RallySport Magazine April 2017

INTERVIEW: HANNU MIKKOLA
THE FLYING FINN
At the 2003 Otago International Classic Rally,
Finland’s Hannu was the star attraction, with the
then 60-year old contesting the event in a Ford
Escort.
While he led for much of the rally, a last day
punctured eventually relegated hin to fourth place.
Peter Whitten interviewed his childhood hero
before the rally got underway.
It was a sound like no other. A low
growl - almost like a wild animal
-but rising and lowering in pitch as
it appeared closer, only to fade into the
distance. Suddenly it appeared, blinding
me as it roared towards me. The sound
rose to fever pitch as the bright white
lights quickly turned to red and the
beast finally departed into the distance,
spitting flames and throwing rocks the
size of golf balls.
It’s mid-1984 and as a youngster
I’d just been scarred for life – Hannu
Mikkola and the awesome 5-cylinder
Audi Quattro had just made a life-long
impression on my life!
It was the Rally of New Zealand in
1984. A cold - no, freezing - night when
the frost had already settled on the
ground at 7pm. Just outside Rotorua,
Mikkola had rolled the Quattro and was
desperately trying to make up for lost
time. Cutting the corner, he snapped
the directional arrow on the inside of
the corner, and with half the arrow now
wedged into the grille of the world’s
most impressive rally car, Mikkola
disappeared into the distance.
A quick glance at my dad made
me realise it wasn’t just me - we’d
witnessed a piece of rallying history,
and Hannu Mikkola instantly became
my hero.
That he didn’t win the rally was of
little consequence - Mikkola was the
man and the Audi Quattro was my
dream car.
19 years later, I was sitting in the
lounge at hotel in Dunedin, about to
interview Mikkola as he prepared for
the Otago International Classic Rally –
driving a Ford Escort RS1800.
As I soon got to know Mikkola the
man, as opposed to Mikkola the rally
54 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - APRIL 2017
driver, it was refreshing to know that
he is one of the friendliest people you
could ever meet. Our one-hour chat
was filled with amazing stories and
plenty of laughter as Hannu recalled
the greatest moments of his long and
illustrious career.
With a memory as good as you could
find, the (then) almost 61 year-old Finn
showed why he really is one of the
legends of the sport.
PROFILE
Hannu Olavi Mikkola was born in
Finland on May 24, 1942. He started
rallying in 1963 and won the Finnish
Championship in 1968 and 1974, and
the British Championship in 1978.
After a successful stint in Escorts,
where he finished second in the World
Championship in 1979 and 1980, he
finally won the title at the wheel of the
pioneering Audi Quattro in 1983.
The winner of 18 World
Championship rallies and with 44
podium finishes to his name, Hannu
Mikkola is one of the icons of rallying.
In a career that spanned 40 years,
Mikkola had factory drives for Volvo,
Ford, Mercedes Benz, Toyota, Audi,
Mazda, Opel and Subaru.
He retired from professional driving
in 1993, but still competes occasionally
when the urge gets the better of him.
Competing in New Zealand in 2003 was
one of those times, and Mikkola proved
that he’d lost none of his touch.
Hannu Mikkola in a
Toyota Celica on the
1977 1000 Lakes Rally.