Obituary – Hannu Mikkola 1942 – 2021
Sadly, the legendary Finnish rally driver Hannu Mikkola, 1942 – 2021, has died aged 78.
Mikkola’s career spanned three decades, and he was a big part of the Audi Sport team with the development of the quattro. Starting in 1981, 40 years ago, Mikkola won for the first time a rally with an all-wheel drive vehicle in a World Rally Championship round. The event in Sweden in the February of 1981 would be one that changed rallying forever. Two years later he was Audi’s first World Champion and the first driver to win a World Championship in an all-wheel drive car.
Audi’s quattro really was a gamechanger back then and Mikkola recognised this. In 1987 he tackled the Safari Rally in East Africa with an Audi 200 quattro winning in his first attempt. This was to be Audi’s last victory in the World Rally Championship, but Mikkola remained associated with Audi. Working with Audi Tradition he drove in many events with the quattro.
“With Hannu Mikkola, we lose a particularly esteemed and globally recognized sportsman and ambassador, who will forever have a place in the history of Audi Sport. Our condolences go out to his family,” says Julius Seebach, Managing Director Audi Sport GmbH and responsible for Audi motorsport.
A sad day indeed, rallying’s most exciting decade is starting to lose those pioneers that made it happen. Hannu Mikkola, RIP.
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