Walter Rohrl: Time For Coffee?

The rally legend turned 70 earlier this year; celebrate with some of his greatest drives

Walter Rohrl turned 70 earlier this year - yes, it came as quite a surprise to many of us too. He has been in the business of going fast for so long that he is timeless. Looking back through some of his achievements, Mr Rohrl has done plenty. Following two World Rally Championships, winning Monte Carlo with four different manufacturers, a Pikes Peak record and a Le Mans Class win, he was dubbed the "Genius on Wheels" by Niki Lauda himself.

A 2005 interview with Motorsport Magazine gives insight into just how fearless Rohrl's approach to driving was. Asked how much of Pikes Peak he committed to memory before his record breaking 10 minute 47 second run, he answered, "What I did was to drive it with my wife Monika and we made pace notes, which I then memorised -- not the road, you understand, the notes. And this worked really well. Ari Vatanen had seen the road maybe 50 times and still could not be sure of the corners."

When quizzed on whether his 600hp Audi Sport Quattro E2 was very difficult to drive he replied, "If you didn't turn the steering wheel one whole turn then it didn't even react. Of course in power and traction, the Audi was the best but it was hard to drive with the understeer and I had to teach myself left-foot braking." What a man.

So, even if we are a little late to the party, there's never a bad time to celebrate Walter Rohrl. To that end, we have collated a trio of videos that not only show off his remarkable skill behind the wheel of these mental machines, but also the sheer determination to win. Enjoy!

San Remo Rally 1985