Without a doubt Tommi Makinen can
lay a strong claim to the mantle of the greatest rally driver ever. Four
consecutive World Rally Champion titles and 24 outright victories (at the
end of the 2001 season) is an achievement that no other driver can match.
Tommi came late to the championship but quickly established himself on all
surfaces and his deceptively quiet exterior hides a fiercely competitive
heart. Tommi joins the 555 Subaru World Rally Team for 2002 with every
intention of further improving his already impressive track record.
Down on the farm
Like so many of Finland’s top rally stars, Tommi comes from a farming
background. The family home at Puuppola, close to Jyvaskyla (where Finland’s
WRC round is based) saw the young Tommi learning his basic driving skills on
his father’s tractors. Tractors are a far cry from the machinery that
allowed Tommi to make his mark on the global stage but they offered him his
first brush with motorsport. Tractor pulling and ploughing are sports very
closely followed in Finland and, at 18, Tommi won his first Finnish National
ploughing championship before retaining his title the following year.
Going national and beyond
Tommi first stepped aboard a rally car, a Ford Escort RS2000, to contest the
Nokia Rally on 12 October 1985. Within two seasons, and with a switch to a
Lancia Delta, Tommi had become Finnish Champion and made his debut on the
1000 Lakes Rally, effectively his local event. Unlike many drivers’ WRC
debuts, however, this one won’t be so easily overlooked as the photo
sequence of the roll that put him out is among the most spectacular in the
event’s history! Having won his home series in 1987, Tommi embarked on a
programme of events around Europe. Initially this was in a Group N Lancia
and he again showed promise by winning the category on the Hankiralli just
two events into his programme.
During 1989 he scored outright wins on Lapland’s Arctic Rally and the
Conca d’Oro in Italy before 1990 saw him add a Group N programme to his
European calendar. Now with a Mitsubishi Galant, and teamed with veteran
co-driver Seppo Harjanne, Tommi won Group N in New Zealand, Finland and
Australia before finishing third in the FIA Production Cup at his first
attempt
Lows, highs and a place in history
The next few seasons saw Tommi gaining experience but without the big break
he needed. Works opportunities with Mazda and Nissan were cut short and by
1994 he was driving a ‘Formula 2’ Nissan Sunny on WRC and British
Championship events. Then Ford gave him a one-off drive on the 1000 Lakes
Rally and he won with ease. The rest is history. Tommi was signed by
Mitsubishi for 1995 and the following year began the run of title wins than
no other driver can match. With two World Championships under his belt,
Tommi bid farewell to co-driver Seppo Harjanne (who had decided to retire)
and renewed his partnership with Risto Mannisenmaki before winning two more
titles without breaking stride.
And now to Subaru…
Tommi and Kai bring unrivalled experience to the 555 Subaru World Rally Team
for 2002 as Tommi bids for a record fifth title and to extend his run of
individual event wins along the way. He has already proved more than capable
of winning on all surfaces on all continents and is arguably the best
all-round driver in the world today.