Hannu Mikkola R.I.P.
Discussion
Lots of tributes on FB and quite rightly so. Is there anything more iconic in Rallying than Hannu in a Blue Eton Yale Mk 2 ? I don’t think so.
He was then and now my only Rallying “Hero” lovely man, amazing driver and IMO no one faster in a Mk 2 in the late 70’s, including Ari.
RIP Hannu, Thank you for the wonderful memories.
He was then and now my only Rallying “Hero” lovely man, amazing driver and IMO no one faster in a Mk 2 in the late 70’s, including Ari.
RIP Hannu, Thank you for the wonderful memories.
Posted this on the other thread too....
What tragic news. He was an incredible driver and came across as such a gent. For me, he was an integral part of the golden age of rallying - the greatest drivers, the most amazing cars.
Of all his antics, this is the one that I love the most. The 1982 Scottish Rally had no less than 7 category A drivers at the start line - McRae, Toivonen, Brookes, Eklund, Blomqvist, Vatanen and Mikkola. 100m into the first stage, Mikkola hit a bank and broke the steering on the Quattro, and eventually had to complete the rest of the stage in reverse! loosing 8 mins. At the end of the first stage he was stone dead last. To win the rally from last place, he'd have to be 1 sec / km faster than anyone else. Guess what happens....
What tragic news. He was an incredible driver and came across as such a gent. For me, he was an integral part of the golden age of rallying - the greatest drivers, the most amazing cars.
Of all his antics, this is the one that I love the most. The 1982 Scottish Rally had no less than 7 category A drivers at the start line - McRae, Toivonen, Brookes, Eklund, Blomqvist, Vatanen and Mikkola. 100m into the first stage, Mikkola hit a bank and broke the steering on the Quattro, and eventually had to complete the rest of the stage in reverse! loosing 8 mins. At the end of the first stage he was stone dead last. To win the rally from last place, he'd have to be 1 sec / km faster than anyone else. Guess what happens....
Mark A S said:
Lots of tributes on FB and quite rightly so. Is there anything more iconic in Rallying than Hannu in a Blue Eton Yale Mk 2 ? I don’t think so.
He was then and now my only Rallying “Hero” lovely man, amazing driver and IMO no one faster in a Mk 2 in the late 70’s, including Ari.
RIP Hannu, Thank you for the wonderful memories.
I'm a bit young to remember him in Escorts: for me it was the quattro. The sound of that warbling 5-cylinder through the Welsh forests will stay with me forever, largely thanks to Hannu Mikkola.He was then and now my only Rallying “Hero” lovely man, amazing driver and IMO no one faster in a Mk 2 in the late 70’s, including Ari.
RIP Hannu, Thank you for the wonderful memories.
Dapster said:
Posted this on the other thread too....
What tragic news. He was an incredible driver and came across as such a gent. For me, he was an integral part of the golden age of rallying - the greatest drivers, the most amazing cars.
Of all his antics, this is the one that I love the most. The 1982 Scottish Rally had no less than 7 category A drivers at the start line - McRae, Toivonen, Brookes, Eklund, Blomqvist, Vatanen and Mikkola. 100m into the first stage, Mikkola hit a bank and broke the steering on the Quattro, and eventually had to complete the rest of the stage in reverse! loosing 8 mins. At the end of the first stage he was stone dead last. To win the rally from last place, he'd have to be 1 sec / km faster than anyone else. Guess what happens....
Best bit in that clip is at 3.29 I'll think your find Hannu would of agreed with me, out of all the cars he drove, he was most fond of the Escorts What tragic news. He was an incredible driver and came across as such a gent. For me, he was an integral part of the golden age of rallying - the greatest drivers, the most amazing cars.
Of all his antics, this is the one that I love the most. The 1982 Scottish Rally had no less than 7 category A drivers at the start line - McRae, Toivonen, Brookes, Eklund, Blomqvist, Vatanen and Mikkola. 100m into the first stage, Mikkola hit a bank and broke the steering on the Quattro, and eventually had to complete the rest of the stage in reverse! loosing 8 mins. At the end of the first stage he was stone dead last. To win the rally from last place, he'd have to be 1 sec / km faster than anyone else. Guess what happens....
There is a wonderful interview with him somewhere on YT after he had driven a Mk 1 Escort as a course car on an RAC rally in Clipstone speccy stage i think, his face when asked how is was to be back in an Escort said it all.
Mark A S said:
Dapster said:
Posted this on the other thread too....
What tragic news. He was an incredible driver and came across as such a gent. For me, he was an integral part of the golden age of rallying - the greatest drivers, the most amazing cars.
Of all his antics, this is the one that I love the most. The 1982 Scottish Rally had no less than 7 category A drivers at the start line - McRae, Toivonen, Brookes, Eklund, Blomqvist, Vatanen and Mikkola. 100m into the first stage, Mikkola hit a bank and broke the steering on the Quattro, and eventually had to complete the rest of the stage in reverse! loosing 8 mins. At the end of the first stage he was stone dead last. To win the rally from last place, he'd have to be 1 sec / km faster than anyone else. Guess what happens....
Best bit in that clip is at 3.29 What tragic news. He was an incredible driver and came across as such a gent. For me, he was an integral part of the golden age of rallying - the greatest drivers, the most amazing cars.
Of all his antics, this is the one that I love the most. The 1982 Scottish Rally had no less than 7 category A drivers at the start line - McRae, Toivonen, Brookes, Eklund, Blomqvist, Vatanen and Mikkola. 100m into the first stage, Mikkola hit a bank and broke the steering on the Quattro, and eventually had to complete the rest of the stage in reverse! loosing 8 mins. At the end of the first stage he was stone dead last. To win the rally from last place, he'd have to be 1 sec / km faster than anyone else. Guess what happens....
Mark A S said:
Dapster said:
Posted this on the other thread too....
What tragic news. He was an incredible driver and came across as such a gent. For me, he was an integral part of the golden age of rallying - the greatest drivers, the most amazing cars.
Of all his antics, this is the one that I love the most. The 1982 Scottish Rally had no less than 7 category A drivers at the start line - McRae, Toivonen, Brookes, Eklund, Blomqvist, Vatanen and Mikkola. 100m into the first stage, Mikkola hit a bank and broke the steering on the Quattro, and eventually had to complete the rest of the stage in reverse! loosing 8 mins. At the end of the first stage he was stone dead last. To win the rally from last place, he'd have to be 1 sec / km faster than anyone else. Guess what happens....
Best bit in that clip is at 3.29 I'll think your find Hannu would of agreed with me, out of all the cars he drove, he was most fond of the Escorts What tragic news. He was an incredible driver and came across as such a gent. For me, he was an integral part of the golden age of rallying - the greatest drivers, the most amazing cars.
Of all his antics, this is the one that I love the most. The 1982 Scottish Rally had no less than 7 category A drivers at the start line - McRae, Toivonen, Brookes, Eklund, Blomqvist, Vatanen and Mikkola. 100m into the first stage, Mikkola hit a bank and broke the steering on the Quattro, and eventually had to complete the rest of the stage in reverse! loosing 8 mins. At the end of the first stage he was stone dead last. To win the rally from last place, he'd have to be 1 sec / km faster than anyone else. Guess what happens....
There is a wonderful interview with him somewhere on YT after he had driven a Mk 1 Escort as a course car on an RAC rally in Clipstone speccy stage i think, his face when asked how is was to be back in an Escort said it all.
Many happy memories cheering on "that lot" especially Brookes and MacRae but can't remember why Tony Pond was missing that year, I thought he was hurling the TR7 V8 around by then?
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