It might be all too straightforward for Armin Schwarz to select the Toyota Celica GT-4 as his favorite automobile. In spite of everything, from a profession that graced the World Rally Championship podium with 4 totally different producers, it was within the Group A weapon that he claimed his solely WRC victory in Catalunya in 1991.
But the machine the German selects as an alternative by no means gained a WRC occasion. Ending third on the Safari Rally in 2001 could have been the second-generation Skoda Octavia’s finest WRC consequence, however Schwarz loved rallying it extra regardless.
Schwarz, who joined Hyundai for 2002 to develop its MSD-built Accent WRC, believes the underpowered Octavia was underrated. Actually, because the 61-year-old acknowledges, “the Octavia by no means was extremely rated a possible profitable automobile from all the opposite groups and drivers”. However in 2001, regardless of a persistent lack of torque, it did muster a number of giant-killing outcomes and occasionally challenged for podiums.
“It was shut in Monte Carlo, but it surely occurred in Safari,” says Schwarz, whose co-driver all through his time at Skoda, Manfred Hiemer, died aged 62 in 2023. “It additionally would have been doable in Greece [where Schwarz finished seventh despite a largely trouble-free event, power the main complaint]; the robust rallies, the automobile was actually good.”
At Toyota, Schwarz had been solid in a supporting function to Carlos Sainz, its WRC champion in 1990. However when he joined Skoda in 1999 to drive the primary iteration of the cumbersome Octavia, ending a hiatus that adopted being abruptly dropped by Ford in 1997, Schwarz was the clear primary. Though it isn’t at all times mirrored within the outcomes, Schwarz reckons he reached a aggressive peak from having common seat time that he’d usually lacked in stints with Toyota and Mitsubishi.
“I did all the event checks,” he says. “I used to be the primary driver within the Octavia and so there was plenty of belief on my shoulder. It was for me an opportunity that I took in 2001 as a result of I knew I can set-up the automobile like I want it and get all of the assist from the group.”
Schwarz solely managed one podium within the Octavia, however has fond recollections of the underdog challenger
Picture by: Sutton Photos
That counted for little initially because the automobile’s debut in Monte Carlo was a humiliation attributable to issues with its engine administration software program. Schwarz suffered a clutch failure on his method to the official begin ramp in On line casino Sq., whereas team-mate Pavel Sibera didn’t make the beginning of the primary stage correct both.
A distant fifth on the Acropolis in 2000, affected by a fever, was Schwarz’s solely factors rating, though there have been indicators of progress. Bruno Thiry had positioned fourth on the 1999 Rally GB, whereas Schwarz delivered the Czech marque’s first-ever quickest stage time on Rally Catalunya in 2000.
“It was actually dangerous climate,” remembers Schwarz. “And I feel dangerous climate, at all times the automobiles confirmed their behaviour. It was supplying you with plenty of belief in troublesome situations.”
“If it might not dry up on the final two levels on Sunday in Monte Carlo, nonetheless immediately I am fairly assured we’d be on the rostrum, not Francois” Armin Schwarz
It was a special story when the Evo2 version arrived, which coincided with “developments in all of the respects of the group” run by Javel Paneba. Following a number of toe-in-the-water outings in 2000, Schwarz went toe-to-toe with Monte Carlo specialist Francois Delecour in a Ford Focus for the ultimate spot on the rostrum in 2001’s season opener, the eventual 20.7s hole belying how shut it had been for a lot of the ultimate leg. Autosport famous that the efficiency “has to go down as one of many bravest drives of the yr”.
And following his Safari heroics, setting the quickest time on the opening stage to offer Skoda the lead of a WRC occasion for the primary time and its first-ever podium, fifth on Rally GB ensured Skoda completed degree on factors with Hyundai – however forward on countback.
For Schwarz, one of many Octavia’s finest traits was its dealing with ensuing from its lengthy wheelbase. “In comparison with a Peugeot, a Citroen or a Subaru, it was a fairly straightforward automobile to drive,” he observes.
This was particularly vital within the combined situations of the 2001 Monte. Schwarz believes on a completely dry rally, he would have confronted an uphill process to succeed in the factors, however his prospects have been reworked when snow hit. The place rival producers “have been excellent on full snow, or full dry”, he recognised that the Octavia may work properly in situations the place compromises have been crucial.
Schwarz got here near beating Delecour to the podium on the snowy Monte Carlo
Picture by: Ralph Hardwick
“If it might not dry up on the final two levels on Sunday in Monte Carlo, nonetheless immediately I am fairly assured we’d be on the rostrum, not Francois,” he states.
Sturdiness was its different key upside. Schwarz’s team-mate Thiry had trigger to be particularly grateful for this after the farcical occasions of Rally Argentina. A fireplace engine responding to a blaze began by accident by a spectators’ barbeque overturned and crashed into the 2 parked Octavias in parc ferme, with Thiry nonetheless inside his automobile. Skoda director Jens Pohlmann was significantly injured, and each automobiles have been withdrawn.
Third place on the Safari was the product of in depth testing, which Schwarz says reminded him of days with Toyota – the marque having lengthy regarded Kenya as an vital precedence.
“You have to have a correct testing, a great growth,” he explains. “Sturdiness is the important thing for achievement in Kenya. So the energy what we had in 2001, the automobile was ready possibly even to win.”
Schwarz says his ploy of pushing from the 117-kilometre first stage with a time of 55m05.0s was a deliberate technique to put rivals underneath stress. “As a result of no person expects to be that quick in Safari,” he says. And it labored a deal with, regardless of a puncture on stage three that dropped him to sixth on the finish of the primary day.
“That was the important thing to hurry everyone up and roughly nearly everyone bumped into a giant drawback,” Schwarz remembers. “We did not run into any massive drawback. We had a few smaller [problems], however we saved it very linear till the tip.”
Third on the Safari was the head of Schwarz’s tenure with Skoda
Picture by: Sutton Photos