Lars-Erik Torph facts for kids
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Swedish |
| Born | 11 January 1961 Säffle, Sweden |
| Died | 23 January 1989 (aged 28) |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 1980–1989 |
| Co-driver | Rune Gustavsson Yvonne Hultgren Samuel Bernårdsson Jan Svanström Keith Oswin Bo Thorszelius Benny Melander Tina Thörner Björn Cederberg |
| Teams | Toyota, Volkswagen |
| Rallies | 20 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Rally wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 4 |
| Stage wins | 3 |
| Total points | 74 |
| First rally | 1980 Swedish Rally |
| Last rally | 1989 Swedish Rally |
Lars-Erik Torph (born January 11, 1961 – died January 23, 1989) was a talented Swedish rally driver. He started competing in the World Rally Championship in 1980. Lars-Erik earned his first points at his home race, the Swedish Rally, in 1984. He drove for teams like Toyota and Volkswagen. During his career, he reached the podium four times. Sadly, Lars-Erik Torph died at just 28 years old during the 1989 Monte Carlo Rally.
Rally Career Highlights
Lars-Erik Torph began his World Rally Championship journey in the 1980 season. He raced a Volvo 142 in the Swedish Rally and the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland. He didn't finish these first two races.
At his seventh WRC event, the 1984 Swedish Rally, he scored his first points. He finished fifth in an Opel Ascona for the Opel Team Sweden. In 1985, he placed 11th at his home event. Later, he earned points at the 1000 Lakes Rally, finishing ninth. For this race, he drove a Volkswagen Golf GTI for the Swedish Junior Team.
Racing for Toyota
In the 1986 season, Torph competed in three rallies for Toyota Team Europe. This was Toyota's main WRC team. He drove a Toyota Celica TCT to second place in two tough races. These were the Safari Rally and Rallye Côte d'Ivoire. He finished just behind his teammate, Björn Waldegård.
At the Olympus Rally, Torph finished fourth. This time, he was ahead of Waldegård, who took fifth place. The points he earned in these events placed Torph sixth in the overall drivers' world championship.
In 1987, Torph again had a contract for three events with Toyota. He started his season at the Swedish Rally. He finished 11th in his own Audi 80 Quattro. With a factory Toyota Supra 3.0i, he finished third at the Safari Rally. He was behind Audi Sport drivers Hannu Mikkola and Walter Röhrl. This was impressive, as he had a fever for most of the race.
At the Olympus Rally, he had to stop racing because of an engine problem. During the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire, a sad event happened. Toyota's airplane crashed, and several team members died. Because of this tragedy, Toyota stopped all their factory cars from racing in that event.
Later Races
During the 1988 season, Torph only took part in two WRC events. In Sweden, he drove his own Audi Coupé Quattro. He earned his fourth podium finish, placing third. He was behind famous drivers Markku Alén and Stig Blomqvist.
For the Safari Rally, Torph had a contract with Volkswagen. However, he had to stop racing. His Golf GTI 16V had an engine problem. Torph continued to drive the Coupé Quattro for Team VAG Sweden. He raced in the first event of the 1989 season in Sweden. But he had to retire again due to an ignition problem.
Tragic Accident
In January 1989, Lars-Erik Torph was at the Monte Carlo Rally. He was not competing himself. Instead, he was helping another Swedish rally driver, Fredrik Skoghag. Torph was doing "recce" (reconnaissance). This means he was checking the roads to help with pacenotes for icy conditions.
While taking a break from his duties, Torph and his co-driver, Bertil-Rune Rehnfeldt, decided to watch the rally. They were spectating the fifth stage of the race. An Italian driver named Alex Fiorio lost control of his Lancia Delta Integrale. His car went off the road and crashed into Torph and Rehnfeldt. Both Lars-Erik Torph and Bertil-Rune Rehnfeldt died in the accident. Fiorio and his co-driver were not hurt.
Witnesses said that Fiorio's car hit a bump, which caused him to lose control. After the accident, Fredrik Skoghag decided to withdraw from the rally.
