Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Mikkola
© WRC
01
Key Facts & Achievements
Name
Hannu Mikkola
Nationality
Finnish
Date of Birth
24.05.1942
WRC Titles
1 (1983)
WRC Wins
18
WRC Podiums
44
WRC Starts
123
WRC Stage Wins
670
Last WRC Event
Rally Finland 1993
02
Career Summary
Finnish rally legend Hannu Mikkola won the 1983 World Rally Championship driving the revolutionary Audi Quattro, becoming the oldest driver to claim the title at 41. With 18 WRC victories, he ranks among the sport’s top 15 most successful drivers.
Born in 1942, Mikkola’s international breakthrough came in 1970 when he won the gruelling London to Mexico World Cup Rally in a Ford Escort. Two years later, he became the first overseas driver to win the East African Safari Rally. His first WRC victory arrived at the 1974 1000 Lakes Rally - an event he would win a record-equalling seven times, alongside Marcus Grönholm.
Mikkola narrowly missed out on the inaugural WRC drivers’ championship in 1979, finishing second by a single point to team-mate Björn Waldegård. He joined Audi in 1981 to help develop their pioneering Quattro. Just two events later, he claimed victory at Rally Sweden. Despite reliability issues in 1982, his 1983 championship campaign featured four wins and three runner-up finishes, sealing the title.
His final WRC victory came at the 1987 Safari Rally in an Audi 200 Quattro - Audi’s last top-level win. Mikkola retired from the WRC in 1993 at Rally Finland, aged 51, finishing seventh in his farewell event.
Mikkola passed away in February 2021, aged 78. His pioneering role in four-wheel-drive technology and his adaptability across all surfaces have cemented his place as one of Finland’s greatest rally drivers.
