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.jpg) Mäkinen in 2016 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Finnish |
| Full name | Tommi Antero Mäkinen |
| Born | (1964-06-26)26 June 1964 (age 61) Puuppola,Jyväskylä, Finland |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 1987–2003 |
| Co-driver | Jari NieminenRisto Mannisenmäki Rodney Spokes Timo HantunenSeppo HarjanneKaj Lindström |
| Teams | Mitsubishi,Subaru,Nissan |
| Rallies | 139 |
| Championships | 4 (1996,1997,1998,1999) |
| Rally wins | 24 |
| Podiums | 45 |
| Stage wins | 361 |
| Total points | 544 |
| First rally | 19871000 Lakes Rally |
| First win | 19941000 Lakes Rally |
| Last win | 2002Monte Carlo Rally |
| Last rally | 2003Rally Great Britain |
Tommi Antero Mäkinen (Finnish pronunciation:[ˈtomːiˈmækinen]; born 26 June 1964) is a Finnish racing executive and formerrally driver.
Mäkinen is one of the most successfulWorld Rally drivers of all time, ranking fifth in rally wins (24) and third in championships (4), tied withJuha Kankkunen behindSébastien Ogier (8) andSébastien Loeb (9). In 2018, as a head ofToyota Gazoo Racing WRT, he became the first person in the history of rally driving to win aChampionship both as a driver and as a team principal.[1]
He is a four-timeWorld RallyChampion, a series he first won, and then successfully defended, continuously throughout1996,1997,1998 and1999, on all occasions driving theRalliartMitsubishi Lancer Evolution. He also aided Mitsubishi to the 1998 worldconstructors' title as well as winning the 2000Race of Champions. Mäkinen's navigators include compatriotsSeppo Harjanne,Kaj Lindström andRisto Mannisenmäki, the former retiring from alongside Mäkinen having previously served1985 champion, and fellow "Flying Finn",Peugeot'sTimo Salonen.
Mäkinen won theGroup NFinnish Rally Championship driving aLancia Delta HF 4WD in 1988. Mäkinen's first world rally win came on the19941000 Lakes Rally (nowRally Finland), in aFord Escort RS Cosworth. Mäkinen proved a late developer by the standards of some in rallying circles, only nabbing his first full-time manufacturer seat in aGroup A formula Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution alongside former Group A rally championSwedeKenneth Eriksson, in1995 - but success was to prove spontaneous thereafter.
A culturedSafari Rally win in 1996 proved the platform on which to build a dominant championship lead, which he consolidated by taking the title inAustralia, away from runner-up,Subaru'sColin McRae - a long-time rival. He proceeded to win every drivers' title for Mitsubishi from 1996 to 1999. The Mitsubishi team, with the Finn and youngBritonRichard Burns among its driver personnel, also won its sole manufacturers' championship in 1998, while late that same year, the licensedTommi Mäkinen Rallyvideo game was also released. In2000, despite opening his campaign with victory on the JanuaryMonte Carlo Rally, Mäkinen finally relinquished his grasp on the title, being beaten in the standings by new title holder and fellow Finn,Marcus Grönholm. That year Mitsubishi produced a 'Tommi Mäkinen edition' of the road version of theLancer Evolution VI to commemorate his previous title successes. This car had a different front bumper than the regular Evolution VI, while some models also featured a red and white paint job to closely resemble Mäkinen's rally car.[2]
Mäkinen remained with Mitsubishi until the end of the2001 season, having finished third in that year's standings behind Burns and McRae, by now respectively drivers for Subaru andFord - but not before the inauspicious introduction of team's first everWorld Rally Car on theSan Remo Rally. Mäkinen and teammateFreddy Loix struggled with the car before the Finn's crash on the mountainside roads of the following round inCorsica was responsible for breaking co-driver Mannisenmäki's back and in doing so, virtually ended his top-line career. The Finn was forced to fare with substitute co-drivers for the remaining events in Australia (with Timo Hantunen) andGreat Britain, the latter of which he retired from, helping Burns to claim the championship.
A move to theProdrive-runSubaru World Rally Team for2002 as replacement for Burns (who had chosen to drive a worksPeugeot 206 WRC alongside Grönholm for his title defence) yielded one more, final career victory, on the 2002 Monte Carlo Rally where a technical infringement committed by on-the-road winner, and emerging talent,Sébastien Loeb, allowed Mäkinen to upstage theFrenchman. But his form then took a dive and he was not to add again to his tally of world titles.
He retired from the sport after the2003 season, ending his WRC career on the podium with third place on that seasons final rally, Rally Great Britain.
In 2004 he established his own company namedTommi Mäkinen Racing Oy Ltd with the aim to prepare rally cars and provide support to drivers.[3]
In 2016, Mäkinen became the team principal of theToyota Gazoo Racing, which is the factory team of Toyota and competes in theWorld Rally Championship (WRC). In 2018, the team managed to win theWorld Rally Championship earningToyota their first manufacturers' title since1999.[4]
Mäkinen was born inPuuppola, nearJyväskylä, Finland. From 1999, he has lived in bothJyväskylä andMonte Carlo,Monaco. He is married, with two children.
| Season | Team | Starts | Victories | Podiums | Stage wins | DNF | Points | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Private | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | NC |
| 1988 | Private | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | NC |
| Mu-Uutiset 4 Rombi Corse | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1989 | Private | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | NC |
| 1990 | Pro Sport Rally Team | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 24th |
| 1991 | Promoracing Finland | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31st |
| Mazda Rally Team Europe | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| Private | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1992 | Nissan Motorsports Europe | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 40th |
| 1993 | Astra | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 10th |
| 1994 | Nissan F2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10th |
| Ford Motor Co | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 20 | ||
| Mitsubishi Ralliart | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1995 | Mitsubishi Ralliart | 7 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 3 | 38 | 5th |
| 1996 | Mitsubishi Ralliart | 9 | 5 | 6 | 70 | 2 | 123 | 1st |
| 1997 | Mitsubishi Ralliart | 14 | 4 | 9 | 78 | 4 | 63 | 1st |
| 1998 | Mitsubishi Ralliart | 13 | 5 | 7 | 41 | 6 | 58 | 1st |
| 1999 | Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart | 14 | 4 | 7 | 56 | 3 | 62 | 1st |
| 2000 | Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart | 14 | 1 | 5 | 27 | 5 | 36 | 5th |
| 2001 | Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart | 14 | 3 | 4 | 21 | 6 | 41 | 3rd |
| 2002 | 555 Subaru World Rally Team | 14 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 7 | 22 | 8th |
| 2003 | 555 Subaru World Rally Team | 14 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 30 | 8th |
| Total | 139 | 24 | 45 | 361 | 53 | 544 | ||
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Autosport International Rally Driver Award 1996, 1997 (shared withColin McRae), 1998, 1999 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | World Rally Champion 1996,1997,1998,1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Inaugural event | Race of Champions Nations' Cup 1999with: JJ Lehto Kari Tiainen | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Race of Champions Champion of Champions 2000 | Succeeded by |
| Records | ||
| Preceded by | Most rally wins 24 wins, 24th at the2002Monte Carlo Rally | Succeeded by |
