Juha Kankkunen at the 1988 Olympus Rally. Photo by Dick Milligan.

Look for an exclusive interview with Pasi Hagstrom, driver for Subaru Rally Team USA in DRIVING SPORTS magazine, Nov 2003.

The title "Flying Finns" has been applied to many Finnish sports figures over the years, often in ski jumping and track events. But it is in the sport of rallying that the Finns truly excel, as rally drivers from Finland have dominated the International rally scene for over four decades.

This site is dedicated to those men who have been - and continue to be - the best rally drivers in the world. Finnish drivers have won the World Rally Driving Championship 15 times since the title was instituted in 1979.

Stuart Turner, when he was Competitions Manager at BMC, was the first to employ Finnish drivers for International rally competition when he hired Rauno Aaltonen and Timo Mäkinen to drive for BMC in the early 1960s. Turner also takes credit for the phrase "Flying Finns."

In the late 1960s, there was a Castrol produced film of the 1968 Rally of 1000 Lakes in Finland called "The Flying Finns". It featured the rivalry between veteran driver Timo Mäkinen in a Mini Cooper and newcomer Hannu Mikola in a Ford Escort. Of course it includes many of the top Finnish drivers of the era including Simo Lampinen in a Saab, Leo Kinnunen in a Porsche, Atso Aho in a Mini, Marietta Aaltonen (Rauno's sister), Pentti Airikkala in an Isuzu and Pauli Toivonen in a Porsche. The film - and other great rally films of the 1950s through 1980s - has been shown on the SPEED Channel as part of the Legends of Motorsport series. Another program on the Legends of Motorsport series called "Local Heroes" covers the 1984 1000 Lakes, and features Mikkola in an Audi Quattro along with Audi teammates Michele Mouton and Stig Blomqvist.

Long time friend and one time rally photographer Phil Berg has published his first book.

Some of the better known Finnish Rally Drivers since the 1960s (in roughly chronological order) are:

• Rauno Aaltonen - 1965 European Champion (BMC)
• Timo Mäkinen
• Simo Lampinen
• Pauli Toivonen - 1968 European Champion (Porsche)
• Tapio Rainio
• Hannu Mikkola - World Rally Champion 1983 (Audi)
• Pentti Airikkala
• Markku Alen - FIA Cup (WRC) Champion 1978 (Fiat/Lancia)
• Leo Kinnunen
• Lasse Lampi
• Ari Vatanen - World Rally Champion 1981 (Ford)
• Henri Toivonen
• Timo Salonen - World Rally Champion 1985 (Peugeot)
• Juha Kankkunen - World Rally Champion 1986 (Peugeot), 1987 (Lancia), 1991 (Lancia), 1993 (Toyota)
• Mikael Sundström
• Tommi Mäkinen - World Rally Champion 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 (all Mitsubishi)
• Sebastian Lindholm
• Marcus Grönholm - World Rally Champion 2000, 2002 (Peugeot)
• Toni Gardemeister
• Jarmo Kytölehto
• Harri Rovanperä
• Tapio Laukkanen - 1999 British Rally Champion
• Pasi Hagström - 1999 Finnish Rally Champion
  (Look for Tim Winker's interview with Pasi Hagström in the Nov 2003 issue of Driving Sports magazine.)
• Mikko Hirvonen - Current driver for BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team. Co-driver: Jarmo Lehtinen
• Jari-Matti Latvala - Current driver for BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team. Co-driver: Miikka Anttila

Other Finnish Rally sites:

• Neste Rally of Finland - The biggest sporting event in Finland. Part of the FIA World Rally Championship.
• 1000 Lakes Historic Rally / Jyväskylän Suurajot Rallye - The 1000 Lakes Rally stages run in vintage rally cars.
• Ari Vatanen Rally Center - Learn to drive like the best Finns.
• Finns must have special vision - by Phil Berg

Formula 1

Several top Formula 1 drivers have also come from Finland, most notably 2007 champion Kimi Räikkönen who drives for Ferrari, and Mika Häkkinen who was World Champion in 1998 and 1999 driving a McLaren Mercedes. Heikki Kovalainen is in his second season on the F1 circuit, this year (2008) with the McLaren Mercedes team. Nico Rosberg, who drives for Williams-Toyota, is the son of Finland's first F1 World Champion, Keke Rosberg, but claims German nationality as that is where he was born.

Other Finnish drivers who have competed in F1 include 1982 World Champion Keke Rosberg (Keijo Erik Rosberg), J. J. Lehto (Jyrki Järvilehto) [Lehto finished second at the 2003 Sebring 12 hour race in an Audi R8], and Mika Salo. Finnish racing fans often fill a couple dozen charter flights to the F1 races.

• Kimi Räikkönen - 2007 F1 World Champion. Official Site.
• Heikki Kovalainen - Fan site
• Mika Häkkinen - 1998 and 1999 F1 World Champion. Official Site.
• Keke Rosberg - 1982 F1 World Champion. Fan site.
• Mika Salo Circuit - Kart racing in Finland
• The Official Formula 1 Website