Armin Schwarz (born 16 July 1963) is a German rally driver. He competed in the World Rally Championship from 1988 to 2005, winning the 1991 Rally Catalunya and taking six other podium finishes. Outside the WRC, he won the German Rally Championship (1987–88), the European Rally Championship (1996) and the "Rally Masters" event at the Race of Champions (2000).

Armin Schwarz
Schwarz at the 2005 Rally Finland
Personal information
NationalityGermany German
Born (1963-07-16) 16 July 1963 (age 61)
Neustadt an der Aisch, West Germany
World Rally Championship record
Active years19882005
Co-driverSweden Arne Hertz
Germany Klaus Wicha
United Kingdom Nicky Grist
Germany Peter Thul
France Denis Giraudet
Germany Manfred Hiemer
TeamsToyota, Mitsubishi, Ford, Škoda, Hyundai
Rallies119
Championships0
Rally wins1
Podiums7
Stage wins100
Total points179
First rally1988 RAC Rally
First win1991 Rally Catalunya
Last rally2005 Rally Australia

Career

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Schwarz at the 2001 Rally Finland.

Schwarz was born in Neustadt an der Aisch in Franken in 1963 and debuted in rallying in 1983. After having won the German Rally Championship for two years in a row, he made his debut in the World Rally Championship in 1988 and was signed by Toyota Team Europe, Toyota's factory WRC team, for the 1990 season.

Driving a Toyota Celica GT-Four, Schwarz led a world championship rally for the first time at the 1990 Rally Portugal, took his first podium finish at the 1991 Rally Australia and his first and only win at the 1991 Rally Catalunya.[1]

In 1996, due to Toyota's 12-month ban from the WRC, Schwarz drove for the team in the European Rally Championship. He won the Manx International Rally and the Cyprus Rally and captured the overall title. Later that same year, he drove to victory in the RAC Rally, then part of the 2-Litre World Championship ("Formula 2").[2]

In 1997 Schwarz drove for the now Cumbria based M-Sport Ford rally team but was later replaced by Juha Kankkunen after a series of disappointing performances.

In the 1999 season, after stints with Mitsubishi and Ford, Schwarz started his long partnership with the debuting Škoda works team. His best result with the team was third place at the 2001 Safari Rally. Schwarz retired from the world championship after the 2005 season, during which he took his first points finish in over a year at the season-ending Rally Australia.

Following the successful completion of its Red Bull Young Rally Driver's Search Program, Schwarz joined forces in 2006 with Global Sport Licensing Ltd. (“GSL”) and Mr. Baumschlage to create the WRC designated Red Bull Škoda Team. Simultaneously, Schwarz started in 2007 to race, as a GSL racing driver with the support of California-based All German Motorsport team, in the American SCORE International off-road championship which includes among others the internationally famous races Baja 1000.

Schwarz now lives in Austria. He is married with two children, one of them, Fabio will be competing in WRC-3 and Junior World Rally Championship this year.

WRC victories

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 #  Event Season Co-driver Car
1   27º Rallye Catalunya-Costa Brava (Rallye de España) 1991 Arne Hertz Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165

Complete World Rally Championship results

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Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 WDC Points
1988 Armin Schwarz Audi 200 Quattro MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRE USA NZL ARG FIN CIV ITA GBR
5
37th 8
1989 Armin Schwarz Audi 200 Quattro SWE MON POR KEN FRA GRE
8
NZL ARG AUS ITA
Ret
CIV 41st 7
Schmidt Motorsport FIN
7
GBR
Ret
1990 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 MON
5
POR
Ret
KEN FRA
Ret
GRE NZL ARG FIN AUS ITA
Ret
CIV GBR
7
19th 12
1991 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 MON
4
SWE POR
Ret
KEN FRA
Ret
GRE
5
NZL ARG FIN
9
AUS
3
ITA
8
CIV ESP
1
GBR 6th 55
1992 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD MON
Ret
SWE POR
Ret
KEN FRA
5
GRE
Ret
NZL ARG FIN AUS ITA CIV ESP
5
GBR 19th 16
1993 Mitsubishi Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer RS MON
6
SWE POR
Ret
KEN FRA GRE
3
ARG NZL FIN
9
AUS ITA ESP GBR
8
12th 23
1994 Mitsubishi Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer RS MON
7
POR KEN FRA 7th 31
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo II GRE
2
ARG NZL
3
FIN ITA
Ret
GBR
1995 Toyota Castrol Team Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205 MON
Ret
SWE
9
POR
4
FRA
Ret
NZL
4
AUS
5
ESP
Ret
GBR DSQ 30
1997 Ford Motor Co Ford Escort WRC MON
4
SWE
6
KEN
4
POR
3
ESP
Ret
FRA
9
ARG GRE NZL FIN IDN ITA AUS GBR 8th 11
1998 R.E.D. World Rally Team Ford Escort WRC MON SWE KEN POR ESP FRA ARG GRE NZL FIN ITA AUS GBR
7
NC 0
1999 Škoda Motorsport Škoda Octavia WRC MON
Ret
SWE KEN POR
Ret
ESP
Ret
FRA ARG GRE
12
NZL FIN
Ret
CHN ITA
Ret
AUS GBR
Ret
NC 0
2000 Škoda Motorsport Škoda Octavia WRC MON
7
SWE KEN
7
POR
8
ESP
11
ARG GRE
5
NZL FIN 17th 2
Škoda Octavia WRC Evo2 CYP
Ret
FRA ITA
12
AUS GBR
13
2001 Škoda Motorsport Škoda Octavia WRC Evo2 MON
4
SWE
Ret
POR
Ret
ESP
Ret
ARG
Ret
CYP
9
GRE
7
KEN
3
FIN
15
NZL ITA
Ret
FRA
Ret
AUS GBR
5
12th 9
2002 Hyundai Castrol World Rally Team Hyundai Accent WRC2 MON
Ret
SWE
Ret
NC 0
Hyundai Accent WRC3 FRA
13
ESP
16
CYP
7
ARG
Ret
GRE
9
KEN
Ret
FIN
13
GER
Ret
ITA
Ret
NZL
10
AUS
Ret
GBR
Ret
2003 Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai Accent WRC3 MON
8
SWE
13
TUR
Ret
NZL
Ret
ARG
Ret
GRE
Ret
CYP
7
GER
12
FIN
12
AUS
13
ITA FRA ESP GBR 18th 3
2004 Škoda Motorsport Škoda Fabia WRC MON SWE MEX NZL CYP GRE
Ret
TUR ARG FIN
12
GER
11
JPN GBR
Ret
ITA
Ret
FRA
8
ESP
11
AUS 29th 1
2005 Škoda Motorsport Škoda Fabia WRC MON
Ret
SWE MEX
9
NZL
10
ITA
EX
CYP
13
TUR
Ret
GRE
18
ARG
16
FIN
11
GER
Ret
GBR
13
JPN
10
FRA
Ret
ESP
11
AUS
8
24th 1

References

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  1. ^ "Armin Schwarz". World Rally Archive. Retrieved 1 June 2009.
  2. ^ "Armin Schwarz". RallyBase. Retrieved 1 June 2009.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by European Rally Champion
1996
Succeeded by
Preceded by Race of Champions
Rally Master

2000
Succeeded by
Not held