Tommi Mäkinen
Mitsubishi - Tommi Mäkinen
© wrc
01
Key Facts & Achievements
Name
Tommi Mäkinen
Nationality
Finnish
Date of Birth
26.06.1964
WRC Titles
4 (1996-1999)
WRC Wins
24
WRC Podiums
45
WRC Starts
139
WRC Stage Wins
355
Last WRC Event
Wales Rally GB 2003
02
Career Summary
1996 to 1999, all behind the wheel of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions. With 24 WRC victories, he ranks sixth on the all-time wins list.
Born in Puuppola in 1964, Mäkinen’s early claim to fame was as Finland’s national ploughing champion at just 18, before he turned his full attention to rallying. His first WRC victory arrived at the 1994 1000 Lakes Rally, driving a Ford Escort RS Cosworth. The following year he joined Mitsubishi, where a dominant win at the 1996 Safari Rally laid the groundwork for his maiden world title.
In 1997, Mäkinen edged out Colin McRae by a single point in a dramatic Rally GB finale to claim his second championship. The following year, he helped Mitsubishi secure the manufacturers’ crown, while personally clinching his third consecutive drivers’ title. His fourth championship in 1999 came at the wheel of the Lancer Evolution VI - a car later immortalised in the limited-edition Tommi Mäkinen Edition.
After a move to Subaru in 2002, Mäkinen notched a final WRC win at Monte Carlo before retiring from competition in 2003. Transitioning to management, he became team principal of Toyota Gazoo Racing in 2017. Under his leadership, Toyota won the manufacturers’ championship in 2018, making Mäkinen the first person in WRC history to claim titles both as a driver and as a team principal.
