1997 World Rally Championship

25th season of the FIA World Rally Championship 1997 World Rally Championship World Drivers' Champion Tommi Mäkinen World Manufacturers' Champion Subaru 1996 1998 The 1997 World Rally Championship was the 25th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. Registered manufacturers were required to contest the expanded 14 event calendar for the first time. The Drivers' championship was very tightly contested and in the end Tommi Mäkinen won his second drivers' world championship in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV by a single point ahead of Subaru Impreza WRC driver Colin McRae after the final round in Great Britain. Carlos Sainz was third in the leading Ford Escort WRC. The Manufacturers' title was won by Subaru, with Ford second and Mitsubishi third. Technical changes For the 1997 season, Group A was partially replaced by the World Rally Car, with manufacturers given the option which regulations to construct to. One inherent benefit to manufacturers by adopting WRC regulations was removing the need to mass-produce road-going versions of the cars that they competed with, under the previous rules for homologation. This meant that vehicles such as the Escort RS Cosworth and Subaru Impreza Turbo no longer had to be mass-produced for general sale in order to compete at World Championship level, and thus acting as a means of attracting increased competition and involvement by manufacturers. In due course the World Rally Car rules would bring new manufacturs into the sport, but the start of 1997 featured the same three manufacturers as the previous season. Both Ford and Subaru switched to WRC in 1997, whereas Mitsubishi stayed with Group A to maintain the links to their Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution road cars. Subaru's transition was much more gradual for similar reasons, with the early Subaru Impreza WRCs still largely Group A in nature. By mid season Toyota Team Europe were back with the new Corolla World Rally Car. In the few years that follow, the Championship saw the added presence of WRC cars from companies such as Hyundai, Seat, Citroën, and Peugeot, who would all compete under WRC regulations without having to manufacture equivalent specialised road cars for public sale. One major flaw in the new class system was exposed by the increasing speed of the naturally aspirated front-wheel-drive FIA 2-Litre World Rally Cup cars. The tarmac specification cars built by Peugeot and Renault that competed in the all-tarmac French and Spanish championships became major threats on WRC tarmac events Rallye Catalunya and the Tour de Corse with Gilles Panizzi defeating all but two of the WRC four-wheel-drive turbos in his Peugeot 306 Maxi, taking third place in both events. Calendar The 1997 championship was contested over fourteen rounds in Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and Oceania. The event rotation system used in previous three seasons was dropped. Events also became shorter and more compact, and Rd.Start dateFinish dateRallyRally headquartersSurfaceStagesDistance118 January22 JanuaryMON 65th Rallye Automobile Monte CarloMonte CarloMixed18398.30 km27 February10 FebruarySWE 46th International Swedish RallyKarlstad, Värmland CountySnow24411.17 km31 March3 MarchKEN 45th Safari Rally KenyaNairobiGravel131318.0 km423 March26 MarchPOR 31st TAP Rallye de PortugalFigueira da Foz, CoimbraGravel31419.78 km514 April16 AprilESP 33rd Rallye Catalunya - Costa Brava - Rallye de EspañaLloret de Mar, CataloniaTarmac18387.70 km65 May7 MayFRA 41st Tour de Corse - Rallye de FranceAjaccio, CorsicaTarmac18408.0 km722 May25 MayARG 17th Rally ArgentinaCarlos Paz, CórdobaGravel23413.4 km88 June10 JuneGRC 44th Acropolis RallyAthensGravel20402.86 km92 August5 AugustNZL 28th Smokefree Rally New ZealandManukau, AucklandGravel24395.99 km1029 August31 AugustFIN 47th Neste Rally FinlandJyväskylä, Central FinlandGravel22381.55 km1119 September21 SeptemberINA 22nd Rally of IndonesiaMedan, North SumatraGravel22402.17 km1212 October15 OctoberITA 39th Rallye Sanremo - Rallye d'ItaliaSanremo, LiguriaTarmac25396.21 km1330 October2 NovemberAUS 10th API Rally AustraliaPerth, Western AustraliaGravel24421.42 km1423 November25 NovemberGBR 54th Network Q RAC RallyCheltenham, GloucestershireGravel26381.11 kmSources:WRC 1997 https://www.ewrc-results.com/season/1997/ 16 January 2024 eWRC-results.com1997 WRC calendar https://www.juwra.com/calendar_1997.html 16 January 2024 Jonkka's World Rally Archive Teams and drivers Team Manufacturer Car Tyre No. Driver Co-Driver Rounds JPN Mitsubishi Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV Michelin 1 Finland Tommi Mäkinen FIN Seppo Harjanne AllLancer Evo III 2GER Uwe NittelSWE Tina Thörner 1–2, 5–6, 10, 12Carisma GT Evo IVGreat Britain Richard BurnsGB Robert Reid3–4, 7–9, 11, 13–14Lancer Evo IIIYokohama11AUS Ed OrdynskiAUS Mark Stacey1313JPN Kenjiro ShinozukaLIT Fred Gocentas13 JPN 555 Subaru WRT Subaru Impreza S5 WRC '97 Pirelli 3Great Britain Colin McRaeGB Nicky Grist All 4 ITA Piero LiattiITA Fabrizia Pons 1, 5–6, 12 SWE Kenneth ErikssonSWE Staffan Parmander 2–4, 7–11, 13–148ITA Piero LiattiITA Fabrizia Pons 14Impreza 55510NZL Peter 'Possum' BourneNZL Craig Vincent 9USA Ford Motor Co. Ltd.FordFord Escort WRCMichelin5Spain Carlos SainzSpain Luis MoyaAll6GER Armin SchwarzFRA Denis Giraudet1–5GB Phil Mills6 Finland Juha KankkunenFIN Juha Repo 7–14 16ITA Angelo MedeghiniITA Barbara Medeghini 14JPN Toyota Castrol TeamToyotaCorolla WRCMichelin7France Didier AuriolFRA Denis Giraudet 10–148Finland Marcus GrönholmFIN Timo Rautiainen 109 149AUS Neal BatesAUS Coral Taylor11813 10 Belgium Freddy Loix BEL Sven Smeets 12 Non Manufacturer Entries Major entries not registered as manufacturers Team Manufacturer CarTyre DriversCo-drivers Rounds GBR R.A.S. Sport Ford Ford Escort RS CosworthMichelin France Didier Auriol FRA Jean-Marc Andrié 1MON Jean-Pierre Richelmi FRA Thierry Barjou 4, 8DEU Dieter DeppingMichelin DEU Dieter Depping DEU Dieter Hawranke 1SWE Bo-Be Plastindustri ABPirelli SWE Mats Jonsson SWE Johnny Johansson 2GBR Mobil Ford MotorsportMichelinSWE Stig Blomqvist SWE Benny Melander 2FIN Blue Rose TeamMichelinFIN Jarmo Kytölehto FIN Arto Kapanen 2Escort WRC 10PRT Totta Peres CompetiçãoMichelin PRT Fernando Peres PRT Ricardo Caldeira 4BEL Belgacom Turbo TeamMichelinBEL Grégoire de MeviusBEL Jean-Marc Fortin 4, 8, 12, 14 GRC Leonídas KirkosMichelin GRC Leonídas Kirkos GRC Nikos Panou 8FIN Ford Team FinlandMichelin FIN Sebastian Lindholm FIN Timo Hantunen 10 ITA Jolly ClubPirelli ITA Gianfranco Cunico ITA Pierangelo Scalvini 12GBR Motorsport ConsultancyPirelli FIN Ari Vatanen GBR Roger Freeman 14RUS Gazprom Rally TeamMichelin BEL Bruno Thiry BEL Stéphane Prévot 14Ford Escort RS CosworthMichelinRUS Alexander ZheludovRUS Viktor Timkovskiy 14BEL Marlboro Toyota Castrol BelgiumToyotaCelica GT-Four (ST205)MichelinBelgium Freddy Loix BEL Sven Smeets 1, 4, 8, 10, 13GER Toyota Castrol DeutschlandPirelliGER Isolde Holderied FRA Catherine François 1DEN Toyota Denmark Rally TeamMichelin DNK Henrik Lundgaard DNK Freddy Pedersen 1SWE Toyota Castrol Team SwedenMichelin SWE Thomas Rådström SWE Lars Bäckman 2 FRA Denis Giraudet 8SWE 'Gullabo'SWE Pecka Svensson 2 FIN Marcus Grönholm FIN Timo Rautiainen 2KEN Toyota KenyaMichelinKEN Ian DuncanKEN David Williamson 3FIN Toyota Castrol FinlandMichelinFIN Marcus GrönholmFIN Timo Rautiainen 4ITA H.F. Grifone SRLARG Raúl Sufan ARG Martin Christie 4–5, 7–13FIN Marcus GrönholmFIN Timo Rautiainen7France Didier AuriolFRA Denis Giraudet 7ITA Andrea AghiniITA Loris Roggia 12ITA Pier Lorenzo ZanchiITA Dario D'Esposito 12AUS Toyota Team AustraliaDunlopAUS Neal BatesAUS Coral Taylor 9FIN Shell Helix Motor OilsMichelinFIN Pasi HagströmFIN Tero Gardemeister 10JPN Tein SportMichelinJPN Yoshio FujimotoSWE Arne Hertz 11, 13KEN Jonathan ToroitichCelica Turbo 4WD (ST185)FirestoneKEN Jonathan ToroitichKEN Ibrahim Choge 3SWI Olivier BurriSubaruImpreza 555PirelliSWI Olivier BurriSWI Christophe Hofmann 1FRA F.Dor Rally TeamPirelliFRA Frédéric DorGBR Kevin Gormley3, 9FRA Didier Breton4, 8, 10Impreza S5 WRC '9712JPN Subaru AllstarsImpreza 555PirelliPOR Rui MadeiraPOR Nuno Rodrigues da Silva4–5JPN Yukihiko SakuraiIRE Ronan Morgan4, 8, 14JPN Impreza Recaro FujitsuboDunlopJPN Masao KamiokaGBR Kevin Gormley4, 8, 14ITA A.R.T EngineeringPirelliITA Angelo MedeghiniITA Barbara Medeghini5, 10ITA Andrea NavarraITA Renzo Casazza8ITA Alessandro Alessandrini12, 14ITA Massimo ErcolaniITA Antonio Borri12GRC Armodios VovosPirelliGRC Armodios VovosGRC Ioánnis Alvanos8NZ Joe McAndrewPirelliNZ Joe McAndrewNZ Bob Haldane9ITA Procar Rally TeamPirelliITA Andrea DallavillaITA Danilo Fappani12ITA Diego OldratiITA Paolo Lizzi12ITA Renato Travaglia ?ITA Renato TravagliaITA Flavio Zanella12POL Mobil 1 Stomil OlsztynMichelinPOL Krzysztof HołowczycPOL Maciej Wisławski14AUS Subaru Rally Team AustraliaImpreza WRX STi RAPirelliNZL Greg GrahamAUS Glenn Macneall9Impreza 555PirelliNZL Peter 'Possum' BourneNZL Craig Vincent13DEU Mitsubishi Ralliart GermanyMitsubishiLancer Evo IIIPirelliGER Uwe NittelSWE Christina Thörner8NZL Ralliart New ZealandLancer Evo IVFalkenNZ Geoff ArgyleNZ Raymond Bennett9 FIA 2-Litre World Rally Cup Major Entries Team Manufacturer CarTyre DriversCo-drivers RoundsCZE Škoda MotorsportŠkodaFelicia Kit CarMichelinCZE Emil TrinerCZE Julius Gál1CZE Karel Jirátko2, 4–5, 7–8CZE Miloš Hůlka10Octavia Kit Car12–13Felicia Kit CarCZE Pavel SiberaCZE Petr Gross1–2, 4–5, 7–8, 13Octavia Kit Car10, 12Felicia Kit CarCZE Jindřich ŠtolfaCZE Miroslav Fanta10, 12ITA Fabio DantiITA Marcello Olivari12Belgium East Belgian Racing TeamBelgium Bernard MunsterBEL Jean-François Elst14Spain SEAT SportSEATIbiza Kit CarMichelinFinland Harri RovanperäFIN Voitto Silander1, 4–5, 7Ibiza Kit Car Evo29–14Ibiza Kit CarSpain Oriol GómezSpain Marc Martí1, 5, 7, 14Ibiza Kit Car Evo28–13Ibiza Kit CarGER Erwin WeberGER Manfred Hiemer4Ibiza Kit Car Evo28, 11Ibiza Kit CarBEL Bruno ThiryBEL Stéphane Prévot5Belgium Renaud VerreydtBEL Dominique Dricot12Ibiza Kit Car Evo2Great Britain Gwyndaf EvansGB Howard Davies14Great Britain David HigginsIbiza Kit CarGreat Britain David HigginsIRE Rory Kennedy14GRC TechnocarIbiza GTi 16V?GRC "Stratissino"GRC Giorgos Petropoulos8AND Andorra Auto ClubMichelinAND Ferran FontAndorra Eduard Andueza4, 8Spain Joan Sureda11 PRT Vítor Pascoal Ibiza GTi 16V? PRT Vítor Pascoal PRT Duarte Costa 4SWE Volkswagen Motorsport SwedenVolkswagenGolf III GTi 16V?SWE Jörgen JonassonSWE Nicklas Jonasson2SWE Harry JokiSWE Ingemar Karlsson2FIN Blue Rose TeamGolf III Kit Car? FIN Tapio Laukkanen FIN Risto Mannisenmäki 2, 10GBR S.B.G. SportPirelli GBR Alister McRae GBR David Senior 2, 4, 13–14SWE Opel Team SwedenOpelAstra GSi 16VMichelin SWE Per Svan SWE Johan Olsson 2, 10, 14ITA Hawk Racing Club Srl? ITA Sandro Sottile ITA Piero Barbieri 12 ITA Scuderia Dei FioriCorsa B GSi? ITA Andrea Maselli ITA Nicola Arena 12SWE Renault Team SwedenRenaultMégane MaxiPirelli SWE Jonas Kruse SWE Anders Olsson 2SWE Håkan Ekholm10POR Renault Gest GalpMichelinPRT José Carlos MacedoPRT Miguel Borges 4 PRT Pedro Azeredo PRT Fernando Prata 4 AUT Remus RacingPirelli AUT Raphael Sperrer SWE Per Carlsson 4–5, 10, 12 ESP Renault Sport EspañaMichelin ESP Miguel Martínez-Conde ESP Felipe Alonso Fernández 5FRA Société DiacMichelin FRA Philippe Bugalski FRA Jean-Paul Chiaroni 6FRA Serge Jordan FRA Jack Boyère 6GRC "Leonidas"MichelinGRC "Leonidas"GRC Maria Pavli-Korre8ITA Italian Promotor SportMichelinITA Corrado FontanaITA Daniele Pelliccioni12 ITA Paolo Andreucci ITA Simona Fedeli 12GBR Renault Dealer Rallying UKMichelinGBR Robbie Head GBR Bryan Thomas 14 GBR Martin Rowe GBR Nicky Beech 14SWE Mikael BonnevierClio Williams? SWE Mikael Bonnevier SWE Peter Johansson 2GRC "Dim"? GRC "Dim" GRC Konstantinos Stefanis 8ARG Oscar Chiaramello18 GTX?ARG Oscar ChiaramelloARG Fernando Chiaramello7ARG Ricardo CostanzoARG Ricardo CostanzoARG Jose Claudio Ocampo 7FIN Promoracing FinlandNissanSunny GTi?FIN Toni GardemeisterFIN Paavo Lukander 2, 10GBR Nissan Motorsports EuropeMicra Kit CarYokohamaGBR Mark HigginsGBR Phil Mills 10JPN Masahiro TakasakiJPN Hiroaki Hamada 9–13GBR Geoff JonesGBR Rhydian Welson5–6Almera Kit CarGBR Mark HigginsGBR Phil Mills14AUS Silverstone Rally Tyre TeamProtonSatria Kit CarSAUS Russell PalmerAUS Brian Harwood3KEN Azar AnwarDaewooCielo?KEN Azar AnwarKEN Arshad Khan3KEN Rory GreenHyundaiElantra?KEN Rory GreenKEN Orson Taylor3KEN Jimmy Wahome?KEN Jimmy WahomeKEN Tom Muriuki3AUS Hyundai Rally SportCoupé?AUS Robert NicoliAUS Jim Carlton9, 13AUS Wayne BellAUS Iain Stewart9, 11, 13AUS Dean HerridgeMichelinAUS Dean HerridgeAUS Lyndall Drake13GBR Jimmy McRaeAccent X3MichelinGBR Jimmy McRaeGBR Rob Arthur14POR Peugeot Esso CompetiçãoPeugeot306 MaxiMichelinPRT Adruzilo LopesPRT Luís Lisboa4FRA Peugeot SportMichelinFRA Gilles PanizziFRA Herve Panizzi5–6FRA François DelecourFRA Daniel Grataloup5–6ESP Peugeot Sport EspañaMichelinESP Jaime AzconaGER Julius Billmaier5FRA "Fabrou"106 XSi?FRA "Fabrou"FRA Marc Boyer4ESP Ford EspañaFordEscort Maxi Kit CarMichelinESP Daniel Alonso VillarónESP Salvador Belzunces5ESP Citroën HispaniaCitroënZX Kit CarMichelinESP Jesús PurasESP Marc Martí5FRA Citroën SportSaxo Kit CarFRA Patrick MagaudFRA Michel Périn6GRC Kostas ArgiriouToyotaStarlet EP91?GRC Kostas ArgiriouGRC Tzannis Vlahos8JPN Silverstone Suzuki SportSuzukiBaleno Wagon Kit CarSJPN Nobuhiro TajimaAUS Ross Runnalls9NZL Glenn Macneall11AUS Claire Parker13INA Timor MotorsportTimorS 515i?INA Andy YachmoonINA Ichwan Habib Nasution11INA Faried ThalibINA Bambang Gunawan11GBR Honda UK Rally TeamHondaCivicDunlopGBR Neil WeardenGBR Trevor Agnew12, 14AUS Daihatsu AustraliaDaihatsuCharade GTi?AUS Ross MackenzieAUS Tony Brandon13AUS Rick BatesGBR Jenny Brittan13KOR Kia Motorsport KoreaKiaSephia?KOR Park Jeong-RyongAUS Damien Long13 Group N Cup major entries Team Manufacturer CarTyre DriversCo-drivers RoundsGER Mitsubishi Ralliart GermanyMitsubishiLancer Evo IIIPirelliURU Gustavo TrellesARG Jorge Del Buono1–2, 4–5, 7–10, 12AUT Manfred StohlGER Dieter Schneppenheim1AUT Peter Müller2, 4–5, 7Lancer Evo IV10, 12Lancer Evo IIIESP Luis ClimentESP Álex Romaní4–6, 8, 13–14Lancer Evo IV10GER Paulaner TeamLancer Evo IIIPirelliGER Armin KremerGER Sven Behling1 SWE Mitsubishi Ralliart SwedenMichelin SWE Kenneth Bäcklund SWE Tord Andersson 2SWE Stig-Olov Walfridsson SWE Gunnar Barth 2FIN Mitsubishi Ralliart FinlandMichelin FIN Juha Kangas FIN Jani Laaksonen 2, 10Lancer Carisma GT Evo IV FIN Jouko Puhakka FIN Keijo Eerola 10SWE Bilsport MagazineLancer Evo II?SWE Gert BlomqvistSWE Lena Lindberg2SWE Helmia MotorsportLancer Evo III?SWE Pernilla SolbergSWE Sven-Olov Kvarnlöv2SWE Linda Walfridsson14POL Sobiesław Zasada?POL Sobiesław ZasadaPOL Ewa Zasada3AUT Kurt Göttlicher?AUT Kurt GöttlicherAUT Petra Heider3–4, 7–10ITA Antonello Fidanza?ITA Antonello FidanzaITA Raffaele Farina5, 12FRA Jacques AndreaniMichelinFRA Jacques AndreaniFRA Claude Blanc-Raffini6ARG Jorge Recalde?ARG Jorge RecaldeARG José Garcia7NZL Ralliart New ZealandLancer Evo IV?NZ Reece JonesNZ Leo Bult9Lancer Evo IIIGBR Eurig Evans13–14NZ Todd BawdenLancer Evo IV?NZ Todd BawdenNZ Jeff Grove9JPN Hikaru Teshigawara?JPN Hikaru TeshigawaraJPN Tadayoshi Sato9FIN Vatosua?FIN Olli HarkkiFIN Kari Mustalahti10, 14FIN Team Pomi Finland?FIN Marko IpattiFIN Kari Kajula10JPN Advan-Piaa Rally TeamLancer Evo IIIYokohamaJPN Yoshihiro KataokaJPN Satoshi Hayashi11, 13INA Mitsubishi Ralliart IndonesiaLancer Evo IV?INA Arief IndiartoINA Firman Barototomo11INA Bambang HartonoINA Agung Baskoro11JPN Masayuki AkabaLancer Evo III?JPN Masayuki AkabaJPN Takako Akaba11, 13INA Goro Rally TeamLancer Evo IV?INA Tommy Suharto INA Jeffrey Jarang Pulang 11INA Ricardo GelaelINA Hervian Soejono 11ITA Ralliart ItaliaLancer Evo V?ITA Mario StagniITA Enrico Brazzoli 12ITA Luca BaldiniLancer Evo III?ITA Luca BaldiniITA Massimo Agostinelli 12SLO Boris Popovič?SLO Boris PopovičSLO Roman Leljak 12ITA Fabrizio GallioLancer Evo IV?ITA Fabrizio GallioITA Daniele De Luis 12GBR Jeremy EassonLancer Evo IIIDunlop GBR Jeremy Easson GBR Alun Cook 14GBR Julian Porter?GBR Julian PorterGBR Claire Mole 14GER Proton Kathrein Rallye TeamProtonWira Evo IIIPirelli GER Hermann Gaßner sen. GER Siegfried Schrankl 1, 12MALAYSIA Petronas EON Racing TeamWira 4WDYokohama MALAYSIA Karamjit Singh MALAYSIA Allen Oh 9, 11, 13JPN Katsuhiko TaguchiCOL Fred Gocentas 9MALAYSIA Roland Pickering13MALAYSIA Saladin MazlanMALAYSIA Jagdev Singh11KEN Johnny HellierSubaruImpreza WRX?KEN Johnny HellierITA Stefano Rocca3POR Escudería Sur?POR Carlos MarquesPOR Álvaro Ferreira4AUT Remus Racing?AUT Achim MörtlAUT Ilka Minor6ARG Roberto Sanchez?ARG Roberto SanchezARG Edgardo Galindo7PAR Aurelino González?PAR Aurelino GonzálezARG Carlos Zarza 7JPN Hiroshi NishiyamaBridgestoneJPN Hiroshi NishiyamaJPN Hisashi Yamaguchi8, 14NZ 'Stumpy'?NZ 'Stumpy'NZ Daryll Judd9JPN Subaru Rally Team Japan?JPN Hideaki MiyoshiJPN Yoshimasa Nakahara 9, 11, 13JPN Yoshihiro KataokaJPN Satoshi Hayashi 9JPN Toshihiro AraiJPN Toshio Omizo 13JPN Tein Sport Junior TeamMichelinJPN Shigeyuki KonishiNZ Tony Sircombe9, 11, 13CHN Team 555 China?CHN Yong ZhouCHN Xue Zhong Chen11?CHN Tong Chun XianCHN Jia Li11AUS Les Walkden Racing?AUS Michael GuestAUS David Green13AUS Rob Herridge? AUS Rob Herridge AUS Chris Randell 13GRC Vassilis ApostolouLegacy RS?GRC Vassilis ApostolouGRC Emmanouel Kalogeropoulos8KEN Azar AnwarDaewooCielo?KEN Azar AnwarKEN Arshad Khan 3GBR Mark TilburyNissanPulsar GTi-R?GBR Mark TilburyKEN Bill Kirk 3GRC Vassilis HalkiasSunny GTI-R?GRC Vassilis Halkias GRC Mihalis Patrikoussis 8KEN Jim KahumburaToyotaCelica GT-Four (ST205)?KEN Jim KahumburaKEN Dave Macharia3KEN Chitranjan PatelFordEscort RS Cosworth?KEN Chitranjan PatelKEN Shailen Shah 3POR Horácio Franco?POR Horácio FrancoPOR Tiago Mourão 4FRA Jean-Marie Santoni?FRA Jean-Marie SantoniFRA Jean-Marc Casamatta 6ESP JLM TeamPeugeot106 RallyeMichelinESP David NafríaESP F. Gallego 5ESP Gamace MC CompeticiónMichelinESP Jordi GrinyóESP Samira Lanaya 5ESP Escudería La CoruñaMichelinESP Amador Vidal CernadasESP Roberto Mosquera López 5FRA Philippe FonsRenaultClio Williams?FRA Philippe FonsFRA Olivier Pieri 6FRA Jean-Michel Pietri?FRA Jean-Michel PietriFRA Jean-Charles Mondoloni 6FRA Erick Antona?FRA Erick AntonaFRA Jean-Charles Pianelli6GRC Pavlos MoschoutisMazda323 GT-RMichelinGRC Pavlos MoschoutisGRC Giórgos Kouris8 Results and standings Rally results Rd.RallyOverall winnersGroup N Cup Winners2.0 L WC winnersReport 1 MON Monte Carlo JPN No. 4 555 Subaru WRTGER No. 23 Mitsubishi Ralliart GermanyCZE No. 20 Škoda Motorsport Report JPN Subaru Impreza S5 WRC '97JPN Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IIICZE Škoda Felicia Kit CarITA Piero LiattiITA Fabrizia PonsURU Gustavo TrellesARG Jorge Del BuonoCZE Emil TrinerCZE Julius Gál 2 SWE Sweden JPN No. 4 555 Subaru WRTSWE No. 16 Mitsubishi Ralliart SwedenSWE No. 28 Volkswagen Motorsport Sweden Report JPN Subaru Impreza S5 WRC '97JPN Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IIIGER Volkswagen Golf III GTi 16VSWE Kenneth ErikssonSWE Staffan ParmanderSWE Kenneth BäcklundSWE Tord AnderssonSWE Jörgen JonassonSWE Nicklas Jonasson 3 KEN Kenya JPN No. 3 555 Subaru WRTKEN No. 26 Johnny HellierAUS No. 41 Silverstone Rally Tyre Team Report JPN Subaru Impreza S5 WRC '97JPN Subaru Impreza WRXMALAYSIA Proton SatriaGBR Colin McRaeGBR Nicky GristKEN Johnny HellierITA Stefano RoccaAUS Michael GuestAUS David Green 4 POR Portugal JPN No. 1 Mitsubishi RalliartGER No. 24 Mitsubishi Ralliart GermanyGBR No. 12 S.B.G. Sport Report JPN Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IVJPN Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IIIGER Volkswagen Golf III Kit CarFIN Tommi MäkinenFIN Seppo HarjanneURU Gustavo TrellesARG Jorge Del BuonoGBR Alister McRaeGBR David Senior 5 ESP Spain JPN No. 1 Mitsubishi RalliartGER No. 24 Mitsubishi Ralliart GermanyFRA No. 11 Peugeot Sport Report JPN Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IVJPN Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IIIFRA Peugeot 306 MaxiFIN Tommi MäkinenFIN Seppo HarjanneURU Gustavo TrellesARG Jorge Del BuonoFRA Gilles PanizziFRA Hervé Panizzi 6 FRA France JPN No. 3 555 Subaru WRTFRA No. 17 Jean-Marie SantoniFRA No. 7 Peugeot Sport Report JPN Subaru Impreza S5 WRC '97USA Ford Escort RS CosworthFRA Peugeot 306 MaxiGBR Colin McRaeGBR Nicky GristFRA Jean-Marie SantoniFRA Jean-Marc CasamattaFRA Gilles PanizziFRA Hervé Panizzi 7 ARG Argentina JPN No. 1 Mitsubishi RalliartGER No. 24 Mitsubishi Ralliart GermanyESP No. 11 Seat Sport Report JPN Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IVJPN Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IIIESP Seat Ibiza Kit CarFIN Tommi MäkinenFIN Seppo HarjanneURU Gustavo TrellesARG Jorge Del BuonoFIN Harri RovanperäFIN Voitto Silander 8 GRC Greece USA No. 5 Ford Motor Co. Ltd.GER No. 15 Mitsubishi Ralliart GermanyESP No. 22 Seat Sport Report USA Ford Escort WRCJPN Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IIIESP Seat Ibiza Kit Car Evo2ESP Carlos SainzESP Luis MoyaURU Gustavo TrellesARG Jorge Del BuonoESP Oriol GómezESP Marc Martí9NZL New ZealandJPN No. 4 555 Subaru WRTGER No. 7 Mitsubishi Ralliart GermanyESP No. 11 Seat SportReportJPN Subaru Impreza S5 WRC '97JPN Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IIIESP Seat Ibiza Kit Car Evo2SWE Kenneth ErikssonSWE Staffan ParmanderURU Gustavo TrellesARG Jorge Del BuonoESP Oriol GómezESP Marc Martí10FIN FinlandJPN No. 1 Mitsubishi RalliartFIN No. 17 Mitsubishi Ralliart FinlandESP No. 21 Seat SportReportJPN Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IVJPN Mitsubishi Carisma GT Evo IVESP Seat Ibiza Kit Car Evo2FIN Tommi MäkinenFIN Seppo HarjanneFIN Jouko PuhakkaFIN Keijo EerolaFIN Harri RovanperäFIN Voitto Silander11INA IndonesiaUSA No. 5 Ford Motor Co. Ltd.MALAYSIA No. 19 Petronas EON Racing TeamESP No. 11 Seat SportReportUSA Ford Escort WRCMALAYSIA Proton Wira 4WDESP Seat Ibiza Kit Car Evo2ESP Carlos SainzESP Luis MoyaMALAYSIA Karamjit SinghMALAYSIA Allen OhFIN Harri RovanperäFIN Voitto Silander12ITA ItalyJPN No. 3 555 Subaru WRTITA No. 47 Ralliart ItaliaESP No. 25 Seat SportReportJPN Subaru Impreza S5 WRC '97JPN Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VESP Seat Ibiza Kit Car Evo2GBR Colin McRaeGBR Nicky GristITA Mario StagniITA Enrico BrazzoliFIN Harri RovanperäFIN Voitto Silander13AUS AustraliaJPN No. 3 555 Subaru WRTJPN No. 25 Tein Sport Junior TeamESP No. 16 Seat SportReportJPN Subaru Impreza S5 WRC '97JPN Subaru Impreza WRXESP Seat Ibiza Kit Car Evo2GBR Colin McRaeGBR Nicky GristJPN Shigeyuki KonishiNZL Tony SircombeFIN Harri RovanperäFIN Voitto Silander14GBR BritainJPN No. 3 555 Subaru WRTGER No. 29 Mitsubishi Ralliart GermanyESP No. 27 Seat SportReportJPN Subaru Impreza S5 WRC '97JPN Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IIIESP Seat Ibiza Kit Car Evo2GBR Colin McRaeGBR Nicky GristESP Luis ClimentESP Álex RomaníFIN Harri RovanperäFIN Voitto SilanderSource:Season 1997 rally - eWRC-results https://www.ewrc-results.com/season/1997/ www.ewrc-results.com Drivers' championship Pos. Position Driver MONMON SWESWE KENKEN PORPOR ESPESP FRAFRA ARGARG GREGRE NZLNZL FINFIN INAINA ITAITA AUSAUS GBRGBR  Pts  1 Finland Tommi Mäkinen 3 3 Ret 1 1 Ret 1 3 Ret 1 Ret 3 2 6 63 2 Great Britain Colin McRae Ret 4 1 Ret 4 1 2 Ret Ret Ret Ret 1 1 1 62 3 Spain Carlos Sainz 2 2 Ret Ret 10 2 Ret 1 2 Ret 1 4 Ret 3 51 4 Finland Juha Kankkunen Ret 2 3 2 2 6 Ret 2 29 5 Sweden Kenneth Eriksson 1 Ret Ret 3 Ret 1 Ret 3 Ret Ret 28 6 Italy Piero Liatti 1 2 5 2 7 24 7 Great Britain Richard Burns 2 Ret Ret 4 4 4 4 4 21 8 Germany Armin Schwarz 4 6 4 3 Ret 9 11 9 Belgium Freddy Loix 16 2 Ret 37 5 7 8 10 France Gilles Panizzi 3 3 8 11 France Didier Auriol Ret 5 8 Ret 8 3 Ret 6 12 Finland Marcus Grönholm 8 Ret 4 Ret 5 5 13 Kenya Ian Duncan 3 4 14 Finland Jarmo Kytölehto Ret 3 4 15 Sweden Thomas Rådström 5 5 4 16 New Zealand Possum Bourne 5 5 4 17 Belgium Grégoire De Mévius 4 7 Ret Ret 3 18 France François Delecour DSQ 4 3 19 Finland Sebastian Lindholm 4 3 20 Germany Uwe Nittel 5 Ret 8 8 6 7 Ret 3 21 Kenya Jonathan Toroitich 5 2 22 Monaco Jean-Pierre Richelmi 5 Ret 2 23 Italy Angelo Medeghini 5 Ret 10 2 24 Sweden Tomas Jansson 7 5 2 25 Japan Yoshio Fujimoto 5 Ret 2 26 Denmark Henrik Lundgaard 6 1 27 France Frédéric Dor 6 17 11 23 29 15 1 28 Japan Masao Kamioka 6 Ret 14 1 29 Portugal Rui Madeira 15 6 1 30 France Philippe Bugalski 6 1 31 Uruguay Gustavo Trelles 9 16 7 13 6 13 7 17 Ret 1 32 Australia Neal Bates 6 Ret 8 1 33 Finland Pasi Hagström 6 1 34 Malaysia Karamjit Singh 11 6 Ret 17 1 35 Australia Ed Ordynski 6 1 Pos. Position Driver MONMON SWESWE KENKEN PORPOR ESPESP FRAFRA ARGARG GREGRE NZLNZL FINFIN INAINA ITAITA AUSAUS GBRGBR  Pts Sources:Season 1997 – Championship standings https://www.juwra.com/season_1997_points.html Jonkka's World Rally Archive 16 January 2024FIA World Rally Championship Standings 1997 https://motorsportstats.com/series/fia-world-rally-championship/standings/1997 Motorsport Stats 16 January 2024 Manufacturers' championship Pos. Position Manufacturer No. Car number MONMON SWESWE KENKEN PORPOR ESPESP FRAFRA ARGARG GREGRE NZLNZL FINFIN INAINA ITAITA AUSAUS GBRGBR Points 1 JPN 555 Subaru World Rally Team 3 Ret 4 1 Ret 4 1 2 Ret Ret Ret Ret 1 1 1 114 4 1 1 Ret Ret 2 5 3 Ret 1 Ret 3 2 Ret Ret 2 USA Ford Motor Co 5 2 2 Ret Ret 10 2 Ret 1 2 Ret 1 4 Ret 3 91 6 4 6 4 3 Ret 9 Ret 2 3 2 2 6 Ret 2 3 JPN Team Mitsubishi Ralliart 1 3 3 Ret 1 1 Ret 1 3 Ret 1 Ret 3 2 6 86 2 5 Ret 2 Ret 8 8 Ret 4 4 7 4 Ret 4 4 Pos. Position Manufacturer No. Car number MONMON SWESWE KENKEN PORPOR ESPESP FRAFRA ARGARG GREGRE NZLNZL FINFIN INAINA ITAITA AUSAUS GBRGBR PointsSources: Group N Cup Pos. Position Driver MONMON SWESWE KENKEN PORPOR ESPESP FRAFRA ARGARG GREGRE NZLNZL FINFIN INAINA ITAITA AUSAUS GBRGBR  Pts  1 URU Gustavo Trelles 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 4 Ret 84 2 Spain Luís Climent 3 Ret Ret 2 7 Ret 1 26 AUT Manfred Stohl 3 6 2 5 3 6 4 26 4 Japan Shigeyuki Konishi Ret 2 1 21 Malaysia Karamjit Singh 3 1 Ret 4 21 6 SWE Kenneth Bäcklund 1 13 Kenya Johnny Hellier 1 13 France Jean-Marie Santoni 1 13 Finland Jouko Puhakka 1 13 ITA Mario Stagni 1 13 New Zealand Reece Jones 2 Ret 3 13 12 Japan Hideaki Miyoshi Ret 3 3 10 13 Germany Armin Kremer 2 8 Sweden Stig-Olov Walfridsson 2 8 Poland Sobiesław Zasada 2 8 Italy Antonello Fidanza 2 8 France Jacques Andreani 2 8 ARG Roberto Sanchez 2 8 Finland Olli Harkki 2 Ret 8 Italy Luca Baldini 2 8 Japan Yoshihiro Kataoka Ret Ret 2 8 GBR Jeremy Easson 2 814 Finland Juha Kangas 3 5 7 23 KEN Anwar Azar 3 5 Spain David Nafría 3 5 AUT Achim Mörtl 3 5 GRE Pavlos Moschoutis 3 5 Finland Marko Ipatti 3 5 Slovenia Boris Popovič 3 5 Pos. Position Driver MONMON SWESWE KENKEN PORPOR ESPESP FRAFRA ARGARG GREGRE NZLNZL FINFIN INAINA ITAITA AUSAUS GBRGBR  Pts  Events 1997 World Rally Championship event map 800px Black = Tarmac Brown = Gravel Blue = Ice/Snow Red = Mixed Surface 1997 World Rally Championship schedule and results Rally Name Dates Run Podium Drivers (Finishing Time) Podium CarsMonaco Monte Carlo Rally 19 January–22 January Italy Piero Liatti (4h:26m:58s) Spain Carlos Sainz (4h:27m:53s) Finland Tommi Mäkinen (4h:29m:29s) Subaru Impreza WRC 97 Ford Escort WRC Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IVSweden Swedish Rally 7 February–10 February Sweden Kenneth Eriksson (3h:51m:49s) Spain Carlos Sainz (3h:52m:05s) Finland Tommi Mäkinen (3h:52m:15s) Subaru Impreza WRC 97 Ford Escort WRC Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IVKenya Safari Rally 1 March–3 March United Kingdom Colin McRae (11h:29m:00s) United Kingdom Richard Burns (11h:36m:04s) Kenya Ian Duncan (11h:40m:18s) Subaru Impreza WRC 97 Mitsubishi Carisma GT Evolution IV Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205Portugal Rally Portugal 23 March–26 March Finland Tommi Mäkinen (4h:53m:01s) Belgium Freddy Loix (4h:57m:06s) Germany Armin Schwarz (4h:59m:34s) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205 Ford Escort WRCSpain Rally Catalunya 14 April–16 April Finland Tommi Mäkinen (4h:08m:46s) Italy Piero Liatti (4h:08m:53s) France Gilles Panizzi (4h:11m:55s) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV Subaru Impreza WRC 97 Peugeot 306 MaxiFrance Tour de Corse 5 May–7 May United Kingdom Colin McRae (4h:31m:08s) Spain Carlos Sainz (4h:31m:16s) France Gilles Panizzi (4h:31m:46s) Subaru Impreza WRC 97 Ford Escort WRC Peugeot 306 MaxiArgentina Rally Argentina 22 May–24 May Finland Tommi Mäkinen (4h:25m:38s) United Kingdom Colin McRae (4h:26m:39s) Sweden Kenneth Eriksson (4h:30m:06s) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV Subaru Impreza WRC 97 Subaru Impreza WRC 97Greece Acropolis Rally 8 June–10 June Spain Carlos Sainz (4h:56m:24s) Finland Juha Kankkunen (4h:56m:41s) Finland Tommi Mäkinen (5h:01m:27s) Ford Escort WRC Ford Escort WRC Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IVNew Zealand Rally New Zealand 2 August–5 August Sweden Kenneth Eriksson (4h:14m:11s) Spain Carlos Sainz (4h:14m:24s) Finland Juha Kankkunen (4h:14m:30s) Subaru Impreza WRC 97 Ford Escort WRC Ford Escort WRCFinland Rally Finland 29 August–31 August Finland Tommi Mäkinen (3h:16m:18s) Finland Juha Kankkunen (3h:16m:25s) Finland Jarmo Kytölehto (3h:18m:18s) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV Ford Escort WRC Ford Escort WRCIndonesia Rally Indonesia 19 September–21 September Spain Carlos Sainz (4h:37m:30s) Finland Juha Kankkunen (4h:37m:46s) Sweden Kenneth Eriksson (4h:38m:49s) Ford Escort WRC Ford Escort WRC Subaru Impreza WRC 97Italy Rally Sanremo 13 October–15 October United Kingdom Colin McRae (4h:08m:25s) Italy Piero Liatti (4h:08m:31s) Finland Tommi Mäkinen (4h:08m:37s) Subaru Impreza WRC 97 Subaru Impreza WRC 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IVAustralia Rally Australia 30 October–2 November United Kingdom Colin McRae (4h:05m:31s) Finland Tommi Mäkinen (4h:05m:37s) France Didier Auriol (4h:05m:52s) Subaru Impreza WRC 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV Toyota Corolla WRCGreat Britain RAC Rally 23 November–25 November United Kingdom Colin McRae (3h:54m:31s) Finland Juha Kankkunen (3h:57m:18s) Spain Carlos Sainz (3h:58m:24s) Subaru Impreza WRC 97 Ford Escort WRC Ford Escort WRCSource: References External links FIA World Rally Championship 1997 at ewrc-results.com World Rally Championship Category:World Rally Championship seasons