1988 World Rally Championship

The 1988 World Rally Championship was the 16th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) World Rally Championship (WRC). The season consisted of 13 rallies, following the same schedule as the previous season.

Martini Lancia followed their successful previous season with an even more dominant performance in 1988, winning ten of the eleven rallies in which manufacturer points were awarded. The Lancia Delta HF 4WD proved fast and reliable in the hands of returning drivers Finn Markku Alén and Italian Miki Biasion. During the season, the car was replaced by the Delta HF Integrale, which was an immediate success. Biasion would take the drivers' title, with his Finnish teammate placing second behind him. Third driver Frenchman Bruno Saby also contributed to the effort with a rally win, though was not a major contender for the title. Jolly Club driver, Italian Alex Fiorio, would take third place in the driver championship at the wheel of a Lancia Delta as well.

Ford Motor Company struggled to compete, though it was the only other manufacturer besides Lancia to win a rally, with primary driver Didier Auriol winning the Tour de Corse in his Sierra RS Cosworth. Auriol would only reach 6th in the drivers' competition, while Spanish teammate Carlos Sainz would struggle to reach 11th in the standings. Stig Blomqvist, racing for Rallysport Sweden in a Sierra, would finish best amongst Ford drivers, taking 4th in the championship standings.

1988 marked the withdrawal of Audi Sport from the WRC, although a number of small teams and privateers were successful enough using Audi Quattro versions for the manufacturer to place 3rd amongst manufacturers despite the lack of a works effort. Mazda Rally Team Europe made a significant effort to compete with Finn Timo Salonen as their primary driver for the Mazda 323 4WD. Timo would garner 5th place in the driver standings while the manufacturer gained 4th place.

In addition to the primary driver and manufacturer championships, WRC also awarded the FIA Cup for Drivers of Production Cars for a second season. Belgian Pascal Gaban won the hotly contested contest in a Mazda 323 against Argentine Jorge Recalde in his Lancia Delta while Italian Giovanni Del Zoppo, another Delta pilot, finished well behind in third place.

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Calendar

Rd.Start dateFinish dateRallyRally headquartersSurfaceStagesDistancePoints117 January21 January 56th Rallye Automobile Monte-CarloMonte CarloMixed26621 kmDrivers & Manufacturers24 February6 February 38th International Swedish RallyKarlstad, Värmland CountySnow36500.30 kmDrivers & Manufacturers31 March5 March 22nd Rallye de Portugal - Vinho do PortoEstoril, LisbonMixed37588.70 kmDrivers & Manufacturers431 March4 April 36th Marlboro Safari RallyNairobiGravelN/A4205.77 kmDrivers & Manufacturers53 May6 May 32nd Tour de Corse - Rallye de FranceAjaccio, CorsicaTarmac30622.84 kmDrivers & Manufacturers629 May1 June 35th Acropolis RallyAthensGravel32526.10 kmDrivers & Manufacturers723 June26 June 16th Olympus RallyTacoma, WashingtonGravel38549.91 kmDrivers & Manufacturers89 July12 July 19th Rothmans Rally of New ZealandAucklandGravel40614.56 kmDrivers only92 August6 August 8th Marlboro Rally of ArgentinaBuenos AiresGravel29583.60 kmDrivers & Manufacturers1026 August28 August 38th 1000 Lakes RallyJyväskylä, Central FinlandGravel39496.33 kmDrivers & Manufacturers1120 September24 September 20th Marlboro Rallye Cote d'IvoireAbidjanGravelN/A3421.81 kmDrivers only1210 October14 October 30th Rallye Sanremo - Rallye d'ItaliaSanremo, LiguriaMixed43564.96 kmDrivers & Manufacturers1320 November24 November 44th Lombard RAC RallyHarrogateGravel52602.60 kmDrivers & ManufacturersSources:

Teams and drivers Team Manufacturer Car Tyre Drivers Rounds Martini Lancia Lancia Delta HF 4WDDelta HF Integrale Miki Biasion 1, 3–4, 6–7, 9, 12 Bruno Saby 1, 5 Yves Loubet 1, 5 Mikael Ericsson 2–3, 6, 10, 13 Markku Alén 2–3, 6, 10, 12–13 Vic Preston Jr 4 Jorge Recalde 9 Mazda Rally Team Europe Mazda 323 4WD Timo Salonen 1–2, 6, 10, 13 Hannu Mikkola 1–3, 6, 10, 13 Ingvar Carlsson 1–3 Thorbjörn Edling 2, 10 Pascal Gaban 2–3, 6, 10–13 Rod Millen 7 Grégoire de Mévius 10, 13 Jolly Club Lancia Delta HF 4WDDelta HF Integrale Alex Fiorio 1–3, 6–7, 10, 12 Yves Loubet 3, 6, 12 Dario Cerrato 12 Chantal Galli 12 Philips Renault Elf Renault 11 Turbo Alain Oreille 1 Inverno Amaral 3 Bento Amaral 3 Citroën Compétitions Citroën AX Sport Maurice Chomat 1–2, 5 Dany Montagne 1, 3, 5, 12–13 Denise Jacques 1, 3, 5, 12–13 Rufino Fontes 3 Carole Vergnaud 3, 12–13 Laurent Poggi 5 Massimo Ercolani 12 Terry Kaby 13 Top Run SRL Lancia Delta HF 4WDDelta HF Integrale Giovanni del Zoppo 1, 3, 5–7, 10, 12 Jorge Recalde 3, 5–7, 10, 12–13 Massimo Ercolani 6, 10, 13 Fredrik Skoghag 13 Peugeot France Peugeot 205 GTI Jean-Pierre Ballet 1 Simon Racing Renault 5 GT Turbo Richard Frau 1, 5 Christophe Lapierre 1 Alain Oreille 5 Audi Sport Audi Coupé Quattro200 Quattro90 Quattro Christophe Spiliotis 1 Sebastian Lindholm 2–3, 6, 13 David Llewellin 3 Georg Fischer 3, 7, 9 Rudi Stohl 4, 6, 9, 11 John Buffum 7 Malcolm Stewart 8 Paola de Martini 12 Armin Schwarz 13 Ford Motor Co Ltd Ford Sierra RS Cosworth Stig Blomqvist 2–3, 10, 12–13 Didier Auriol 3, 5, 10, 12 Carlos Sainz 3, 5, 10, 12–13 Joaquim Santos 3 John Hellier 4 Pierre-César Baroni 5 Gianfranco Cunico 12 David Llewellin 13 Mark Lovell 13 GM Euro Sport OpelVauxhall Kadett GSI 16VAstra GTE Mats Jonsson 2, 10, 13 Malcolm Wilson 2, 6, 13 Björn Johansson 2 Håkan Eriksson 2 Hannu Mikkola 4 Sepp Haider 4, 8 Derek Bell 13 David Metcalfe 13 Chris Birkbeck 13 Volkswagen Motorsport Volkswagen Golf GTI 16V Erwin Weber 3–4 Lars-Erik Torph 4 Konstantinos Apostolou 6, 13 Raimund Baumschlager 12 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Supra TurboCelica GT-Four ST165 Kenneth Eriksson 4–5, 10, 12–13 Juha Kankkunen 4–6, 10, 12–13 Björn Waldegård 4, 6, 13 Jimmy McRae 13 Nissan Motorsports International Nissan 200SX Per Eklund 4 Alain Ambrosino 4, 11 Mike Kirkland 4 Jayant Shah 4 Stratis Hatzipanayiotou 6 Flory Roothaert 6 Paddy Davidson 8 Fuji Heavy Industries Subaru RX Turbo Peter 'Possum' Bourne 4, 8 Ian Duncan 4 Patrick Njiru 4 José Celsi 9 Bastos Motul BMW BMW M3 Bernard Béguin 5 François Chatriot 5 Marc Duez 5 Ari Vatanen 10 Andrea Zanussi 12 Gema Racing Alfa Romeo 75 V6 Paul Rouby 5 Jacques Panciatici 5 Suzuki Sport Suzuki Cultus GTI Alan Carter 7 Nobuhiro Tajima 7 Mitsubishi Ralliart Europe Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 Kenjiro Shinozuka 8, 13 Ari Vatanen 13 Lancia Rally Team Austria Lancia Delta HF Integrale Franz Wittmann 9

Events

1988 World Rally Championship event map Black = Tarmac Brown = Gravel Blue = Snow/Ice Red = Mixed Surface

1988 World Rally Championship schedule and results Round Rally name Stages Podium finishers Rank Driver Co-driver Team Car Time 1 Rallye Monte Carlo(16–21 January) 26 stages624 kmTarmac1 Bruno Saby Jean-François Fauchille Martini LanciaLancia Delta HF 4WD7:19.112 Alex Fiorio Luigi Pirollo Jolly ClubLancia Delta HF 4WD7:30.013 Jean-Pierre Ballet Marie-Christine Lallement Peugeot FrancePeugeot 205 GTI7:42.46 2 Swedish Rally(4–6 February) 35 stages491 kmSnow/Ice1 Markku Alén Ilkka Kivimäki Martini LanciaLancia Delta HF 4WD5:02.312 Stig Blomqvist Benny Melander Rallysport SwedenFord Sierra XR 4x45:04.083 Lars-Erik Torph Tina Thörner Team VAG SwedenAudi Coupé Quattro5:10.03 3 Rallye de Portugal(1–6 March) 37 stages589 kmGravel/Tarmac1 Miki Biasion Carlo Cassina Martini LanciaLancia Delta HF Integrale6:44.012 Alex Fiorio Luigi Pirollo Jolly ClubLancia Delta HF 4WD6:52.473 Yves Loubet Jean-Bernard Vieu Jolly ClubLancia Delta HF 4WD6:53.23 4 Safari Rally(31 March – 4 April) 82 controls4205 kmGravel1 Miki Biasion Tiziano Siviero Martini LanciaLancia Delta HF Integrale2:51.042 Mike Kirkland Robin Nixon Nissan Motorsports InternationalNissan 200SX3:03.573 Per Eklund Dave Whittock Nissan Motorsports InternationalNissan 200SX3:38.26 5 Tour de Corse(3–6 May) 30 stages623 kmTarmac1 Didier Auriol Bernard Occelli Ford Motor Co LtdFord Sierra RS Cosworth7:12.042 Yves Loubet Jean-Bernard Vieu Martini LanciaLancia Delta HF Integrale7:15.093 Bruno Saby Jean-François Fauchille Martini LanciaLancia Delta HF Integrale7:16:53 6 Acropolis Rally(29 May – 1 June) 36 stages526 kmGravel1 Miki Biasion Tiziano Siviero Martini LanciaLancia Delta HF Integrale7:03.002 Mikael Ericsson Claes Billstam Martini LanciaLancia Delta HF Integrale7:04.433 Alex Fiorio Luigi Pirollo Jolly ClubLancia Delta HF Integrale7:10.40 7 Olympus Rally(23–26 June) 36 stages502 kmGravel1 Miki Biasion Tiziano Siviero Martini LanciaLancia Delta HF Integrale5:28.442 Alex Fiorio Luigi Pirollo Jolly ClubLancia Delta HF Integrale5:34.073 John Buffum John Bellefleur Audi of AmericaAudi Coupé Quattro5:44.59 8 Rally New ZealandEvent not included in the Manufacturers' Championship(9–12 July) 39 stages611 kmGravel1 Sepp Haider Ferdi Hinterleitner GM Euro SportOpel Kadett GSI 16V7:38.392 Ray Wilson Stuart Lewis Mobil 1 RacingMazda 323 4WD7:57.163 Malcolm Stewart John Kennard Audi Sport New ZealandAudi Coupe Quattro8:02.25 9 Rally Argentina(2–6 August) 29 stages588 kmGtavel1 Jorge Recalde Jorge del Buono Martini LanciaLancia Delta HF Integrale7:05.162 Miki Biasion Tiziano Siviero Martini LanciaLancia Delta HF Integrale7:08.513 Franz Wittmann Jörg Pattermann Lancia Rally Team AustriaLancia Delta HF Integrale7:34.13 10 1000 Lakes Rally(26–28 August) 39 stages496 kmGravel1 Markku Alén Ilkka Kivimäki Martini LanciaLancia Delta HF Integrale4:35.292 Mikael Ericsson Claes Billstam Martini LanciaLancia Delta HF Integrale4:38.243 Didier Auriol Bernard Occelli Ford Motor Co LtdFord Sierra RS Cosworth4:45.15 11 Rallye Côte d'Ivoire(20–24 September) 80 controls3421 kmGravel1 Alain Ambrosino Daniel Le Saux Nissan Motorsports InternationalNissan 200SX+3:34.51 pen2 Pascal Gaban Willy Lux Mazda Rally Team BelgiumMazda 323 4WD+5:06.33 pen3 Patrick Tauziac Claude Papin RalliartMitsubishi Starion Turbo+7:20.20 pen 12 Rallye Sanremo(10–14 October) 39 stages531 kmTarmac/Gravel1 Miki Biasion Tiziano Siviero Martini LanciaLancia Delta HF Integrale6:06.412 Alex Fiorio Luigi Pirollo Jolly ClubLancia Delta HF Integrale6:07.343 Dario Cerrato Giuseppe Cerri Jolly ClubLancia Delta HF Integrale6:08.35 13 RAC Rally(20–24 November) 52 stages602 kmTarmac/Gravel1 Markku Alén Ilkka Kivimäki Martini LanciaLancia Delta HF Integrale7:15.372 Timo Salonen Voitto Silander Mazda Rally Team EuropeMazda 323 4WD7:19.433 Björn Waldegård Fred Gallagher Toyota Team EuropeToyota Celica GT-Four ST1657:22.16

Championship for manufacturers

1988 World Rally Championship for Manufacturers Rank Manufacturers Event Totalpoints MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC USA ARG FIN ITA GBR 1 Lancia (20) (20) (20) 20 (17) 20 20 20 20 20 20 140 2 Ford – 17 10 – 20 – – – 14 10 8 79 3 Audi 7 14 – 4 – 10 14 12 (2) (2) 10 71 4 Mazda 10 – 12 – – 9 6 – 12 – 17 66 5 Toyota – – – 12 8 – – 4 – 8 14 46 6 Renault 12 – 4 – 8 – – 8 – – – 32 7 BMW 13 – – – 12 – – – – – – 25 8 Nissan – – – 17 – 6 – – – – – 23 9 Subaru – – – 8 – – – 10 – – – 18 10 Peugeot 14 – – – – – – – – – 1 15 11 Volkswagen – – 6 – – 4 – – – 4 – 14 12 Opel – 10 – – – – – – 1 – 2 13 13 Suzuki – – – – – – 8 1 – – – 9 14 Mitsubishi – – – – – – 7 – – – – 7 15 Alfa Romeo – – – – 4 – – – – – – 4 16 Fiat – – – – – – – 2 – – – 2

Championship for drivers