I am no fan of cars or car race sport of any kind. But for some reason I am fascinated by Walter Röhrls achievements and personality. He is peculiar - or rather very special. He apparently even was better at hill cycling than the race cyclist profi Eddy Merx. He was blessed with so many talents. Yet stayed down to earth. His co-pilot complained, that Röhrl didn’t even want to stay in Hawaii or other exotic places but only wanted to go home as fast as possible after the races. Or that story, that he had to be pressured and dragged to that Africa ralley, didn’t train - while the others trained there for weeks, and he came, won - and vanished, lol. He is a special kind. Didn’t care for titles, mainly only wanted to win Monte Carlo and didn’t bow to any company owner. He got no nerves and an iron backbone.
I heard that story so often, but I still have to chuckle. This legendary mist race at night in Arganil, Portugal. He has a photographic memory, went to bed after the last training and did the whole 42 km race again in his mind only. Stopped the time and “made” the race with 5 seconds difference (no clue if faster or slower than in reality right before). So he said to himself something like “great, I am ready. Hopefully it becomes misty”. Which it did, lol. With partly only 5 meters of sight, he won that night race with nearly 5 minutes advantage to the second.
In this documentation, he drives the same distance by day, viewing the steep slides right beside the road and says in his typical dry way "luckily it was misty back then, for that I didn’t see those gorges."
This is a great interview. He started with ralley sport by accident, because his friend realized his talent snd insisted, bought a car, even sold stocks of his father to provide a race car for Röhrl. Röhrl had no money. Wrote to car magazines and race companies to praise Röhrl as the best race driver, lol. He was a very introverted person and didn’t want to become famous. That"s why he loved the ralley sport. To run not against others but against time. Expressed huge respect for Rossberg to end Formula 1 after the world title and has no nice words for Hamilton, lol. To stand in the focus and others cheering at him, made him feel ashamed and bad. I guess this has a lot to do with his education at home. That’s why he never went to the world title ceremonies in Paris, lol. Never went in discos. He said, if his brother wouldn’t have met that girl and introduced him to her, he still would be single, lol.
He is a really nice person. Lent his beloved own private Porsche to some other driver for a race. Despite he extra didn’t use him for races for himself, because he loved it too much. But also very direct and fierce if he feels to have been used. Totaly focused on perfection. Regardless what he does. That was his only interest. Not a speed junky. A very peculiar man. But totally fascinating.I could listen to his stories forever, lol. Despite I always despised car races and still find them boring and obnoxious. But he always makes me want to watch him and I always feel feel in awe.
A really great interview of someone who is worth to listen to.
Before he even started with the Ralley sport, he was the driver of the catholic bishop office and drove throughout Bavaria on a daily basis. He drove so fast, that the other oncoming cars even realized this and gave light signals to him. Asked why they are doing this, he answered to the bishop, that he knows them and it’s just greeting signals. Back in the Office the bishop told the staff there once, that Walter knows every second Bavarian lol.
I used to read about him ages ago in the car magazines, although his type of racing never made big news in North America. Anyone who prefers the true POS Rossberg over Hamilton has a few screws loose, though.
2016 Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg has revealed a personal hurdle he had to overcome to defeat Lewis Hamilton, which saw him abandon being the “real” version of himself.
Rosberg famously decided to retire from F1 immediately after sealing his world drivers’ title in the Abu Dhabi season finale, securing the championship by five points.
It brought an end to Hamilton’s initial period of dominance with Mercedes after he won back-to-back titles, as well as bringing Rosberg’s career to a close.
The German gave everything to defeat the seven-time world champion and did not want to go through it again, having finally reached the top of the sport and achieved his lifelong dream.
Yes its a greeting. Flashing your head lights or if the person is on foot the light or blinker closest to them. I get it. Someone did it on my way to the Ironwood Library today. You can also just wave.
Gunda, your own ignorance of F1 is on display. Nico Rosberg is one of the most disliked drivers in F1 history, from his pansy style (he asked the BBC about where to get makeup done before an interview) to his endless whining and the mind games he played the one time he beat Lewis Hamilton.
He doesn’t mention the four times he LOST to Hamilton, or the cowardly crashes he forced to ensure his sole victory. Or the seven Hamilton titles vs his one. And now, he’s forgotten, like the irritating butt sore he was, and which F1 healed from.
Hamilton came from nothing, sleeping on his dad’s couch. Rosberg is the son of a World Champion who grew up in Monaco. Anyone who prefers that pansy over Hamilton has taste so ordinary, they probably listen to Sting, Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen.
I read up about the Audi-era (only with context to Walter Röhrl) in US race circuits. Even watched the whole Niagara Falls Race, where Walter Röhrl overrounded every car but the one on second place. Röhrl’s job wasn’t actually that of a driver, as he disliked the boring circuits, but as a car developer and advisor/assist to Hans-Joachim Stuck, who was the main Audi driver. According to Röhrl, Stucki didn’t want to drive this particular race. If I remember correctly, Röhrl said it was because of high temperatures, but I am not that sure. And he dominated that race like no one before him. He overrounded everyone but the one coming in second. The Audi was one reason, but no Audi driver in the Trans Am and Imsa series ever won that impressive. Röhrls talent was outstanding.
Why Röhrl didn’t win more during the Audi time in USA was simply because he wasn’t allowed to. His job was to help and assist Stucki and to shield him from others. And to advise him on driving the Audi Quattro. This leads me to another anecdote, lol. As grounded, shy and modest Walter Röhrl was, he made sure, everyone knew and didn’t forget who was the best driver and he didn’t allow anyone to treat him disrespectfully, only because he preferred to stay outside the spot lights and not needing to win all titles. In his first race as Stuckis four-wheeled bodyguard and driving teacher, he felt the need to show Stucki, how the rabbit runs (literal translation of a german saying which means to show someone the truth/reality). Therefore he took the lead right from the start and didn’t let Stucki overhaul, till the very last seconds. Röhrl most of the time even was that far ahead, that the tv didn’t show him for most of the time, lol. This was at the German Touring Mastership (DTM). Just like in this Niagara Falls race. During that very first DTM race, Stucki and the Audi Team were very nervous to say the least, lol. Only in the last lap, he began to switch down into the first gear, waiting for Stucki. He let him win with only a half car length, lol.
In the second Video he tells the reason, why Circuit races were boring to Röhrl, lol (anything but lethal consequences for mistakes obviously is boring to him and the reducted Power of the planned next race cars made Röhrl cancel his lifelong Audi contract. Porsche smartly instantly jumped in. Since then, Röhrl was involved in the development of every new Porsche.
Btw., I am no fan of Stucki. I prefer the seriousness and attitude of Röhrl on any aspect by far.
