| Series | Driver | Season article |
|---|
| World Rally Championship | Ari Vatanen | 1981 World Rally Championship |
Co-Drivers: David Richards |
Manufacturers: Talbot |
| African Rally Championship | Shekhar Mehta | 1981 African Rally Championship |
| Australian Rally Championship | Geoff Portman | 1981 Australian Rally Championship |
Co-Drivers: Ross Runnalls |
| British Rally Championship | Jimmy McRae | 1981 British Rally Championship |
Co-Drivers: Ian Grindrod |
| Canadian Rally Championship | Randy Black | 1981 Canadian Rally Championship |
Co-Drivers: Bob Lee |
| Deutsche Rallye Meisterschaft | Alfons Stock | 1981 Deutsche Rallye Meisterschaft |
| Estonian Rally Championship | Ivar Peedu | 1981 Estonian Rally Championship |
Co-Drivers: Juhan Kasemaa |
| European Rally Championship | Adartico Vudafieri | 1981 European Rally Championship |
Co-Drivers: Arnaldo Bernacchini |
| Finnish Rally Championship | Group 1: Antero Laine | 1981 Finnish Rally Championship |
Group 2: Kyösti Hämäläinen |
| French Rally Championship | Bruno Saby | 1981 French Rally Championship |
| Hungarian Rally Championship | Attila Ferjáncz | 1981 Hungarian Rally Championship |
Co-Drivers: János Tandari |
| Italian Rally Championship | Antonio Fassina | 1981 Italian Rally Championship |
Co-Drivers: Rudy Dal Pozzo |
Manufacturers: Opel |
| New Zealand Rally Championship | Jim Donald | 1981 New Zealand Rally Championship |
| Polish Rally Championship | Tomasz Ciecierzyński | 1981 Polish Rally Championship |
| Romanian Rally Championship | Ludovic Balint | 1981 Romanian Rally Championship |
| Scottish Rally Championship | Donald Heggie | 1981 Scottish Rally Championship |
Co-Drivers: Ian Mungall |
| South African National Rally Championship | Sarel van der Merwe | 1981 South African National Rally Championship |
Co-Drivers: Franz Boshoff |
Manufacturers: Toyota |
| Spanish Rally Championship | Jorge de Bagration | 1981 Spanish Rally Championship |
Co-Drivers: Ignacio Lewin |
|