History 1970s

1971 RAC Rally (UK)

Overview Route Results Cars Challenges

Overview

Event Name: 1971 RAC Rally

Date: November 20–25, 1971

Host Country: Great Britain

Surface: Gravel

Total Distance: ~1,750 km

Total Starters: 180 crews

Total Finishers: 73 crews

The 1971 RAC Rally offered one of the most grueling events on the calendar, with over 1,700 kilometers of wet, muddy, and fog-laden gravel roads twisting through British forests. With stages stretching from Wales to the Lake District and Scotland, the event was a war of attrition made even tougher by short daylight hours and mechanical strain.

Route

Welsh Forests: Tight, slick stages with minimal visibility and constant elevation changes.
Lake District: Technical gravel climbs and descents where pace note accuracy was critical.
Yorkshire Moors: Open, wind-swept stages offering high-speed risks with little room for error.

The rally wove through iconic British forestry regions and military grounds, including Kielder, Dalby, and Hafren, mixing fast gravel with muddy slaloms and river fords.

Fog, rain, and night driving added to the challenge, turning even straightforward corners into potential race-ending hazards.

🏆 Results

Overall Winner
Stig Blomqvist & Arne Hertz · Saab 96 V4
2nd Place
Chris Sclater & John Davenport · Ford Escort RS1600
3rd Place
Simo Lampinen & Mike Wood · Saab 96 V4

Blomqvist’s faultless drive in challenging conditions delivered Saab a pivotal international victory, proving once again the V4’s reliability and traction in adverse terrain.

Navigation & Challenges

  • Constant Weather Changes: Rain, mist, and sleet made visibility and grip conditions change by the hour.
  • Long, Isolated Stages: Breakdowns or errors deep in the forest meant significant delays—or retirement.
  • Navigation Complexity: Frequent road changes and junctions required pinpoint accuracy from co-drivers.

The 1971 RAC Rally stood as a brutal late-season epic—one that rewarded endurance, precision, and mastery of the wet gravel wilderness. Blomqvist and Saab delivered all three in spades.

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