John Haugland

* 1946

  • “Like I told you, we were in RAC rally when this happened. And all over the mechanics were very surprised. We heard it on the radio and television and we told everybody: “Now the USSR is going, communism is over, you are a free country!” First, they did not believe us, we told them, yes, it´s true, it´s happening now while you are here. And they just wanted to go home. To their families and friends. And I must say that I stopped after 1990. And it is a little bit strange. I came to Czechoslovakia first time in August 1968, so I came together with the Russians. And I left Skoda motorsport in 1990, so I left also with the Russians. And many people say – Johny, you came with the Russians and left with the Russians and we know that you have Russian grandparents. Isn´t something there? But no.”

  • “130 RS. It was fantastic. All the Skoda competition cars, we went from one to another, from 1000 MB to 110, 110 R, 120 S, 130 RS. All the time we were going a step up to something better. Something better, something more developed, something quicker and more competitive. When we came to 130 RS, that was a big step forward from 120 S, which was also very good, but 130 RS was something special. I was driving those cars from 1976 to 1983. And it was my best years. I drove seven different cars with many, many good results, it was big pleasure to drive those cars. Later we got 130 LR, it was a Group B car, it was coming ten years after, in the middle of the 80s. That was still better, because we had technical things like five-speed gearbox, radius brakes, brake balancer, brake opinion steering, things that the 130 RS was missing. 130 LR was also quicker than 130 RS. But the development had gone also forward with other makers of cars and competitors. So the 130 RS in its time was more competitive. It was very good on asphalt special stages. Very good grip, low and wide, and very high cornering speed. The last 130 that I drove, I have at home. It is in very good condition, I am driving it form time to time. Just to live up the old memories.”

  • “Something special happened there. Because while we were there, the Russian invasion happened. We came to Mladá Boleslav, went to Brno, did a race in Brno and when we came back to Mladá Boleslav, in the night there was a lot of noise. It was noisy outside, we came down to Hotel Věnec in Mladá Boleslav. We came down to breakfast and people looked very depressed. It was a strange, strange atmosphere. And we did not know what was happening. And then we should go and meet Slávek´s family, and on the way there, also in Mladá Boleslav, there is a railway there and the gates were down. I stopped behind some other cars and I could see a tank on the other side of the railway line. I went out of the car to the other car in front and tried to ask him what is happening, what´s going on. And he told me in German: Russische Invasion! And that was a shock. So we turned the car and went back again to hotel Věnec. We were told that we could not go out, we had to stay in the hotel and not go anywhere until we get any further information. So we stayed there in the hotel for three days, before they told us now you can go. We should drive back to West Germany. So we went back to West Germany through Cheb and then we came home. I remember when we came over the border, we had seen a lot of things on the journey. We saw Russian tanks that crashed into houses, and there was a lot of activity around which was quite scary, and the we came over the border near Cheb. The we stopped in a park and we bought two bottles of Coca-Cola. We felt – now we are free, now we are home.”

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    Praha, 26.10.2023

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Přišel jsem s Rusy a odešel s Rusy, ale je to jen náhoda, mým snem bylo závodit

John Haugland, 2023
John Haugland, 2023
photo: natáčení

John Haugland se narodil 23. září 1946, tedy rok po konci druhé světové války poblíž Stavangeru do rodiny norského námořníka a dcery ruských uprchlíků před bolševismem. Od dětství tíhnul k motorismu, vyučil se mechanikem ve firmě norského dovozce Škody, brzy u něj ale převládla vášeň a vlohy pro závodění. Jezdil nejprve na okružních závodech, záhy se ale přeorientoval na rallye. Od roku 1968 působil jako kmenový závodník Škoda Motorsport, úspěšně se účastnil hlavních závodů rallye jako byla Tour d´Europe a podniky mistrovství světa včetně legendární Rallye Monte Carlo. Jezdil téměř výhradně ve škodovkách a pravidelně navštěvoval Československo, a to navzdory tomu, že se během své první návštěvy stal svědkem okupace země 21. srpna 1968. Poslední závod ve voze Škoda jel v roce 1990. Privatizace firmy, nový typ vozů a jeho na sportovce pokročilý věk už mu v kariéře pokračovat nedovolily. Otevřel si zimní školu rallye, stále udržuje přátelství a kontakty v České republice.