It's a steep climb up the street to the detached house. I press the doorbell: "Hello, I'm Walter." The door opens. "Hello, I'm Holger." I had announced my arrival by phone. The man is in demand and on the road a lot. He's not a pensioner, he's active in life, so you have to make appointments (and be punctual).
"We know each other," I open the conversation at the dining room table over coffee and cake. "At Audi Sport in the DTM." Walter frowns and nods in a friendly manner. I carry out my role there. He continues to nod amiably. Then I go back to a lap with him on the Nordschleife - also in the DTM year - when I wanted to develop more of a classic car presence at Audi and we were a sponsor there. "Yes, of course, it was pouring with rain.".
The number 1
Suddenly he seems to remember me too. In any case, he explains to me why this lap was so special. It was the car, what else, that fascinated him so much. A special, lightweight Austin Healey with endless power. I must have been perceived as superfluous ballast that had to be heaved through the bends 10% to the detriment of good balance and dynamics. He can recite the lap 25 years ago almost as meticulously as I can.
Countless times I have proudly recited the one lap with Walter Röhrl on the Nordschleife to my petrolheads. I know it by heart. But the fact that he, the great Walter, only recognizes me through this very lap, these almost 10 minutes of his life, which he even seems to remember quite well, gives a deep insight into the person Walter Röhrl. Driving is almost everything to him, and he drives it to perfection. That is why he is and was number 1.
He's just standing there
When I opened the front door, I had already noticed how tall the 1.93m giant was standing in the doorway. He rests in front of you like a fir tree in the Bavarian Forest, swaying from one foot to the other with a slight spring in his step. He's probably quickly catching up on the Arganil stage on the side. The fact that he says "you" so casually may not suit him. But over time, he has probably got used to the "Mr. Röhrl" in his ear.
We quickly move on to the subject of cars, what else? "Self-driving cars, what a load of garbage, I can't imagine giving up driving." And then it happens. The Porsche representative, who has just returned from a Porsche event, raves about the new Mazda MX-5. "I drove it on the way back here. And believe me, I got to Regensburg 20 minutes before the others."
Of course, this journey was not on the highway, but on the winding roads of the Bavarian Forest.
Honest to the core
"I ordered the Mazda straight away." Mind you, he did this on the phone while on the road. That's how much he enjoys the lightweight, rear-wheel drive, high-revving classic from Japan. The Mazda dealer in Regensburg can rejoice.
And Porsche can swallow. Because Walter has never made a secret of his opinion. And he tells every journalist about Mazda and his new toy with the joy of a child. It sometimes makes you wonder how Röhrl managed to stay in the business for so long despite his undoubted abilities. Or did he stay precisely because of his merciless honesty?
He is as he drives
He left the 1982 RAC Rally on the train. Röhrl was already out of the running before the race. The sponsor Rothmans had insisted on a dinner before the rally, which the world champion on Opel, who was in poor health, was not in the mood for. This led to a scandal and the aforementioned train journey. There was probably no car left for him. Imagine that in the careers of other athletes?
Walter Röhrl was not affected by the affair. His honesty was appreciated. Journalists appreciated him anyway, and ambitious team bosses knew what they had in him, not just on the track, but long before that, during development. "It's cheaper to drive with Mr. Röhrl than against him." With this insight, the Audi technical boss ended the divided Bavarian relationship at the time and Ferdinand Piëch personally brought Röhrl into the Ingolstadt team. And he thanked him: with honest work, because without him the Sport quattro would probably have been an even bigger miscarriage.
The victory at the San Remo or the unforgettable ride on the cannonball, which Herbert Deimel staged in the interior of the Audi quattro on a special stage, are unforgettable.
WR 70
It's hard to believe that Walter Röhrl is already 70 years old. He was never really gone. He is more present than ever; the Internet, YouTube and the like deliver the countless quotes directly to the screen at any time. Somehow he never left. He never left the track. He has risen to the top, he is an idol. Nobody is fooling him. But he's not fooling anyone either. What distinguishes self-confidence from arrogance is humility. He has that, in all modesty and has a blast driving.
Happy birthday Walter Röhrl
Anyone who has not yet had the chance or opportunity to meet this man or would like to get closer to him can find out much more in the book WR 70, which friends and companions have published for and about Walter Röhrl and his career to mark his milestone birthday. His most important companions take the opportunity to report on their encounters with the genius on wheels. Herbert Völker, Christian Geistdörfer, Eckhard Eybl, Helmut Deimel, Gerhard Nöhrer, Jürgen Pippig and Dieter Scharnagl recall the great Röhrl moments in their lives. Celebrate with us!
If you like Röhrl, the EUR 29.90 is certainly not too much, even if you already have two or three works about the Regensburg native on your shelf. Especially as the 200 pages are illustrated with lots of beautiful pictures. The book is beautifully printed and where else could you read that racing driver Röhrl only caught one speed camera on public roads in his entire life? And that he suffered sleepless nights because of it?
Bibliographic information
- Title: WR 70 - 70 years of Walter Röhrl
- Author: Various
- Language: German
- Publisher: Delius Klasing
- Edition: 1st edition 2017
- Format: 267 x 307 mm, hardcover
- Scope: 200 pages, 82 color and various b/w images
- Price: € 29,90
- ISBN: 978-3-667-11021-3
- Buy/order: Online at Delius Klasing Verlag, online at amazon.de or in a well-stocked bookshop
