It’s been over 40 years since four-time world champion Juha Kankkunen entered the first phase of his driving career.
But 2025 is offering the Finn a new career, as he takes the reins of Toyota Gazoo Racing in the deputy team principal role, assisting Jari-Matti Latvala who has clashing commitments in the European Historic Rally Championship.
In for Safari Rally Kenya and Rally Islas Canarias so far, Kankkunen’s record is so far impeccable. Two wins from his first two World Rally Championship starts.
“Yeah I should stop now, maybe!” he jokes. But very quickly the tone switches to sincerity.
“I really like to work here and we try to do the same this year a few times, three times for sure and continue the same thing.”
Kankkunen is relishing his current role of deputy team principal with Toyota Gazoo Racing
Along with Latvala, Kankkunen is part of a crack team of Toyota management that includes sporting director Kaj Lindström, technical director Tom Fowler and project manager Yuichiro Haruna.
Two decades on from his professional driving career ending, he is relishing the opportunity to have such a direct impact on WRC results again.
“Long time ago [I stopped driving],” Kankkunen told DirtFish, “but I know how the business is and how the rallying is and how it is behind the wheel and how the team works.
“I have been working in my career for most of the teams and I know how it should be done and that it works and everybody is satisfied. I really feel good at the moment.”
Kankkunen first drove for Toyota in 1983, before joining Peugeot for the final year of Group B in 1986 where he won his first world championship.
He then joined Lancia and won the 1987 title too, before a move to Toyota to spearhead the Celica project in 1989 and ’90, a return to Lancia for ’91 (where he won his third title) and ’92 and then back to Toyota where he claimed world title number four in 1993.
Kankkunen has driven for plenty of championship-winning teams throughout his career, including Toyota Team Europe
Kankkunen then drove for Ford, joining halfway through 1997 and staying there until the end of ’98 where a Subaru move beckoned in 1999-2000. Hyundai was the final team he drove for in 2002.
With that much experience, it’s clear Kankkunen is well judged to appraise Toyota’s current efforts.
And asked after a third maximum points score from four starts this year if this was the best team he’s ever worked in, Kankkunen was clear.
“The results tell that, at the moment, we are the best.”
Naturally, that gives Kankkunen confidence ahead of Rally Portugal where he will once again act as team principal.
“I’m really confident for the whole team work and it will be much tighter,” he said.
“Now we will have gravel rallies and our guys have to start first and second. So we know from the previous years that in Portugal you have to do a lot of cleaning and things, but somebody has to start first anyway.
“That will change quite a lot of things, so it should be interesting.”
Toyota has won each of the five editions of Rally Portugal. Sébastien Ogier (2024), Kalle Rovanperä (2022, 2023), Elfyn Evans (2021) and Ott Tänak (2019) delivered the goods with the last Hyundai win falling in 2018 (Thierry Neuville).
