Lars-Erik Torph

WRC driver
Name = Lars-Erik Torph


Caption =
Nationality = flagicon|Sweden Swedish
Years = 1980 – 1989
Teams = Toyota, Volkswagen
Races = 20
Championships = 0
Wins = 0
Podiums = 4
Stagewins = 3
Points = 74
First race = 1980 Swedish Rally
Last race = 1989 Swedish Rally

Lars-Erik Torph (January 11, 1961 – January 23, 1989) was a Swedish rally driver. He debuted in the World Rally Championship in 1980 and took his first points at his home event, the Swedish Rally, in 1984. Driving a Toyota Celica TCT, a Toyota Supra 3.0i and an Audi Coupé Quattro, he went on to finish on the podium four times. After just turning 28, Torph and his co-driver Bertil-Rune Rehnfeldt died while spectating the 1989 Monte Carlo Rally, after Lancia driver Alex Fiorio lost control of his Delta Integrale and crashed into them.

Career

Torph debuted in the World Rally Championship during the 1980 season, competing with a Volvo 142 at the Swedish Rally and at the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland, retiring in both events. At his seventh WRC event, the 1984 Swedish Rally, he took his first WRC points by finishing fifth in an Opel Ascona for the Opel Team Sweden. In 1985, Torph drove to 11th place at his home event and then placed in the points at the 1000 Lakes Rally, taking ninth place in a Volkswagen Golf GTI for the Swedish Junior Team.cite web | title=Lars-Erik Torph | work=RallyBase | url=http://www.rallybase.nl/index.php?type=profile&driverid=3185 | accessdate=2008-09-11]

In the 1986 season, Torph competed in three rallies for Toyota Team Europe, Toyota's factory WRC team. He took his Toyota Celica TCT to second place at the endurance events Safari Rally and Rallye Côte d'Ivoire, losing the wins to compatriot and teammate Björn Waldegård. At the Olympus Rally, Torph finished fourth, but this time ahead of Waldegård who took fifth place. [cite web | title=21st Olympus Rally | work=RallyBase | url=http://www.rallybase.nl/index.php?type=result&rallyid=227 | accessdate=2008-09-18] Points from these events placed Torph sixth in drivers' world championship.

In 1987, Torph again had a three-event contract with Toyota. He started his season at the Swedish Rally and finished 11th in his privateer Audi 80 Quattro. With a factory Toyota Supra 3.0i, he finished third at the Safari Rally behind Audi Sport's Hannu Mikkola and Walter Röhrl, despite a fever that lasted almost the duration of the event. [cite book | last=Sturmey | first=Henry | coauthors=H. Walter Staner | year=1987 | title=The Autocar: A Journal Published in the Interests of the Mechanically Propelled Road Carriage | publisher=Iliffe, sons & Sturmey ltd. | pages=p. 17] At the Olympus Rally, he retired due to an engine problem. [cite web | title=22nd Olympus Rally | work=RallyBase | url=http://www.rallybase.nl/index.php?type=result&rallyid=208 | accessdate=2008-09-18] On the second day of the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire, Toyota's Cessna 340 aircraft crashed down and exploded, killing manager Henry Liddon, his assistant Nigel Harris, the pilot and the navigator. Toyota boss Ove Andersson withdrew all the factory Supra Turbos from the event. [cite web | title=Henry Liddon | work=Motorsport Memorial | url=http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=5847 | accessdate=2008-09-11]

During the 1988 season, Torph participated in only two WRC events. In Sweden, driving a privateer Audi Coupé Quattro, he took his fourth podium place finishing behind Markku Alén and Stig Blomqvist. [cite web | title=38th International Swedish Rally | work=RallyBase | url=http://www.rallybase.nl/index.php?type=result&rallyid=190 | accessdate=2008-09-11] For the Safari Rally, Torph had a factory team contract with Volkswagen but retired after his Golf GTI 16V developed an engine problem. [cite web | title=36th Marlboro Safari Rally | work=RallyBase | url=http://www.rallybase.nl/index.php?type=result&rallyid=192 | accessdate=2008-09-11] Torph continued with the Coupé Quattro for the Team VAG Sweden in the 1989 season opener in Sweden, but retired after an ignition problem. [cite web | title=39th International Swedish Rally | work=RallyBase | url=http://www.rallybase.nl/index.php?type=result&rallyid=176 | accessdate=2008-09-11]

Death

At the 1989 Monte Carlo Rally, Torph was not competing but only doing the reconnaissance ("recce") to help fellow Swedish rally driver Fredik Skoghag regarding pacenotes on icy surface. While taking a break from recce duties, Torph and his co-driver Burtil-Rune Rehnfeldt went to spectate the fifth stage of the rally. Italian driver Alex Fiorio lost control of his Lancia Delta Integrale, and then regained it only to go off the road and down an enbankment on the other side. At about 145 km/h (90 mph), the car crashed into Torph and Rehnfeldt, killing both. Fiorio and his co-driver Luigi Pirollo were unhurt. [cite journal | last=Holmes |first=Martin | journal=Autosport | title=Report on the accident | pages=16 | date=January 26, 1989] Witnesses said that hitting a bump had caused Fiorio to lose control of his car. [cite journal | journal=Chicago Sun-Times | title=2 killed in Monte Carlo Rally | pages=87 | date=January 24, 1989 | url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB36E3244DF7F6B&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM] Skoghag withdrew from the event, and Lancia's factory team Martini Lancia took a triple win with drivers Miki Biasion, Didier Auriol and Bruno Saby. [cite web | title=57ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo | work=RallyBase | url=http://www.rallybase.nl/index.php?type=result&rallyid=177 | accessdate=2008-09-11]

References

External links

* [http://www.rallybase.nl/index.php?type=profile&driverid=3185 Torph at RallyBase]