- Source: 1982 Rallye de Portugal
The 1982 Rally of Portugal (formally the 16º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto) was the third round of the 1982 World Rally Championship season, after the Monte Carlo and Swedish rallies. It was the second event in the Championship of Makes, as the Swedish Rally did not count towards the Manufacturers' Championship.
Report
Michèle Mouton dominated a rally with lots of mechanical retirements; seven out of ten factory team starters did not finish. Only 23 of the 91 starters (the 92nd entrant, Belgian Claude Reusch, overslept and missed the start) were classified in the end. Second place went to Swede Per Eklund in a somewhat outdated Toyota Celica, scheduled to be the RA45's final factory outing. Franz Wittmann, Sr. finished third in the second works' Audi.
Henri Toivonen put on a good show in his Ascona 400, being a spectator favourite, but a series of technical failures (changing the rear axle twice) pushed him as far back as 18th. A succession of four fastest times brought him back up to fifth, but a broken clutch ended his race with four special stages left. His teammate Walter Röhrl crashed out after his steering failed. All of the Nissans (Salonen, Pond, Mendes) broke down, the differential failed in Björn Waldegård's Celica, and the front suspension collapsed on Jean-Luc Thérier's Alméras-Porsche 911 SC. Because of the large number of retirements, six out of six of the new 1.2-liter, Group B Citroën Visa Trophées finished, with the best one gaining a fifth position ahead of significantly more powerful cars.
Results
Final standings:
Championship standings after the event
References
External links
Official website of the World Rally Championship
1982 Portugal Rally at Rallye-info Archived 2016-03-26 at the Wayback Machine