History 1980s

1983 Lombard RAC Rally (Great Britain)

Overview Route Results Cars Challenges

Overview

Event Name: 1983 Lombard RAC Rally (Great Britain)

Date: November 20–23, 1983

Start Location: Birmingham, England

Finish Location: Torquay, England

Total Distance: ~700 km of special stages

Surface: Gravel and asphalt

The 1983 RAC Rally concluded the World Rally Championship season with its signature blend of tight forest stages, changeable British weather, and massive spectator turnout. With over 60 special stages spread across Wales, Scotland, and Northern England, this rally demanded total commitment through muddy paths, fog, and slick tarmac links. Stig Blomqvist delivered a flawless performance in the Audi Quattro to close out the year with a win.

Route

Welsh Forests: Treacherous gravel stages like Dyfi and Hafren featured deep mud and sudden surface changes.

Yorkshire Moors: High-speed transitions with fog-prone ridgelines and blind crests.

Kielder Forest: Long, flowing gravel tests with high-speed corners and minimal margin for error.

The RAC Rally’s traditional roadbook-only format and extensive routing made it a unique challenge:

Crews were not allowed pace notes, making co-driver map reading and real-time calls essential in every second of competition.

🏆 Results

Overall Winner

Stig Blomqvist & Björn Cederberg · Audi Quattro

2nd Place

Hannu Mikkola & Arne Hertz · Audi Quattro

3rd Place

Ari Vatanen & Terry Harryman · Opel Manta 400

Blomqvist’s smooth and confident drive on home-turf-like terrain brought Audi another 1-2 finish to end a dominant 1983 season.

Navigation & Challenges

No Pace Notes: Crews used map-only navigation, adding pressure on co-drivers and reducing pace certainty.
Weather Shifts: Fog, rain, and ice created frequent grip surprises even between stages.
Stage Volume: Over 60 special stages with minimal repetition required endurance and mistake-free driving.

The 1983 RAC Rally embodied the unpredictable and demanding nature of rallying—Blomqvist’s win demonstrated both driver confidence and Audi’s continued dominance to close the Group B season.

← Previous Event 1983 Rallye Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

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