50 Years Ago: Walter Röhrl Wins European Rally Championship in Opel Ascona

• October 13, 1974: Röhrl/Berger take title with a maximum of 120 points
• Top class: Röhrl also wins 1982 World Rally Championship in the Ascona
• ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup 2024: Electrifying rally sport

In record time: From young talent to rally ace

Born in Regensburg in 1947, Walter Röhrl focussed on sport from an early age: football, rowing, skiing – and finally motorsport. According to his own statement, the young Bavarian consciously chose “rally instead of circuit.” It proved to be the right decision.

His breakthrough, which turned him from “nobody” (as he once said himself) into a surprise frontrunner in the rally circus, came in 1972. Röhrl played a dominant role in the Poland Rally, the Baltic Rally and the Olympia Rally. From 1973 onwards, the then 26-year-old drove for Opel – with Jochen Berger at his side. He gives Röhrl the route instructions and plays a significant role in the coming successes. Even back then, the co-driver was sure of Röhrl's driving qualities: “Driving through a special stage with Walter is safer than crossing the road in the city.”

He turns out to be right: in the same year, with just a few starts and almost the same number of overall victories, the two of them finish as runners-up in the European Championships in an Opel Ascona. For Röhrl, this proved to be the perfect springboard for the coming season with the recently founded Opel Euro Dealer Team.

Convincing display: Röhrl/Berger win 1974 European Championship in Opel Ascona

And so, in 1974, Walter Röhrl and Jochen Berger attacked the competition with great ambitions. Their car is again a factory Ascona A. This has an engine that has been bored out to two litres with an overhead camshaft and crossflow cylinder head. This means that the car produces between 141 kW (192 hp) and 156 kW (212 hp). Special springs and special shock absorbers as well as internally ventilated disc brakes at the front and ventilated drum brakes at the rear adapt the chassis of the rally car based on the production model to the tough competition conditions. In his biography “Aufschrift” Röhrl remembers: “The engine was easy to drive. Power came from around 2,000 rpm and continued to 7,600 rpm. But I refrained from revving it up so high. My moral limit was 7,000 rpm. Mostly."

However, Röhrl/Berger have to be patient until their first big success of the season. At the 8th International Firestone Rally – the 5th round of the European Rally Championship at the end of March 1974 – the time had finally come. As the top team in the Opel Euro Dealer Team, the two achieved a superior start/finish victory after 1,517 kilometres and 19 special stages in the northern Spanish mountains. From then on, things happened in quick succession: just four weeks later, Röhrl/Berger took the lead right from the start at the Tulip Rally in the Netherlands. After 1,250 kilometres and 38 special tests, they achieved their next impressive overall victory in their Ascona. The local authorities cause a moment of shock: They suspect Röhrl of significantly exceeding the permitted speed limit. Fortunately, this turns out to be a mistake. The law enforcement officers did not catch the German duo with starting number 1 speeding - instead the Polish team with number 7 were caught on camera.

Further victories follow in the Hessen Rally, the Moldau Rally and the Danube Rally in Romania. The Opel drivers clearly lead the overall standings – and the 13th Rally Internazionale di Lugano is scheduled to take place from October 11 to 13. Röhrl/Berger can already secure the European title. They once again took “pole position” among the 52 competitors right from the start. The 28 tough special stages in the mountains between Lugano and Lake Maggiore take their toll: only 18 teams cross the finish line on October 13 – with the Opel Ascona with Walter Röhrl and Jochen Berger leading the way. After 1,000 kilometres they are more than ten minutes ahead of the second-placed team. With their sixth overall victory and 120 points – the highest number of points ever achieved to date – they won the European Rally Championship in 1974 with three races remaining.

1974 European Championship: Start of Röhrl and Opel's further rally success

But after this success, Walter Röhrl has even greater ambitions. He writes: “With the European title I had achieved what I wanted. But one dream kept me going: winning the Monte Carlo Rally once in my life.”

In 1975, Röhrl achieved the first victory in a World Rally Championship race for himself and Opel, but in 1977 the exceptional driver and the brand with the Blitz went their separate ways. At this point in time, no one had any idea that their greatest sporting triumph was yet to come. In 1982, Röhrl returned to Opel. While Jochen Berger is manager of the motorsport department, his new co-driver Christian Geistdörfer also makes a decisive contribution to the success of the “Mission Monte Carlo” – along with the 191 kW (260 hp) Ascona 400. With Geistdörfer and the Ascona 400, Röhrl wins the legendary Monte Carlo Rally for the second time. A tailor-made start to the rally season, which ultimately culminated in a spectacular victory in the 1982 Drivers' World Championship.

Fast, exciting and electrifying – three words that perfectly describe the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup “powered by GSe”. With the world's first fully electric one-make rally cup, Opel, ADAC and everyone involved are showing how modern, sustainable rallying works today. Luca Pröglhöf has just secured this year's title and thrilled the fans in exciting competitions. But Pröglhöf and his colleagues have famous “forerunners”. Because Opel and rallying are closely linked.

Watching cars drift and master difficult conditions has thrilled motorsports fans for many years. Today, they can see the battery-electric Opel Corsa Rally Electric in action. In the 1970s and 1980s legendary Opel rally cars and drivers thrilled the masses. Two names are inextricably linked to the rally successes of the time: the Opel Ascona as a reliable competition vehicle and Walter Röhrl as a young, aspiring rally driver who would ultimately become the best in his profession. The exceptional driver won his first major title exactly 50 years ago: Together with his co-driver Jochen Berger, he won the European Rally Championship on October 13, 1974 – with a maximum possible tally of 120 points.

!NEW! Opel is European Champion !

• Emil Bergkvist wins FIA ERC Junior in Opel ADAM R2
• Second place at Rally Estonia secures early championship title
• Team colleague Marijan Griebel with good shot at number two season finish 

Champions: Emil Bergkvist and his co-pilot Joakim Sjöberg secured the title in the FIA ERC Junior with their second place at the “auto24 Rally Estonia”.

In its first full season of competition, the ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team with the Opel ADAM R2 has already taken the FIA ERC Junior by storm. With their second-place finish at the auto24 Rally Estonia, Emil Bergkvist (21, from Torsåker) and co-driver Joakim Sjöberg (29, from Ösmo) already won the title in the continent’s most fiercely contested Junior Rallye category one round before the season’s end. “I’m speechless,” beamed Bergkvist. “I want to thank everyone who contributed to this success, first and foremost Opel Motorsport and the whole team that always gave us a fantastic car. And of course my co-driver Jocke – without his perfect work this wouldn’t have been possible. The ERC Junior is so incredibly competitive that it takes a perfect team performance every time to get anywhere close to a podium finish. I really still can’t believe it!”

Successful duo: Emil Bergkvist impressed once again in his Opel ADAM R2 and could celebrate winning the FIA ERC Junior title in Estonia.

In addition to his high speed at the extremely fast gravel rallye in Estonia, Bergkvist also stole the show with an impressive and clever strategy. The two Swedes maintained a spot in the top 3 during all stages without taking incalculable risks for themselves and their Opel ADAM R2. And they didn’t let a 10-second penalty right at the start of the rallye distract them. Bergkvist said, “We quickly found a good rhythm and were able to attack without going all out. The car once again ran like clockwork. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the Opel ADAM R2 is the best rallye car in this category today.”

Also taking the two void results into account, Bergkvist/Sjöberg have a total of 128 points, which can no longer be achieved by any of their competitors. So the Barum Rallye season finale in the Czech Republic on the last weekend in August will be a show race for the two champions.

Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott was full of praise: “One can’t applaud Emil’s and Joakim’s outstanding performance over the entire season enough. They were at the front of the field in every rallye and very cleverly captured the title. A huge compliment also goes to the whole ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team. This passionate dedication and fantastic team spirit were the key to success. And we are of course extremely proud of our ADAM R2 that proved its ability to win under all conditions. To secure the title early in this tough championship in the first full year is much more than we could have expected. It is simply fantastic!”

Marijan Griebel (26, from Hahnweiler) and his co-driver Stefan Clemens (29, from Thailen) finished the demanding rallye in the Baltics a strong sixth, giving them a good shot at capturing second place in the FIA ERC Junior at the final rallye in the Czech Republic. “This was one of the hardest rallies I’ve ever driven in,” admitted Griebel. “I am very happy with the result. A lot of teams showed how difficult it was to drive fast here and how easy it was to make a mistake. We got better and better during the rallye and again gathered loads of experience on gravel. And of course I’m thrilled for Emil and Jocke: they and the whole ADAC Opel Rallye Team really deserve this sensational success.”

Potential runner-up: Opel factory driver Marijan Griebel still has a chance of finishing second in the FIA ERC Junior after claiming sixth place in Estonia.

In contrast, Pole Aleks Zawada and his French co-driver Cathy Derousseaux were plagued by bad luck in their customer Opel ADAM R2. The winners of the Ypres Rallye hit a rock in the fourth stage that one of the cars in front of them catapulted onto the track. On impact a wheel suspension broke and these parts punched through the oil pan. The next day, Zawada/Derousseaux tackled the second leg with their repaired car, but were again prematurely stopped. A clogged radiator caused the Opel ADAM R2 to overheat, dashing all chances of finishing the rallye. 

!NEW! Strong International Interest in ADAC Opel Rallye Cup 2015

• ADAC Opel Rallye Cup starts its third season next weekend (March 6/7)
• Participants from nine countries to battle for Europe’s toughest rallye Cup
• Promotion to Opel works team and ERC entry beckons for juniors

High-flyer: The third edition of the successful ADAC Opel Rallye Cup will start on March 6.

On March 6 and 7, the ADAC Opel Rallye Cup begins its third season with the Saarland-Pfalz Rallye. The series for young driving talent has already generated massive international interest and a strong field of 20 teams drawn from nine countries will battle for points in the fight for the 2015 title, confirming the Cup’s status as the most successful rallye competition in Europe. The make-up of the starting line-up promises thrills aplenty: ten experienced Cup drivers are up against ten ambitious newcomers, while the field is more international than ever before, with 40 percent of drivers and co-drivers from European countries outside of 

Germany. And with the Finnish duo of Laura Suvanto/Reeta Hämäläinen and the German-Austrian pairing of Melanie Schulz/Elke Aigner, the starting line-up boasts two all-female teams for the first time. Belgian Yannick Neuville, younger brother of Rallye World Cup star Thierry Neuville, made a strong impression with consistently fast times during his debut season last year and is one of the favorites this season.  

Female touch: Melanie Schulz and her co-pilot Elke Aigner will form one of two all-female teams this years. 

The 2015 Cup schedule offers a tough challenge across a series of rallyes with different characteristics. New events include the season-opener at St. Wendel and the Thüringen Rallye. Opel’s ’home event’, the Rallye Wartburg, will be among the highlights, with its main service area located directly in front of the Opel Eisenach plant. And, of course, participation in the prestigious ADAC Rallye Deutschland, part of the World Rallye Championship, will be a special season highlight for the teams.

While well-proven technology, based around the 140 hp Opel ADAM Cup car, enters its third season unchanged, the sporting regulations were tweaked during the winter break. All participants will now be able to compete for the ADAC Opel Rallye Cup title regardless of age. However, with its own rankings and prize money, the ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Cup remains exclusively for young drivers born in 1988 or later. The season prize money fund has been substantially increased this year and now totals around 120,000 euros. The scoring system has also been modified. The first three finishers in each rallye will collect 35, 27 and 21 points, instead of the previous 30, 24 and 20. The driver who wins the most stages in a rallye will also earn an additional five bonus points. The so-called ’Power Stage’, a special leg declared by the organizer of each rallye, now brings the top three finishers three, two and one bonus points.

Fast rallye brothers: Belgian WRC star Thierry Neuville (on left) give Opel ADAM pilot Yannick Neuville some valuable advice for the upcoming season

At the end of this season, the best junior drivers have the unique opportunity to take part in a special screening to qualify for promotion to the ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team and drive the 190 hp Opel ADAM R2 on the international rallye circuit with a focus on the FIA ERC Junior in 2016.

“There are many good reasons to join the ADAC Opel Rallye Cup and we will do everything in our power to keep it that way,” says Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott. “The composition of this year’s starting line-up shows that our concept of combining top-class technology with a professional platform, all at an affordable cost, is working very well. The idea of providing long-term and successful promotion of young driving talent has proven to be very appealing. The popularity of this approach is both a confirmation of its success and also a responsibility for us to maintain. I’m looking forward to an exciting ADAC Opel Rallye Cup 2015 season.”

Calendar ADAC Opel Rallye Cup 2015

March 6 - 7                    ADAC Saarland-Pfalz Rallye, St. Wendel
April 17 - 18                  ADAC Hessen Rallye Vogelsberg, Schlitz
May 15 - 16                   S-DMV Thüringen Rallye, Pößneck
August 7 - 9                  ADAC Cosmo Rallye Wartburg, Eisenach
August 20 - 23              ADAC Rallye Deutschland (Doppellauf), Trier
September 4 - 5            ADAC Ostsee Rallye, Grömitz

October 23 - 24             ADAC 3-Städte-Rallye, Kirchham

!NEW! ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team Ready to Rumble

Second season of ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team with ADAM R2

Six EC races and ADAC Rallye Deutschland world championship race

Winning formula: The ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team wants to repeat last season’s success with the ADAM R2. 

From Latvia’s snow over Northern Ireland’s asphalt to the Azore’s gravel roads – the junior European Rallye Championship (FIA ERC Junior) 2015 calendar covers the entire spectrum of challenging racing surfaces. The best rallye drivers born in 1988 or later are set to prove themselves in Europe’s toughest young talent league in vehicles from the RC4 category, also known as R2. The ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team with two Opel ADAM R2 cars driven by Marijan Griebel and Emil Bergkvist are ready for the action to start.

Junior team: Marijan Griebel (right) and co-pilot Stefan Clemens (left) hope to get off to a successful start to the 2015 European Rallye championship in their Opel ADAM R2.

The competition is fully aware of the enormous potential of the 190 hp ADAM R2, and not just since Griebel’s outstanding second-place finish at the Barum Rallye in the Czech Republic last year. Griebel is accordingly optimistic before the season starts in Latvia: “In spite of the early start, we are going into the second season of the ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team well prepared. Last year’s results show that we can hold our own against the competition in the ERC Junior. In the last months, we further developed not only the ADAM R2, but also ourselves as a team.”

Swedish duo: Emil Bergkvist (right) and his co-pilot Joakim Sjöberg (left) after looking forward to the start of the 2015 FIA Junior European Rallye Championship.

Emil Bergkvist, who advanced to the ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team following his title win in the ADAC Opel Rallye Cup 2014, is also raring to go: “I learned so much in the ADAC Opel Rallye Cup. I’ll benefit from that in the ERC Junior. And as a Swede, I’m of course especially looking forward to the hopefully snowy races in Latvia.”

Open in Latvia: The pilots can look forward to some snowy stages at the Rallye Liepāja.

A special season highlight next to the six FIA ERC Junior races is participation in the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, where Marijan Griebel celebrated an overwhelming class victory last August. His new co-driver is Stefan Clemens. Bergkvist’s co-driver this season is again the Swede Joakim Sjöberg. The Opel works drivers will encounter two other ADAM R2 cars in the EC. German Julius Tannert and his Luxembourgish co-driver Jennifer Thielen will be in four of six races, including the Rallye Liepāja. Pole Aleks Zawada and his French co-driver Cathy Derousseaux are taking part the whole season. However, their car is being run privately, while the works ADAM R2 is, as usual, in the capable hands of Holzer Motorsport.

Calendar ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team 2015

February 6 - 8            Rallye Liepāja, Liepāja/Latvia (gravel/ice/snow) *

April 2 - 4                  Circuit of Ireland Rally, Belfast/Northern Ireland (asphalt) *

June 4 - 6                  SATA Rallye Açores, Ponta Delgada/Azores/Portugal (gravel) *

June 25 - 27              Geko Ypres Rally, Ypern/Belgium (asphalt) *

July 17 -19                auto24 Rally Estonia, Otepää/Estonia (gravel) *

August 20 - 23           ADAC Rallye Deutschland, Trier (asphalt)

August 28 - 30           Barum Czech Rally, Zlín/Czech Republic (asphalt) *

* Race in FIA ERC Junior

!NEW! Opel ADAM R2 – Extremely Successful

• Opel ADAM R2 shakes up European rallye circuit
• Championships in Germany, Spain and France
• 28 class or division wins in 39 starts 

German Rallye Championship and ADAC Masters: Marijan Griebel won six out of eight national championship races and celebrated the Division 5 title before the last race of the season.

The Opel ADAM R2 has shaken up the European rallye circuit and shocked the strong competition in the first year of its international registration (homologation). In 39 starts, the pilots of the ADAM R2 with 190 hp celebrated 28 class or division wins and four national championships.

French Rallye Championship: Yoann Bonato celebrated his fourth win of the season at the Rallye du Var and celebrated the title in the R2 category. 

The ADAM R2s of Opel Motorsport Team France hit it big in the French Rallye Championship last weekend. Yoann Bonato outpaced 42 opponents at the season finale, the Rallye du Var, in the south of France, celebrated his fourth win of the season and cruised to the title in the R2 category. Furthermore, Charlotte Berton recorded her fifth individual success of the season and won the French Women’s Rallye Championship.

French Women’s Rallye Championship: Charlotte Berton (right) recorded her fifth individual success of the season over the weekend and won the title.

Opel factory driver Marijan Griebel won six out of eight national championship races in the German Rallye Championship and the ADAC Masters and celebrated the Division 5 title before the last race of the season. In addition, Griebel won the R2 Category of the ADAC Rallye Germany, one of the races belonging to the World Rallye Championship.

In the Spanish Rallye Championship Esteban Vallin from Red Opel Motorsport Team Spain was in dominant form. Eight class wins gave him the R2 championship title. He was also runner-up in Division 2 for front-wheel drive vehicles and finished fourth in the overall rankings.

Spanish Rallye Championship: Esteban Vallin celebrated eight class wins giving him the R2 championship title. He was also runner-up in Division 2 for front-wheel drive vehicles and finished fourth in the overall rankings.

“Change your mind has also had an impact on the European rallye circuit. Our ADAM R2 has immediately established itself as a modern, fast and reliable rallye car. 28 wins in 39 starts speak for themselves. Championships in Germany, France and Spain along with impressive displays at World and European Championship level have not gone unnoticed. We are obviously delighted with the numerous purchase enquiries from all over Europe because they also show that the ADAM R2 is extremely successful.”