1973 World Rally Championship season

The 1973 World Rally Championship season was the inaugural season for the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) World Rally Championship (WRC) format. It consisted of 13 events, each held in a different country of the world. Many of the events would be staples of the series through to today, including Monte Carlo, Sweden, Tour de Corse, and the RAC Rally, while others would soon be replaced in the schedule. As with following seasons, gravel events formed the majority of the schedule. Two pure tarmac and one snow and ice rally were also included, as well as three events held on a mixture of soft and hard surface roads.

The first award of the Championship for Manufacturers was firmly won by Alpine-Renault, which had already gained fame competing for the earlier International Championship for Manufacturers. Fiat successfully placed second ahead of challenger Ford, but could not seriously challenge the winning Alpine. However, this would also prove to be the last award for the Alpine, as it gave way in subsequent years to Italian firms Lancia and Fiat. A French manufacturer would not regain the Championship again until Peugeot successfully captured the 1985 World Rally Championship for Manufacturers.

From 1973 to 1978, the WRC only awarded a season championship for the winningest manufacturer. Scoring was given for the highest placing entry for each manufacturer. Thus if a particular manufacturer was to place 2nd, 4th, and 10th, they would receive points for 2nd place only. However, the manufacturer would still gain an advantage in scoring from its other entries, as the points for the 4th and 10th place entries would be denied to other manufacturers.

Below are the detailed ranking of each stage with the final standings, plus time and registered crews .

Team of 1983 world rally championship  ,

The Alpine A110, also known as the "Berlinette", was a sports car produced by the French manufacturer Alpine from 1961 to 1977. The A110 was powered by various Renault engines.

The Alpine A110 was introduced in 1961 as an evolution of the A108. Like other road-going Alpines the A110 used many Renault parts. But while the A108 was designed around Dauphine components, the A110 was updated to use R8 parts. Like the A108 available first as a cabriolet and later as a coupé, the A110 was delivered first with "Berlinetta" bodyworks and then as a cabriolet. The main visible difference with the A108 Coupé was a restyling of the rear body to fit the larger engines, which gave the car a more aggressive look. Like the A108, the A110 featured a steel backbone chassis with fiberglass body. This design was influenced by the Lotus Elan, Colin Chapman being a major source of inspiration for Alpine designers at that time. The A110 was originally available with 1.1 L R8 Major or R8 Gordini engines. The Gordini engine delivered 95 hp (71 kW) SAE at 6500 rpm.

The A110 achieved most of its fame in the early 1970s as a victorious rally car. After winning several rallies in France in the late 1960s with iron-cast R8 Gordini engines the car was fitted with the aluminium-block Renault 16 TS engine. With two dual-chamber Weber 45 carburetors the TS engine delivered 125 hp (93 kW) DIN at 6000 rpm. This allowed the production 1600S to reach a top speed of 210 km/h (130 mph).

The car reached international fame during the 1970-1972 seasons when it participated in the newly created International Championship for Manufacturers, winning several events around Europe and being considered one of the strongest rally cars of its time. Notable performances from the car included victory on the 1971 Monte Carlo Rally with Swedish driver Ove Andersson.

With the buy-out of Alpine by Renault complete, the International Championship was replaced by the World Rally Championship for 1973, in which Renault elected to compete with the A110. With a team featuring Bernard Darniche, Jean-Pierre Nicolas and Jean-Luc Thérier as permanent drivers and "guest stars" like Jean-Claude Andruet (who won the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally) the A110 won most races where the works team was entered, making Alpine the first World Rally Champion.

As well as being built at Alpine's Dieppe factory, A110 models were constructed by various other vehicle manufacturers around the world. The Alpine A110 was produced in Brazil under the name Interlagos; a young driver named Emerson Fittipaldi drove one in several races. The Alpine A110 was produced in Mexico under the name Dinalpin, from 1965 to 1974, by Diesel Nacional (DINA), which also produced the Renault vehicles. The Alpine A110 was also produced in Bulgaria under the name Bulgaralpine, from 1967 to 1969, by a cooperative formed between SPC Metalhim and ETO Bulet, whose collaboration also resulted in the production of the Bulgarrenault.

Specifications A110 1600S (1970-1973)

Engine

Engine: Renault 1565 cc Straight-4

Power Output: 138 hp SAE (103 kW) gross (125 PS DIN (93 kW))

Transmission

Transmission: 5-Speed Manual

Chassis/Body

Chassis: Steel backbone

Body Panels: Fiberglass

Weight: 1367 lb (620 kg)

Length: 159 in (4.039 m)

Width: 59.1 in (1.501 m)

Wheelbase: 89.4 in (2.271 m)

Track (Front/Rear): 48.0 in (1.219 m) / 49.2 in (1.250 m)

Performance

Top speed: 210 km/h (130 mph)

   

Jean-Claude Andruet   

Jean-Claude Andruet (born August 13, 1942) is a retired French professional rally driver who competed in the World Rally Championship.

Andruet took three WRC event wins during his career; 1973 Monte Carlo Rally, 1974 Tour de Corse and 1977 San Remo Rally.[1] The 1973 Monte Carlo was the first ever rally in the FIA World Rally Championship. His best placement in the overall drivers' championship was 13th in 1982. He also competed in the European Rally Championship he won in 1970 and finished second overall in 1981.[2]

Andruet's son Gilles was a chess player and was murdered in 1995 in murky circumstances.

 Jean-Pierre Nicolas

Jean-Pierre Nicolas (born January 22, 1945) is a retired French professional rally driver who competed mainly in the 1970s.

Nicolas took five WRC event wins in the World Rally Championship. His best placement in the drivers' championship was second with 31 points, after Markku Alén (53) and ahead of Hannu Mikkola (30), in the 1978 FIA Cup for Drivers.[1]

He was the Sporting Director for Peugeot, around the time the 206 WRC was the official works Peugeot car. He is now the FIA Intercontinental Rally Challenge's Motorsport Development Manager.

Jean-Luc Thérier   

Jean-Luc Thérier (born Hodeng-au-Bosc, 7 October 1945) is a French former rally driver. He was the highest scoring driver in the inaugural World Rally Championship in 1973 and the only one to win three events. However, until 1977 the championship was only formally contested by manufacturers, not individuals, so only Thérier's Alpine-Renault team were formally awarded the title.

He most frequently competed in an Alpine Renault A110, winning the Rallye Sanremo and the Acropolis Rally in 1970. He won the same two events again in 1973, along with the Rallye Sanremo, during his annus memorabilis.

He also won the 1974 Press-on-Regardless Rally in the United States driving a Renault 17 Gordini, and the 1980 Tour de Corse behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 SC.

Bernard Darniche 

Bernard Darniche (born March 28, 1942) is a French former rally driver. He won the European Rally Championship in 1976 and 1977 and the French Rally Championship in 1976 and 1978, each time behind the wheel of a Lancia Stratos. He also holds the record for most victories in the Tour de Corse which he won six times (1970, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1981), a feat later equalled by Didier Auriol.

He competed in the first World Rally Championships in 1973, winning the 16th Moroccan Rally and placing second in the 44th Alpine Rally, and was one of the top competitors for the remainder of the decade. He finished third in the inaugural FIA Cup for Rally Drivers in 1977, the first of three successive top ten finishes in the drivers' championship.

He also won the Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo in 1979, the event where he holds the record for most wins on the infamous Col de Turini stage, a 1,600 m Alpine mountain pass normally driven in darkness. The so-called "Night of the Long Knives" has seen Darniche victorious on ten occasions.

So this was the 1973 wrc rally season , good action good drama good pilots good cars .

The folowing video s are the prof of this incredible era of motorsport . 

Enjoy and see you son with 74 rally championship . Bye 

23rd 1000 Lakes Rally  

(3–5 August)   43 stage , 517 km Gravel 

1      Timo Mäkinen Ford Escort RS1600 4 h : 53 m : 50 s  

2 Markku Alén Volvo 142 4 h : 55 m : 59 s     

3  Leo Kinnunen Porsche 911 4 h : 57 m : 12 s