17 Facts About Hannu Mikkola

Hannu Olavi Mikkola was a Finnish champion world rally driver.

Hannu Mikkola was a seven-time winner of the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland and won the RAC Rally in Great Britain four times.

Hannu Mikkola became the first overseas driver to win the East African Safari Rally in 1972, partnered by Gunnar Palm and again in a Ford Escort.

Hannu Mikkola was joined by Swedish co-driver Arne Hertz in 1977 and the pair were very quickly a force to be reckoned with, winning the British Rally Championship in 1978 in an Escort.

Hannu Mikkola was partnered by Johnny Johansson for the 1991 season.

Hannu Mikkola was runner-up again in the 1980 season with Ford, but switched to the new Audi factory team for the 1981 season, to drive the revolutionary four wheel drive Audi Quattro.

The partnership was successful from the outset: Hannu Mikkola led the 1981 Monte Carlo Rally, the Audi's first event, until an accident put him out of the event.

Hannu Mikkola convincingly won the next WRC event, the Swedish Rally, but the Quattro had problems with reliability, and despite another win on the RAC Rally, Mikkola only managed third in the driver's championship.

Hannu Mikkola won the 1000 Lakes and RAC rallies the following year, but did not improve on third position in the championship, ultimately finishing behind Opel's Walter Rohrl and teammate Michele Mouton.

Hannu Mikkola remained with Audi until the 1987 season, winning the Safari Rally in a Group A Audi 200 that year, before switching to Mazda.

Hannu Mikkola remained with Mazda until entering semi-retirement in 1991, although he continued to make sporadic appearances on international rallies until retiring completely from motorsport in 1993.

Hannu Mikkola has made brief appearances since then, including re-uniting with his co-driver Gunnar Palm for the 25th anniversary run of the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally and competing in the London-Sydney Marathon 2000 Rally, re-united with his 1968 1000 Lakes Rally winning Ford Escort RS1600 and co-driven by his oldest son, Juha Hannu Mikkola, founder of Canada Cup.

In September 2008, Hannu Mikkola took part in the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally, a round of the Scottish Rally Championship.

Hannu Mikkola was one of a number of former world champions to take part in the event in memory of McRae, who died in 2007.

In 2011, Hannu Mikkola was inducted into the Rally Hall of Fame along with Rohrl.

Hannu Mikkola died on 25 February 2021 of cancer at the age of 78.

Hannu Mikkola was involved in the only international rally to end in a dead heat.