WRC	+ 00:31
Rally Safari 1st – 3rd March 1997	1.	Colin McRae	Subaru Impreza WRC	11:29:00	13	1367.3 km	52	19th
	2.	Richard Burns	Mitsubishi Carisma GT Evo 4	+ 07:04
	3.	Ian Duncan	Toyota Celica GT-Four	+ 11:18
Rally Portugal 23-26 March 1997	1.	Tommi Mäkinen	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4	4:53:01	31	419.78 km	98	34
	2.	Freddy Loix	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4	+ 04:05
	3.	Armin Schwarz	Ford Escort WRC	+ 06:33
Rally Catalonia 14.-16. April 1997	1.	Tommi Mäkinen	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4	4:08:46	18th	387.72 km	94	31
	2.	Piero Liatti	Toyota Celica GT-Four	+ 00:07
	3.	Gilles Panizzi	Peugeot 306 Maxi	+ 03:09
Rally Corsica 5th - 7th May 1997	1.	Colin McRae	Subaru Impreza WRC	4:31:08	18th	408.02 km	60	39
	2.	Carlos Sainz	Ford Escort WRC	+ 00:08
	3.	Gilles Panizzi	Peugeot 306 Maxi	+ 01:55
Rally Argentina 22.-24. May 1997	1.	Tommi Mäkinen	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4	4:25:38	23	413.37 km	50	24
	2.	Colin McRae	Subaru Impreza 555	+ 01:01
	3.	Kenneth Eriksson	Subaru Impreza WRC	+ 04:28
Rally Greece 8-10 June 1997	1.	Carlos Sainz	Ford Escort WRC	4:56:24	20th	402.86 km	101	57
	2.	Juha Kankkunen	Ford Escort WRC	+ 00:17
	3.	Tommi Mäkinen	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4	+ 05:03
Rally New Zealand 2nd – 5th August 1997	1.	Kenneth Eriksson	Subaru Impreza WRC	4:14:11	24	395.99 km	83	51
	2.	Carlos Sainz	Ford Escort WRC	+ 00:13
	3.	Juha Kankkunen	Ford Escort WRC	+ 00:19
Rally Finland 29–31 August 1997	1.	Tommi Mäkinen	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4	3:16:18	22nd	381.55 km	103	50
	2.	Juha Kankkunen	Ford Escort WRC	+ 00:07
	3.	Jarmo Kytölehto	Ford Escort WRC	+ 02:00
Rally Indonesia 19. – 21. September 1997	1.	Carlos Sainz	Ford Escort WRC	4:37:30	22nd	402.47 km	69	36
	2.	Juha Kankkunen	Ford Escort WRC	+ 00:16
	3.	Kenneth Eriksson	Subaru Impreza WRC	+ 01:19
Rally San Remo 12-15 . October 1997	1.	Colin McRae	Subaru Impreza 555	4:08:25	24 2 canceled	394.12 km	125	67
	2.	Piero Liatti	Subaru Impreza 555	+ 00:06
	3.	Tommi Mäkinen	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4	+ 00:12
Rally Australia October 30th – 2nd November 1997	1.	Colin McRae	Subaru Impreza 555	4:05:31	24	421.42 km	87	49
	2.	Tommi Mäkinen	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4	+ 00:06
	3.	Didier Auriol	Toyota Corolla WRC	+ 00:21
Rally Great Britain 23-25. November 1997	1.	Colin McRae	Subaru Impreza 555	3:54:31	26th	389.76 km	162	93
	2.	Juha Kankkunen	Ford Escort WRC	+ 02:47
	3.	Carlos Sainz	Ford Escort WRC	+ 03:53

Overall rating

WRC drivers' championship

Distribution of points
rank	1	2	3	4th	5	6th
Points	10	6th	4th	3	2	1

rank	driver	MON	SWE	KEN	POR	ESP	FRA	ARG	GRC	NZL	FIN	IND	ITA	OUT	GBR	Points
1	Tommi Mäkinen	3	3	DNF	1	1	DNF	1	3	DNF	1	DNF	3	2	6th	63
2	Colin McRae	DNF	4th	1	DNF	4th	1	2	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	1	1	1	62
3	Carlos Sainz	2	2	DNF	DNF	10	2	DNF	1	2	DNF	1	4th	DNF	3	51
4th	Juha Kankkunen							DNF	2	3	2	2	6th	DNF	2	29
5	Kenneth Eriksson		1	DNF	DNF			3	DNF	1	DNF	3		DNF	DNF	28
6th	Piero Liatti	1				2	5						2		7th	24
7th	Richard Burns			2	DNF			DNF	4th	4th		4th		4th	4th	21st
8th	Armin Schwarz	4th	6th	4th	3	DNF	9									11
9	Freddy Loix	16			2				DNF		37		5	7th		8th
10	Gilles Panizzi					3	3									8th
11	Didier Auriol	DNF						5			8th	DNF	8th	3	DNF	6th
12	Marcus Grönholm		8th		DNF			4th			DNF				5	5
13	Ian Duncan			3												4th
14th	Jarmo Kytölehto		DNF								3					4th
15th	Thomas Rådström		5						5							4th
16	Possum Bourne									5				5		4th
17th	Grégoire De Mévius				4th				7th				DNF		DNF	3
18th	François Delecour					DSQ	4th									3
19th	Sebastian Lindholm										4th					3
20th	Uwe Nittel	5	DNF			8th	8th		6th		7th		DNF			3
21st	Jonathan Toroitich			5												2
22nd	Jean-Pierre Richelmi				5				DNF							2
23	Angelo Medeghini					5					DNF				10	2
24	Tomas Jansson		7th								5					2
25th	Yoshio Fujimoto											5		DNF		2
26th	Henrik Lundgaard	6th														1
27	Frédéric Dor			6th	17th				11	23	29		15th			1
28	Masao Kamioka				6th				DNF						14th	1
29	Rui Madeira				15th	6th										1
30th	Philippe Bugalski						6th									1
31	Gustavo Trelles	9	16		7th	13		6th	13	7th	17th		DNF			1
32	Neal Bates									6th		DNF		8th		1
33	Pasi Hagström										6th					1
34	Karamjit Singh									11		6th		DNF	17th	1
35	Ed Ordynski													6th		1
rank	driver	MON	SWE	KEN	POR	ESP	FRA	ARG	GRC	NZL	FIN	IND	ITA	OUT	GBR	Points

Manufacturers' championship WRC

rank	team	No.	MON	SWE	KEN	POR	ESP	FRA	ARG	GRC	NZL	FIN	IND	ITA	OUT	GBR	Points
1	Subaru World Rally Team	3	DNF	4th	1	DNF	4th	1	2	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	1	1	1	114
		4th	1	1	DNF	DNF	2	5	3	DNF	1	DNF	3	2	DNF	DNF
2	ford	5	2	2	DNF	DNF	10	2	DNF	1	2	DNF	1	4th	DNF	3	91
		6th	4th	6th	4th	3	DNF	9	DNF	2	3	2	2	6th	DNF	2
3	Team Mitsubishi Ralliart	1	3	3	DNF	1	1	DNF	1	3	DNF	1	DNF	3	2	6th	86
		2	5	DNF	2	DNF	8th	8th	DNF	4th	4th	7th	4th	DNF	4th	4th
rank	team	No.	MON	SWE	KEN	POR	ESP	FRA	ARG	GRC	NZL	FIN	IND	ITA	OUT	GBR	Points

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ewrc-results.com: Season 1997 , February 8, 2015

Web links

• http://www.wrc.com/