The foreword is by Walter Röhrl, but that has often happened before. But there is something special about this book, because Röhrl wrote a large part of it himself. He laid the foundations for it almost 20 years ago, as the first version was published in 2002. And in 2012, an improved version was published, which was then quite appropriately called Evo2. And now Evo3? No, McKlein and Röhrl didn't want to be that straightforward after all, so the book was given the addition "World Champion Edition 1980".
This is to commemorate the first World Championship won, which was 40 years ago. A further 50 new pictures were selected for the new edition and 32 more pages were printed. You can now also read Helmut Deimel's view of the 1980 World Championship year and a summary of the last eight years since 2012.
Authentic
If you like literary texts, artful phrases and elegant language, you've come to the wrong place. Walter Röhrl writes pretty much the way he speaks: bluntly, straightforwardly and credibly. You can almost hear him speak. Diligent YouTube viewers know the famous saying: "With this car, you're already too late to think ...".
This is exactly how the book reads, which is largely written along the timeline. You begin, so to speak, as a co-driver of the eight-year-old Röhrl in his father's Fiat 1400 and follow the best rally driver of all time - at least that's what he's been called - right up to modern times.
In between, great victories, but also accidents and failures are described and Röhrl would not be Röhrl if he did not also take a hard look at himself.
Powerful images
Röhrl's words are accompanied by almost 400 photos that perfectly illustrate his rally and racing career. Although there are no photos of the competition with Emerson Fittipaldi, when he came within a handful of seconds of the former Formula 1 world champion's time in the yellow Copersucar, the series of pictures is otherwise quite rich and varied.
And if you like Ford Capri, Opel Ascona, Opel Kadett, Porsche 911, Lancia Stratos, Fiat 131 Abarth, Lancia 037 Rally or Audi Quattro, you're sure to get your money's worth.
Versatile
Walter Röhrl's career is not just about rallies, however. He also drove a lot on the circuit, even if he did not finish quite as far ahead there as in rallying, not least because of his choice of car. Whether Le Mans, DTM or TransAm, Röhrl was always fast. And he proved on Pikes Peak that he could also drive up a mountain in a racy manner. Of course, all these episodes can also be found in the book.
There are also many anecdotes and several complete chapters about people who made a significant contribution to Röhrl's successes. These include, for example, Christian Geistdörfer, Karl-Heinz Goldstein and Dieter Basche.
Exciting
Anyone who has always wanted to understand what makes a Röhrl tick will find this 300-page book a real treat. Rally fans will not be able to put the book down until they reach the statistics section at the end. But even if you are not a "rally nerd", the "1980 World Championship" edition will keep you busy for several hours.
Anyone who already owns an earlier edition of the book will not necessarily need the "update/upgrade". But if you don't yet have a book about Röhrl, and there are quite a few, you certainly won't go wrong with this new edition. And otherwise you can complain to the master himself, because after all, he wrote it ...
Bibliographical information
- Title: Walter Röhrl - Evo2 - World Champion Edition 1980
- Authors: Walter Röhrl with Wilfried Müller and Reinhard Klein
- Photography: Reinhard Klein / McKlein
- Language: German
- Publisher: McKlein Publishing
- Edition: 2nd expanded edition, December 2020 (1st edition 2002/2012)
- Format: Hardcover, 24 x 30 cm
- Size: 304 pages, 282 color and 109 black and white photos
- ISBN: 978-3-947156-31-3
- Price: EUR 59.90
- Buy/order: Online at amazon.de, online at the publisher McKlein or at the relevant bookstore
