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1983 World Rally Champion Hannu Mikkola, the Finnish rally legend best known for scoring multiple victories for Ford and Audi, passed away on Friday evening at the age of 78.
Although Mikkola retired at the beginning of the 90s, with his 18 victories at the World Rally Championship he is one of the top 10 most successful rally drivers in history.
He won the World Rally Championship in an Audi Quattro in 1983, but also became three times runner-up and three times third.
Seven of Mikkola’s triumphs came in the famously daunting and fast 1000 Lakes Rally in his homeland, Finland, but he also knew how to care for a car in endurance races: his last triumph came in the Safari rally from 1987 at the wheel of one of the unlikely rally cars, the Audi 200 Quattro.
Although his career, like many Scandinavian greats, began in a Volvo – a PV544 – in the 1970s, he was closer to it ford and won the East African Safari Rally (not a WRC event) in an Escort RS in 1972.
His first victory in World Championship status came in 1974 in the 1000 Lakes in another Escort. In 1975 he triumphed in Morocco – along with current FIA President Jean Todt – in a Peugeot 504 before winning the 1000 Lakes again at the wheel of a Toyota Corolla.
He continued with his team of the same name, the Toyotas and Peugeots until he was hired as a works Ford driver in 1978. Armed with an MkII Escort RS1800, he won the GB Rally (then called the RAC Rally) and took two more podiums to finish third. The points race with Arne Hertz as co-driver.
There were four wins in 1979, but he stayed one point behind Björn Waldegard and took the first WRC title for drivers. He also won praise for driving another unlikely rally car – the Mercedes 450SLC – to second place in the Safari, and he would use that car in 1980 to get two more podiums.
On another Job he was usually found in a Ford, although a Porsche 911 was his preferred car in Monte Carlo and he used a Toyota Celica in Finland. He finished second again in the points race.
When he helped Audi develop the then groundbreaking Audi Quattro, he recorded four victories in 1981 and 1982, but it was the four that he – together with three runners-up – in 1983 won for him despite four failures. In the following year, one victory and seven more podium places led to another second place in the points race.
The arrival of smaller, nippier all-wheel drive cars had made life difficult for Audi’s AWD pioneers, and Mikkola became theirs from the Ingolstadt-based brand made the twitching version of the Quattro with a short wheelbase, not used for an entire season. A tough animal for Hannu, who was now in his 40s.
That last win at the Safari in 1987 – followed by a third place on the Acropolis – would mean final top 3 finishes for Mikkola, despite spending four seasons with the disappointing Mazda 323.
Mikkola’s last WRC outing was in 1993 – predictably the 1000 Lakes – and drove a Toyota Celica Turbo in seventh place at the age of 51.
Magazine: Can Red Bull stop Mercedes?
Can Red Bull stop Mercedes? Will Lewis Hamilton Retire? Can Sebastian Vettel revive his Formula 1 career at Aston Martin? The Autosport Magazine is out today (February 25th)
Jaguar Racing is launching its own channel on Motorsport.tv
Jaguar Racing has launched its own channel on Motorsport.tv, Motorsport Network’s digital OTT platform for racing
Current podcast: Preview of Formula E 2021
Autosport Formula E correspondent Matt Kew is joined by Autosport Grand Prix Editor Alex Kalinauckas for the latest edition of the Current Affairs podcast
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