These are still 2000 details will update to 2001 soon
TEAMS:
The FIA World Rally Championship is currently contested by seven manufacturers teams.
Car: Mitsubishi
Lancer Evo VII
Drivers: Tommi Makinen • Freddy Loix
Car: Subaru
Impreza WRC
Drivers: Richard Burns • Juha Kankkunen
Car: SEAT Cordoba
WRC EvoII
Drivers: Didier Auriol • Toni Gardemeister
Car: Ford Focus
WRC
Drivers: Colin McRae • Carlos Sainz • Petter
Solberg
Car: Peugeot
206 WRC
Drivers: Francois Delecour • Marcus Gronholm
• Gilles Panizzi
Car: Skoda
Octavia WRC
Drivers: Armin Schwarz • Luis Climent
Car: Hyundai
Accent WRC
Drivers: Kenneth Eriksson • Alister McRae
Tommi
Makinen
Freddy Loix
Richard Burns
Juha Kankkunen
Didier Auriol
Toni Gardemeister
Colin McRae
Carlos Sainz
Petter Solberg
Francois Delecour
Marcus Grönholm
Gilles Panizzi
Armin Schwarz
Luis Climent
Kenneth Eriksson
Alister McRae
Tommi
Makinen (SF)
Co Driver: Risto Maanisenmaki(SF)
Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart
When Tommi
Makinen won his fourth consecutive World Championship in 1999 he went into
the record books, achieving his successes in a period of just 12 seasons since
his WRC debut. His 19 victories - of which four were taken in 1999 have come
in just six years. His outright victory count trails Juha Kankkunen and Carlos
Sainz, both of whom have been driving for many more years by four and three
wins respectively, but Makinen has a better ratio of wins to starts than any
other driver in the sport's history.
In that brief period he has won all but four
rallies in the series - only Greece, France (Corsica) and GB of the longstanding
rounds, plus China, eluding him.
He is not just fast and talented; he is consistent and lucky too. In 1999 he scored points on 11 of the 14 rounds. In 1998 his luck played a part. Having won five rounds, he thought his title chance had gone after he crashed on the opening day of the final round - Rally GB. But Carlos Sainz with the title at his mercy had his Toyota's engine fail just yards from the finish of the last stage!
Makinen burst
into the limelight in 1996 as one of rallying's brightest stars. With just
one World Championship rally win to his credit until then some might have
thought
that his five victories (out of just 9 events
in the series that year) were just down to a very good car. The car was good,
but it took a real talent to get the best out of it.
In 1997 he proved any doubters wrong, winning a further four rallies and the title again. The final round on which he had to score a point at least was his toughest test - he had 'flu which later developed into pneumonia. But he hung on to finish sixth.
Born in the heart of 1000 Lakes country (now called Rally Finland), Makinen has a reputation as a fiercely determined driver who won't settle for second under any circumstances.
For 2000 he remains with the highly successful Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart Team, with long time Marlboro driver Freddy Loix as his number two.
Five times
winner of 1000 Lakes Rally
Made international reputation driving Group
N Mitsubishis
Works driver for Ford, Mazda and Nissan before
getting Mitsubishi break
Took 1994 British Rally Championship by storm
in Nissan
1988 Finnish Group N Champion
World Champion - 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
Tommi Mäkinen
Born: Puuppola, Finland 26/6/64.
Lives: Puuppola.
Single.
First rally car: Ford Escort RS2000.
19 WC victories.
Risto Maanisenmaki
Born: Joupajoki, Finland 28/05/1959
Lives: Espoo.
Hobies - Skiing, Cycling
Freddy
Loix (B)
Co Driver: Sven Smeets (B)
Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart
Feddy Loix
joined the Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart Team in 1999 and his first full World
Championship season soon turned into a nightmare.
Acknowledged as the most promising Belgian
driver in a generation, he had only limited experience of the diverse conditions
to be encountered in the series. He fell foul of an icy corner on the opening
stage in Monte Carlo before finishing a good ninth in Sweden. Sidelined by
a huge, bone-breaking accident in Kenya it took him months to regenerate his
speed and confidence of earlier seasons. After a heavy testing schedule at
the season's end he should be set for high placings in 2000.
Very much at home on tarmac, he came to prominence in the F2 arena in Opel Astras, making himself hot property with a string of brilliant drives at home and abroad in 1995.
Nicknamed "Fast
Freddy" by his fans at home, the young Belgian made the switch to a 4x4 car
in '96 and immediately impressed. Backed by Marlboro and Toyota he was a fine
second overall on Rally of Portugal, 7th place in Greece and fourth on San
Remo and Catalunya. In Italy he was the fastest man on the final, all-tarmac
stages. He also won two National Belgian events - the
Ypres and Condroz rallies and finished second
in Spa.
He achieved his "A" seed with a storming drive to second in Portugal in '97 and was fast from the outset in the new Corolla which made its debut at 1000 Lakes.
In 1998 he
made good use of his six starts on WRC rounds. Third in Portugal, second in
Spain, fifth in Greece and sixth in Britain secured his position with Marlboro
Mitsubishi
Ralliart.
Four fourth
places in '99 secured eighth in the Championship.
Finished in top 10 on first World Championship
rally
Dominated F2 in Belgium in 1994 in Opel
Never drove on gravel until 1994 1000 Lakes
First victory - Rally of Ypres 1996
Fastest man on tarmac on '96 Sanremo
Stars on gravel and tarmac in '98 - 3rd in
Portugal, 2nd in Spain
Eighth in '98 and '99 World Championships
Freddy Loix
Born: Tongres, Belgium 10/11/70.
Lives: Dubai, UAE.
Single
First rally car: Lancia Delta Integrale
Sven Smeets
Born: Hasselt, Belgium 12/5/72.
Lives: Hasselt, Belgium
Single
Richard
Burns (GB)
Co Driver: Robert Reid (GB)
Subaru
Few drivers
can rival Richard Burns' knack of being instantly successful. One of the youngest
factory drivers, he has a wealth of international experience and two major
British titles under his belt. His move from Mitsubishi back to Subaru for
saw him prosper and launch a real bid for the titlein the latter part of the
1999, He is now rated as a very serious contender for the 2000 Championship,
having proven himself on every surface, and capable of withstanding pressure
from his more experienced peers.
Level-headed and fiercely competitive, he gained
WRC and Asia Pacific experience with Subaru after becoming one of the youngest
ever British Rally Champions in the early 1990s.
Joining Mitsubishi
in 1996 for a mixed WRC and Asia Pacific programme he won the (non WRC) New
Zealand Rally, and had two WRC finishes but put pressure on himself with a
number of
accidents. Second places in Malaysia and China,
with the New Zealand win gave him second place in the Asia Pacific Championship.
In 1997, again
with a limited programme he proved quicker and less and less erratic, posting
a number of top stage times. He finished second in Kenya and fourth in Greece,
New
Zealand, Indonesia, Australia and in UK, where
on the RAC he led the rally in fine style and could have won but for a puncture.
In 1998 he won the Safari, and led a number of other rallies before winning the final round, Rally Great Britain, to clinch the Makes title for Mitsubishi.
Back with Subaru in '99 he, and team-mate Juha Kankkunen had a fraught start to the season, with some mechanical problems. But it all changed in Argentina. There he would have won, but Kankkunen "misunderstood" team orders and took victory. Burns then won well in Greece before harassing Kankkunen all the way in Finland, a performance which impressed even the most nationalistic Fins. Second in China, and victories in Australia - under pressure all the way - and Britain clinched second place in the Championship.
British National
and International Champion in successive seasons
Persuaded to take up rallying after joining
Under-17 car club
Double Peugeot Challenge Champion
Enjoys jet ski-ing and motorcycling
Two WRC wins in 1998, three in '99
Second in WRC - 1999
Richard Burns
Born: Reading, Britain 17/1/71.
Lives: Oxford, Britain.
Single.
First rally car: Toyota Corolla.
WRC wins - 5
Robert Reid
Born: Perth, Britain 17/2/66.
Lives: Perth, Britain.
Single.
Juha
Kankkunen (SF)
Co Driver: Juha Repo (SF)
Subaru World Rally Team
Juha Kankkunen
has been at the top of the sport for 15 years - during which period he has
won almost every rally of note and driven for a host of teams including Peugeot,
Lancia, Toyota, and latterly Subaru.
In 1998 Carlos Sainz passed his record-breaking
total of 21 World Championship rally wins, but with two more victories in
1999 he will start the year 2000 as the most successful rally driver of all
time again.. He has been World Champion four times and has won 23 World Championship
rallies.
His capacity
to win borders on genius - he has a unique gift for judging the pace of a
rally. When Toyota ceased its official programme in late 95 he was left without
a drive but
ran with low-key support for a few rallies
before being called into the rejuvenated Ford team, now run by M Sport in
mid '97.
He immediately
proved his competitiveness, on a number of occasions leading team No.1 Carlos
Sainz, but bowing to team orders to let the Spaniard press home his challenge
for the
title.
He drove for Ford again in 1998, always in contention although the ageing Escort was well past its most competitive days.
In 1999 he found a new lease of life with the Subaru team, run by the British Prodrive company and won in Argentina - his first victory since Portugal in 1994, and then Rally Finland. He continues with the Subaru Team for 2000.
Won Safari
Rally at first attempt, as 100-1 outsider
Only man to win World Championship rallies
with three different co-drivers in one season
Enjoys hunting, golf, and motor boats
Left Lancia in 1987 after blazing row at Monte
Carlo.
Returned to win 1991 World Championship
Collects old rally cars, including a Lotus
Cortina and one of his World Championship-winning Lancia Deltas
23 WRC victories and still trying.
Juha Kankkunen
Born: Laukaa, Finland 2/4/59.
Lives: Laukaa, Monaco and Spain.
Married, 1 child.
First rally car: Ford Escort.
WC in 1986, 1987, 1991, 1993;
21 WC victories.
Juha Repo
Born: Finland 31/10/57
Didier
Auriol (F)
Co Driver: Denis Giraudet (F)
SEAT
Didier Auriol
is an all or nothing driver with an explosive turn of speed. In 1994, in his
second season with Toyota, he was quite unstoppable, becoming the only Frenchman
to win the World Championship.
Now standing equal third in the "all-time winners
list" with Markku Alen and Tommi Makinen he will lead the Seat team for the
2000 Championship after Toyota quit the sport at the close of '99.
Auriol forced his way to the top the hard way, sensational performances in a two-wheel drive Sierra marking him out at a time when Scandinavians took the best drives.
He scored a record six wins in a season for Lancia but somehow failed to become Champion in 1992, but finally secured the title two years later. In 1995 he won one rally - Tour de Corse - for Toyota before the team was excluded from the series, and was without a drive in 1996.
On Toyota's
return, he had a very mixed early season in 1998 and was not nominated to
score Manufacturers points in Spain. This worked a little like a "wake-up
call" and he promptly won the
rally! Later in the season he scored two seconds
and a third place.
In 1999 he score points consistently during the first half of the season and won in China (breaking the Team's one year victory drought) to give himself a shot at the title. But his chances were dashed when crashes on both Australia and in Britain relegated him to third in the series.
His immense experience should prove invaluable to the Spanish team in 2000.
Only French
driver to win WRC - 1994
Only driver to win six World Championship rallies
in a season (but still finished third in the series)
French Champion three years running, 1986-88
Winner of six Tours of Corsica
Former ambulance driver
Unique, aggressive driving style
Former sponsors include model car firm and
a brewery
Enjoys golf and cycling
Didier Auriol
Born: Montpellier, France 18/8/58.
Lives: Millau, France.
Married, 2 children.
First rally car: Ford Escort RS2000.
19 WC victories.
Hobbies: Golf
Denis Giraudet
Born: Lorette, France
Lives: St.Etienne
Married
Hobbies: Mountain biking
Toni
Gardemeister (SF)
Co Driver: Paavo Lukander (SF)
SEAT
Toni Gardemeister
first stepped into a rally car just eight years ago, and has rocketed through
the junior levels of the sport to a full "works" season in 2000 with the Seat
team.
His learning seasons were spent in the Finnish
Junior Championship in an Opel Ascona. He moved up to European events in 1997
and '98 in a Nissan Sunny and with some outings in a Lancia Integrale.
He "came of age" when recruited to the SEAT F2 Team for the second half of the 1998 season. Second places in F2 in New Zealand, Finland, and third in GB contributed to Seats F2 Championship victory. After three events in the F2 Ibiza in '99 he transferred into the Cordoba World Rally Car, giving the Spanish marque its best ever WRC finish - third - first time out in the car in New Zealand.
He is the youngest of the Finns with world championship drives and seems to have the makings of a future Champion.
Toni Gardemeister
Born 31/3/75, Kouvola, Finland
Lives Kouvola
Marital status - single
First rally car - Opel Ascona - 1992
First WRC event 1996 Rally GB - 14th Nissan
Sunny
Other interests: Jogging, keeping fit
Paavo Lukander
Born: 26/3/1961 Savetaepale Finland
Lives Valkeala
Married with two children
First rally 1993
Other interests - Sport
Colin
McRae (GB)
Co Driver: Nicky Grist (GB)
Ford Martini
One of the
most spectacularly talented drivers ever to sit in a rally car, Colin McRae
was the youngest driver to win the World Rally Championship in 1995.
McRae's breathtaking approach has long appealed
to spectators and, particularly in the early stages of his career, resulted
in numerous accidents.
He "came of age" with the Subaru Team for which he drove from 1992 to 1998, winning 16 World Championship rallies. In the later stages of his time there he suffered a number of problems with vehicle reliability his share of accidents. He finished second in the series in '96 and '97 and third in '98.
Joining the Ford Martini Team for 1999 he gave the new Focus a dream start, winning in Portugal, and Kenya. But the dream turned into nightmare as the season progressed, the car becoming less reliable as it was developed and McRae making a series of mistakes which resulted in very big accidents as he struggled to revive his fortunes. After the two early season wins and a fourth place in France he failed to score a point from the last eight rounds of the series.
He remains with Ford for 2000 and will be immediately under pressure from his new team-mate Carlos Sainz. However, here is no doubt that he has the raw talent to go regain the title.
Britain's only
World Rally Champion
Youngest-ever British and Scottish Rally Champion
16 World Championship rally wins
Father Jim was five-times British Champion
Former schoolboy motorcycle trials champion,
rides Yamaha R1 on road
Enjoys water ski-ing, motor boats, golf
Colin McRae
Born: Lanark, Britain 5/8/68.
Lives: Monaco.
Married. 1 daughter
First rally car: Talbot Avenger.
WC in 1995.
18 WC victories.
Nicky Grist
Born: Merthyr Tydfil, Wales 1/11/61.
Lives: Abergavenny ,Wales
Married.
Carlos
Sainz (E)
Co Driver: Luis Moya (E)
Ford Martini Team
Carlos Sainz,
double World Champion, is perhaps the sport's greatest all-rounder. He has
won everything from the Monte Carlo Rally to the Safari and New Zealand; only
a victory on a pure snow rally eludes him - but he nearly put that right on
his first appearance for Ford in 1996 - finishing 2nd in Sweden, a performance
repeated in 1997 and '99.
Never afraid to try rallies that theoretically
didn't suit him, he was the first southern European to win the 1000 Lakes
and the RAC. Precise and highly professional, he was a key element in reviving
Fords fortunes with the M Sport team in 1997.
In 1998 and '99 with Toyota - the team with which he earned both his World Championships - he came within yards - literally - of taking his third title. With his rival Makinen out, all he had to do was finish fourth or better on Rally GB. He was on course to do so until the engine of his Toyota failed with the end of the final stage in sight. It was the third Toyota engine to fail on the rally and cost the Japanese giant the Makes crown as well as Sainz the drivers title.
His victory in New Zealand took him ahead of Kankkunen's total of 21 World Championship rally wins, but he was to lose the lead in this particular contest in '99 when the Finn won two rallies and sainz went a year without a win for the first time since 1993.
With the retirement of the Toyota Castrol Team from the World series he moves to the Ford Martini Team and is clearly intent on regaining the top spot from Kankkunen and winning another world title.
Winner of 22
World Championship rallies
Reputed to be the highest-paid Spanish sportsman
Personal friend of King Juan Carlos
Raced in Formula Ford Festival and Renaults
before concentrating on rallying
Former Spanish Squash Champion
Enjoys golf and football
Carlos Sainz
Born: Madrid, Spain 12/4/62.
Lives: Madrid.
Married, 2 children.
First rally car: Renault 5.
WC in 1990 and 1992.
22 WC rally victories.
Luis Moya
Born: La Coruna, Spain 23/9/60.
Lives: Barcelona.
Married, 2 children.
Petter
Solberg (N)
Co Driver: Phil Mills (GB)
Ford Martini Team
At only 25 years old Norway's Petter Solberg is regarded as one of rallying's top new generation drivers. That he should pursue a motorsport career comes as little surprise as father Terje and mother Tove were often seen behind the wheel in autocross.
Solberg started competing in autocross in 1992 also driving in rallycross and hillclimbs. He finished second in the Norwegian rallycross and hillclimb championships in 1994.In 1995 he switched to a Volvo 240 in the Supernational class and quickly earmarked himself as a talent for the future. He won the Norwegian Championship in both rallycross and hillclimbing and repeated the double title triumph in 1996.
Solberg tackled his first rally in September 1996, the Hedmarksrally in his native Norway. It wasn't the best of beginnings as, driving elder brother Henning's Toyota Celica, he comprehensively destroyed the car in a big accident which was captured for national television by the on-board cameras!
In 1998 Solberg
concentrated his efforts on rallying. Driving a Toyota GT4 he became Norwegian
champion by winning four of the six rounds. A fantastic year also saw him
win the ally
Ostersund, a round of the Swedish Championship
and finish second on the South Swedish Rally and the Rally of Lebanon.
In 1999 he secured a five year contract with Ford's world championship squad. Last season was designated a learning year, the aim being to gain experience on rallies that were new to him as well as compiling good pace notes. However, he was thrust into the limelight when replacing the injured Thomas Rådström on Kenya's Safari Rally. Driving a Ford Focus for the first time in competition, Solberg finished a fine fifth on the toughest rally in the championship, providing clear evidence of his potential.
Date of birth:
18 November 1974
Lives: Spydeberg, Norway
Marital status: Lives with Pernilla Walfridsson
First rally: 1996 - Toyota Celica
First world rally: 1998 Swedish Rally
World rallies started: 8
Phil Mills
Date of birth: 30 August 1963
Lives: Cockermouth, Cumbria
Marital status:Single
First rally:1983
First World Rally:1990 RAC Rally
Francois
Delecour (F)
Co Driver: Daniel Grataloup (F)
Peugeot Sport
One of the
most talented drivers in the sport Francois Delecour is rarely out of the
news. He is very quick, but is often outspoken and controversial.
When he joined the Ford team in 1991 he was
hired primarily as an asphalt driver but proved his speed on all surfaces.
He took four World rally wins during his five years with the team but faced
hard times after he left at the end of '95.
Joining the domestic Peugeot Team in 1996 to drive the F2 306 Maxi he again proved his competitiveness through '97 and '98 before taking on the lions share of the work with the new 206 World Rally Car in 1999. While the results table does not confirm his performances, his speed and commitment in the new car secures him a place for the full 2000 season.
Had never won
a rally of any kind when he signed for Ford
Fought back to fitness after breaking one foot
in a road accident in 1994
Rose to the top in spite of parental opposition
One of the few top French drivers from the
north of the country
Enjoys cycling, football and jet-ski
Francois Delecour
Born: Cassel, France 29/8/1962.
Lives: St Tropez
Married - 2 children
First rally car: Autobianchi A112, 1981
4 WC victories
Daniel Grataloup
Born: Lyon, France 19/5/1960.
Lives: St Marguerite, France
Married - 3 children
Marcus
Grönholm (SF)
Co Driver: Timo Rautiainen (SF)
Team Peugeot
Finland has
provided more top rally drivers than any other nation but only the best make
it onto the international stage. Marcus Gronholm has been climbing the ladder
for 12 years, and has been rewarded with a drive with Peugeot, a team under
considerable pressure to re-kindle past glories.
The son of former rallyman Ulf, who was killed
in an accident practising for a rally, Marcu started in a lowly 1300cc Ford
Escort in '87 and within two years he was driving a Lancia Integrale on the
1000 Lakes, Finland's World Championship round. For the next nine years he
drove Toyotas and eventually won the Finnish Championship in '97 and '98.
Stepping into the Peugeot Team for selected rounds of the World Championship in '99 he returned better WRC results than in any past season. For 2000 - Peugeot's first full Championship assault since the Group B era ended, he will have to learn a number of the rounds from scratch, having not seen them before.
Born: 5/2/68,
Espoo, Finland
Lives: Espoo
Marital status Married, 3 children
First rally - 1987
Scandinavian Rally Champion - 1989, Finnish
Champion 1997 and '98
Best finishes WRC - Argentina 1997, 4th. Finland
1999, 4th
Timo Rautiainen
(SF)
Born: 13/11/64, Espoo, Finland
Marital status Married, 2 children
First rally: 1988
Gilles
Panizzi (F)
Co Driver: Herve Panizzi (F)
Team Peugeot
The Panizzi
brothers have rallied together since their debut in 1988. Voted "Young Driver
of the Year" by a leading French magazine in 1989 older brother Gilles started
winning in a single makes Championship in 1990 and first drove a Peugeot "works"
car in 1993 (Gp A Peugeot 106).
Graduating to F2 in 1995 he won the French
Championship in a 306 Maxi in '96 and '97.
With a programme of World Championship rounds in '98 he won F2 in Monte Carlo and Sanremo, and finished second in Corsica and Catalunya.
For 2000 he will drive the 206 Word Rally Car in selected events. Although he is one of the world's quickest tarmac drivers, Panizzi knows that he needs more experience on loose surface rallies.
Gilles Panizzi
Born: 19/9/65, Roquebrune Cap Martin, France
Marital status Married
First rally - 1988
French Rally Champion, 1996 and 1997
WRC debut - Monte Carlo 1990 (Promotion Class)
Best finishes WRC - 4th Tour de Corse 1998
Herve Panizzi
Born 13/7/67,
Marital status Married, 1 daughter
Career as Gilles
Armin
Schwarz (D)
Co Driver: Manfred Hiemer (D)
Armin Schwarz
has brought seventeen years experience in the sport to the Skoda Team as it
works up to a full World Championship programme with a world rally car. The
likeable German has experience of every event in the series (except China)
during his nine seasons at World Championship level, but has never managed
to put together a series of consistent top placings.
His single WRC win was in Spain in '91 for
Toyota, the team with which he remained for four seasons, (usually with a
limited programme).
Left without a programme for World series programme 1996 he won the European Championship before a year in a Ford Escort WRC, which brought four top six finishes.
Contracted to Skoda for 1999 and 2000, he demonstrated the Octavia's potential, earning the Team its first Championship points in Greece. In 2000 the Team will contest at least eight rounds.
German Champion
'87 and '88
First works drive with Audi
First WRC drive (RAC 1988) finished fifth for
Audi
"Works" drives with Audi, Ford and Mitsubishi
before joining Skoda
Armin Schwarz
(D)
Born 16/07/1963, Oberreichenbach
Lives: Monte Carlo, Single
First rally car - FIAT 131
First WRC event - GB - 1988 - Audi 200 Quattro
- 5th
WRC victories: 1991 Catalunya, 1996 RAC (F2
Championship
round only)
Manfred Hiemer
(D)
Born: 23 June 1961 Germany
Lives: Monte Carlo, single.
Interests: Squash, cinema, rollerblading
Luis
Climent (E)
Co Driver: Alex Romani(E)
With a seat
in the second Skoda Octavia for the 2000 season, Luis Climent steps up to
a factory team for the first time. Partnering Armin Schwarz, this is will
be Climent's opportunity to extend his experience at WRC level.
Climent started rallying in 1986, and was runner-up
in the Spanish Championship twice before winning it in 1996. His limited Group
N WRC programme secured him a distant second place in the Group N standings
in 1997 and third in 1998.
Driving a Subaru Impreza WRC run by his Valencia Terra y Mar Team he secured the FIA Teams Cup - the World Cahmpionship for "privateers" - in '99 with three category wins.
Second in Spanish
Championship 1993 and '94
Spanish Champion 1996 in a Citroen
Second and third in Group N Cup, World Championship
in '97 and '98
Other interests include television and "relaxing"
Luis Climent
(E)
Born 12 November 1966
Lives: Valencia, single
First rally car: Opel Corsa (1986)
Best WRC result: seventh overall, Greece 1999
Alex Romani
(E)
Born: 1965, Spain
Lives: Barcelona, married - 2 sons
Other interests: Cinema, music.
Kenneth
Eriksson (S)
Co Driver: Staffan Parmander (S)
Hyundai
Kenneth Eriksson
has spent most of his career being underestimated, but this quiet, resourceful
Swede has a considerable talent, particularly on snow, or loose surfaces and
remains just as competitive, although he is the oldest top line driver.
Eriksson has won two world rally titles (for
Group A cars and for two-wheel drive) and has driven factory cars for Toyota,
Volkswagen, Mitsubishi, Subaru and Hyundai. In 1995, in his best-ever World
Championship season, he scored as many victories as McRae who won the Championship.
Eriksson also won the Asia-Pacific crown that year.
In '96 he finished 7th or better eight times and in '97 made a major contribution to Subaru's Makes crown by winning in Sweden and New Zealand and taking third in Argentina and Indonesia.
With the prospect of a very limited programme from Subaru for '98 he moved to the Hyundai Team, where it was his task to help MSD, the British based company running the programme to develop first the F2 car in '98. Although the Team failed to win the F2 title in '99, the Motor Sports Development Ltd operation is developing the Accent - the first Korean four-wheel-drive rally car - and Eriksson will run 12 World Championship events in 2000, followed by a full programme in 2001
Often short
of luck - three times runner-up on RAC Rally
Skilful mechanic who sometimes repaired works
VWs himself
Noted front-wheel drive expert before changing
to 4x4
Fitness fanatic
Hobbies include fishing and flying his float-plane
Kenneth Eriksson
Born: Appelbo, Sweden 13/5/56.
Lives: Appelbo.
Single. First rally car: Saab 96.
1986 Group A WC. 1987
Two-Wheel Drive WC.
6 WC victories
Staffan Parmander
Born: Stockholm, Sweden 1/12/57.
Lives: Stockholm.
Married, 2 children.
Alister
McRae (GB)
Co Driver: David Senior
Hyundai
Following an
elder brother in a given sport can be an unrewarding task, particularly if
the elder brother is a World Champion. But Alister McRae has never been daunted
by the comparison and his talent is not in doubt. The pundits marked him down
as a future champion early in his career.
Like Colin he started rallying at 18 years
old, finishing his first World Championship event (the RAC - Gt. Britain)
14th in 1992.
Three years later he was British Champion in a Nissan Sunny F2. For '97 and '98 he moved to the (UK based) VW team driving a Golf in a limited WRC programme, broadening his experience. Moving to the Hyundai Team for '99 he contested ten events in an ultimately fruitless bid for the F2 title with Kenneth Eriksson.
One of the most experienced of the rising stars remains with the team which plans a 12 event programme for the new Accent World Rally Car in 2000.
Broad experience
of WRC in F2 cars
Hobbies - Motorcycling, mountain bikes
Born: 20/12/70,
Lanark, Britain
Lives: Lanark/Monaco
Marital status Single
First rally: 1988 (Ford Escort)
British Champion 1995
Best WRC finish - 5th Finland, 4th GB (both
in '95)
David Senior
(GB)
Born 31/3/64, Barnsley, Britain
Lives Daventry
Marital status Single