Björn Waldegaard - he was not a man of big words
09/06/2014
Björn Waldegaard (or as his name was correctly spelled: Waldegård) was one of the few great rally champions I met in person. Even after his active career as a rally driver, he was happy to take part in classic car events if he was invited. A modest man without big words who liked to keep going right to the end!
And he had every reason to be proud of his Palmares. He started rallying in 1962 and only retired from active professional racing 30 years later. In 1979, he became the first title winner in the newly created World Rally Championship for drivers. He won countless major rallies, including the Monte Carlo Rally, the Acropolis Rally, the Sweden Rally, the San Remo Rally and the Safari Rally, among many others.
The fact that he competed in a wide variety of vehicles proves him to be a versatile driver. Whether Porsche 911, Lancia Stratos, Ford Escort, Mercedes Benz 500 SLC, Toyota Celica or Volkswagen Beetle, he mastered them all.
Björn Waldegaard died unexpectedly of cancer on August 29, 2014 at the age of 70. We will miss him very much.
