1973 Polish Rally

1973 Polish Rally
33rd Polish Rally
Round 7 of the 1973 World Rally Championship season
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Host country Poland
Rally baseKraków, Poland
Dates run12 July 1973 – 15 July 1973
Stages55 (734 km; 456 miles)
Stage surfaceAsphalt and gravel
Overall distance3,912 km (2,431 miles)
Statistics
Crews62 at start, 3 at finish
Overall results
Overall winnerWest Germany Achim Warmbold
France Jean Todt
Italy Fiat
Fiat Abarth 124 Rallye

The 1973 Polish Rally (formally the 33rd Polish Rally) was the seventh round of the inaugural World Rally Championship season. Run in mid-July in southern Poland, this marked to only year in which Poland (or any member of the Warsaw Pact) was part of the WRC calendar until 36 years later in 2009. This edition was also notable for the fact that of the 62 teams which began the rally, only three completed it, a record that stands today.

Report

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In 1973, and for several years afterward, only manufacturers were given points for finishes in WRC events. Despite the misfortune of most of the teams, Fiat was able to finally gain a win for their Fiat Abarth 124 Rallye. As no other major competitors were able to complete the rally, the win was by a substantial margin, the German driver outpacing the next finisher by nearly three hours.

Results

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1973 Polish Rally results
Finish Total
time
Group Car # Driver
Co-driver
Car Mfr.
points
Overall In
group
1 1 8 h : 28 m : 14 s 4 4 West Germany Achim Warmbold
France Jean Todt
Italy Fiat Abarth 124 Rallye 20
2 1 11 h : 15 m : 16 s 2 91 East Germany Egon Culmbacher
East Germany Werner Ernst
East Germany Wartburg 353 15
3 1 12 h : 8 m : 31 s 1 55 Poland Maciej Stawowiak
Poland Jan Czyżyk
Poland Polski Fiat 125p 12
Retired (excluded) 4 2 France Jean-Luc Thérier
France Alain Mahé
France Alpine Renault A110 1800
Retired (mechanical) 4 3 Italy Alcide Paganelli
Italy Ninni Russo
Italy Fiat Abarth 124 Rallye
Retired (accident) 4 7 Poland Adam Smorawiński
Poland Zbigniew Kołaczkowski
Germany Porsche 911
Retired (time) 2 12 Sweden Hans Britth
Sweden Magnus Olsson
United Kingdom Ford Capri 2600
Retired 2 21 Poland Marian Bień
Poland Wiesław Nicieja
Poland Polski Fiat 125p
Retired (time) 2 23 Poland Jerzy Dobrzański
Poland Antoni Ryniak
Poland Polski Fiat 125p
Retired (accident) 2 24 Soviet Union Stasys Brundza
Soviet Union Anatoli Brum
Soviet Union Moskvich 412
Retired (mechanical) 2 26 Poland Ryszard Żyszkowski
Poland Jerzy Żyszkowski
Poland Polski Fiat 125p
Retired 2 27 West Germany Horst Rausch
Poland Jerzy Sypniewski
Germany BMW 2002
Retired 2 31 Soviet Union Kastytis Girdauskas
Soviet Union Arvydas Girdauskas
Soviet Union Moskvich 412
Retired 2 34 Poland Krzysztof Komornicki
Poland Błażej Krupa
Poland Polski Fiat 125p
Retired 2 35 Poland Jerzy Landsberg
Poland Marian Wangrat
Poland Polski Fiat 125p
Retired (time) 2 36 Soviet Union Lev Morozov
Soviet Union Andris Kalnais
Soviet Union Moskvich 412
Retired (accident) 1 49 Soviet Union Heino Sepp
Soviet Union Toomas Bernstein
Soviet Union Moskvich 412
Retired (time) 1 57 Sweden Evert Wesström
Sweden Bo Carlsson
Japan Toyota Corolla
Retired (mechanical) 1 63 Poland Marek Varisella
Poland Janina Jedynak
Poland Polski Fiat 125p

Source: Independent WRC archive[1]

Championship standings after the event

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1973 World Rally Championship for Manufacturers points standings after round 7
After round 6 Team Season end
Position Points Position Points
1 92 France Alpine Renault 1 147
2 63 Italy Fiat 2 84
3 33 France Citroën 7 33
4 22 Japan Datsun 6 34
5 20 Sweden Saab 5 42
6 16 United States Ford 3 76
7 15 East Germany Wartburg 14 15
8 14 Germany Volkswagen 15 15
9 13 Italy Lancia 13 17
10 13 France Peugeot 16 13
11 12 Poland Polski Fiat 12 18
12 8 Germany Porsche 9 27
13 5 Germany Opel 11 25
14 4 Germany BMW 8 28
4 Japan Mitsubishi 17 4
4 Sweden Volvo 4 44
17 3 Czechoslovakia Škoda 18 3
18 2 Japan Toyota 10 25
19 1 Germany Audi 20 2

References

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  1. ^ "Polish Rally". juwra.com. Independent WRC archive. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
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