If you want to win, hire a Finn. Right? Six of the top 10 event and stage winners in WRC history hail from Finland, as do the three youngest rally winners. And if it wasn’t for two fellas called Sébastien, Finland would have more WRC wins than any other nation as well.
Eight of the 10 fastest rallies in the WRC stats happened in the country, too. It really is a rally Mecca.
As part of our Finland week, take a look through the 10 best Finns to compete at home – celebrated with ace photographer Colin McMaster’s pick of the McKlein archive
Timo Mäkinen & Henry Liddon – Ford Escort RS1600 Mk1, 1974
Photo: Rolf Nieborg
Markku Alén & Ilkka Kivimäki – Lancia Rally 037, 1984
Photo: Reinhard Klein
Hannu Mikkola & Arne Hertz – Audi Quattro Sport, 1984
Photo: Hugh Bishop
Timo Salonen & Seppo Harijanne – Peugeot 205 T16 E2, 1986
Photo: Reinhard Klein
Ari Vatanen & Bruno Berglund – BMW M3, 1988
Photo: Gerard Wagner
Juha Kankkunen & Denis Giraudet - Toyota Celica ST185, 1993
Photo: Reinhard Klein
Tommi Mäkinen & Risto Mannisenmäki – Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6.5, 2001
Photo: Colin McMaster
Marcus Grönholm & Timo Rautiainen – Ford Focus RS WRC, 2006
Photo: Colin McMaster
Mikko Hirvonen & Jarmo Lehtinen - Ford Focus RS WRC, 2007
Photo: Tony Welam
Jari-Matti Latvala & Miikka Anttila – Toyota Yaris WRC, 2019
Photo: Marcin Rybak
