Stig Blomqvist will forever be associated with the spectacular Group B rally cars of the 1980s which thrilled fans and drivers alike. Before and after Group B the Swede drove a vast array of other racing machinery, during an extraordinary career.
Early Rally Success with Saab
Blomqvist was born in Orebro on July 29th, 1948. Three years previously another Swedish racing legend, Ronnie Peterson, was born in the same town. Blomqvist embarked on a rallying career as soon as he’d passed his driving test, competing in his first events during 1964. For many years he remained loyal to Saab, until the company ceased their rally programme in the early eighties.
Throughout the seventies Blomqvist won multiple Swedish rally titles, and also started to establish himself on the international stage. In 1971 he won the RAC Rally in Britain, behind the wheel of a Saab. He was particularly at home on the Swedish Rally, winning it for the first time in 1971 and several times thereafter.
WRC Champion in Audi Quattro
In the early 1980s Blomqvist drove for the Talbot Sunbeam team before landing a drive with Audi, meaning that he had their potent Quattro at his disposal. In 1984 Blomqvist used the Quattro to devastating effect. He won five events in total on his way to the World Rally Championship, partnered by co-driver Björn Cederberg. Over the next couple of seasons Blomqvist drove a variety of Group B machinery, including the Ford RS200. He would later use an RS200 to win several hillclimb championships
Blomqvist’s Racing Career after Group B
After Group B was banned following high profile fatal accidents Blomqvist never regained the heights of 1984, but he continued to be a fearsome competitor. Skoda hired him to help develop their Felicia kit car in the early 1990s and he put in some startling performances. In 1998 he finished third overall in the underpowered machine on the Rally of Great Britain. In 2001 Blomqvist competed in the Group N class of the World Rally Championship (WRC), taking his Mitsubishi Lancer to fifth overall in the final standings.
Blomqvist has also competed in several other racing disciplines throughout his career. In 1990 he won the Swedish Touring Car Championship, driving a Ford Sierra RS500 and demonstrating that he was just as capable on a circuit as he was in the forests. He has also competed in the daunting Pikes Peak hillclimb in America and, in 2000, won the classic London-Sydney marathon.
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