Timo Mäkinen

Timo Mäkinen (18 March 1938 in Helsinki, Finland – 4 May 2017) was a Finnish race car driver and one of the original "Flying Finns" of motor rallying. He is best remembered for his hat-trick of wins in the RAC Rally and the 1000 Lakes Rally.

Timo Mäkinen
Timo Mäkinen (1966)
Personal information
NationalityFinland Finnish
Born(1938-03-18)18 March 1938
Helsinki, Finland
Died4 May 2017(2017-05-04) (aged 79)
Helsinki, Finland
World Rally Championship record
Active years1973–1981, 1994
TeamsFord, Toyota, Peugeot
Rallies39
Championships0
Rally wins4
Podiums7
Stage wins73
Total points7
First rally1973 Monte Carlo Rally
First win1973 1000 Lakes Rally
Last win1975 RAC Rally
Last rally1994 Monte Carlo Rally

Career
Mäkinen at the 1965 1000 Lakes

Mäkinen's start in international rallying came in the 1959 1000 Lakes Rally (now Rally Finland), in a Triumph TR3. He later drove works Austin-Healeys and Minis. In the big Healey, he finished fifth in the RAC Rally in 1963. Mäkinen drove Minis during most of 1964 but came second in the RAC Rally in a Healey, at the end of that year. He returned to the Mini Cooper S in 1965, winning the Monte Carlo Rally and the 1000 Lakes, and capturing a Coupe des Alpes at the Alpine Rally.[1] He came second in the 1965 RAC Rally, again in a Healey.

In 1967, Timo Mäkinen drove his Mini at a high speed through the famous Ouninpohja stage of the 1000 Lakes with the car's bonnet open. Leather straps holding the bonnet were not thoroughly tightened, and they opened after a few rough bounces. He tried to put his head out of the side window but his helmet was too big and he could only stick his head halfway out. So he had to skid the car sideways continuously to see the road ahead. Even so, Mäkinen was third fastest on that special stage and he also won the rally overall, for the third year in a row.

In 1975, Mäkinen won the RAC for the third time in a row, at the wheel of a Ford Escort RS1800, preceded only by Erik Carlsson (Saab 96) in that feat. Mäkinen won the Finnish Rally Championship three times, the ice track championship six times and the saloon car race championship three times.

In 1969, Mäkinen competed in the very first Round Britain Powerboat Race, which he won. In 1994, Mäkinen made a brief return as Mini celebrated the 30th anniversary of their 1964 Monte Carlo win by Paddy Hopkirk, who also participated in the event. Mäkinen retired on the second stage with a fuel system problem. In 2010, he was among the first four inductees into the Rally Hall of Fame, along with Carlsson, Hopkirk and Rauno Aaltonen.[2]

Mäkinen also traveled to Australia to race Mini Coopers in the Bathurst 500 road race. He finished 6th outright and 3rd in class in 1965 co-driving with N.Irish rally driver Paddy Hopkirk while finishing 7th outright and 3rd in class in 1967 with Australian driver John French.[3][4]

Death

Timo Makinen died on May 4, 2017, of natural causes in Helsinki, Finland.[5]

Career results

Complete IMC results
Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1970 Ford Motor Company Ltd Ford Escort Twin Cam MON
7		 SWE
Ret		 ITA KEN AUT GRE GBR
Ret
1971 Ford Motor Company Ltd Ford Escort RS 1600 MKI MON SWE
Ret		 ITA GBR
5
Ford Escort Twin Cam KEN
20		 MAR AUT GRE
1972 Ford Motor Company Ltd Ford Escort RS 1600 MKI MON
31		 SWE KEN
8		 MAR GRE AUT ITA USA GBR
Ret

Complete WRC results
Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 WDC Points
1973 Ford Motor Company Ltd Ford Escort RS1600 MON
11		 SWE POR KEN
Ret		 FIN
1		 AUT ITA USA GBR
1		 FRA N/A N/A
Automobiles Peugeot Peugeot 504 MOR
Ret		 GRE POL
1974 Automobiles Peugeot Peugeot 504 MON
C		 SWE
C		 POR KEN
Ret		 GRE
C		 N/A N/A
Ford Motor Company Ltd Ford Escort RS1600 FIN
2		 ITA CAN USA GBR
1		 FRA
1975 Automobiles Peugeot Peugeot 504 MON SWE KEN
Ret		 GRE MOR
4		 POR N/A N/A
Ford Motor Company Ltd Ford Escort RS1800 FIN
3		 ITA
Ret		 FRA GBR
1
1976 Ford Motor Company Ltd Ford Escort RS1800 MON
Ret		 SWE POR MOR
Ret		 FIN
4		 ITA GBR
Ret		 N/A N/A
Automobiles Peugeot Peugeot 504 V6 Coupé KEN
Ret		 GRE
Peugeot 104 ZS FRA
Ret
1977 Fiat S.p.A. Fiat 131 Abarth MON SWE
Ret		 POR FIN
Ret		 CAN
Ret		 ITA GBR
11		 NC 0
Automobiles Peugeot Peugeot 504 V6 Coupé KEN
Ret		 NZL GRE
Peugeot 104 ZS FRA
Ret
1978 Automobiles Peugeot Peugeot 504 V6 Coupé MON SWE KEN
Ret		 CIV
2		 FRA GBR NC 0
Peugeot 104 ZS POR
7		 GRE FIN CAN ITA
1979 Marshalls Peugeot 504 V6 Coupé MON SWE POR KEN
Ret		 GRE NZL CIV
Ret		 NC 0
Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica 2000 GT FIN
Ret		 CAN ITA FRA GBR
1980 BMW France BMW 320i MON
14		 SWE POR KEN 35th 7
Automobiles Peugeot Peugeot 504 V6 Coupé GRE
10		 ARG
Ret		 CIV
Ret
Timo Mäkinen Racing Triumph TR7 V8 FIN
22		 NZL ITA FRA
Rothmans Rally Team Ford Escort RS1800 GBR
6
1981 Marshalls Peugeot 504 V6 Coupé MON SWE POR KEN
Ret		 FRA GRE ARG BRA FIN ITA CIV GBR NC 0
1994 Timo Mäkinen Rover Mini Cooper MON
Ret		 POR KEN FRA GRE ARG NZL FIN ITA GBR NC 0

Complete British Saloon Car Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pos. Pts Class
1964 Don Moore Morris Mini Cooper S A SNE GOO OUL AIN SIL CRY BRH
9		 OUL 21st 4 9th
Source:[6]

Complete Bathurst 500 results
Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1965 Australia BMC United Kingdom Paddy Hopkirk Morris Cooper S C 128 6th 3rd
1967 Australia BMC Works Team Australia John French Morris Cooper S C 127 7th 3rd

International wins
  • 1964 Tulip Rally (Mini Cooper S)
  • 1965 Monte Carlo Rally (Mini Cooper S)
  • 1965 1000 Lakes Rally (Mini Cooper S)
  • 1966 1000 Lakes Rally (Mini Cooper S)
  • 1966 Three Cities Rally (Mini Cooper S)
  • 1967 1000 Lakes Rally (Mini Cooper S)
  • 1972 Hong Kong Rally (Ford Escort RS1600)
  • 1973 Arctic Rally (Ford Escort RS1600)
  • 1973 1000 Lakes Rally (Ford Escort RS1600)
  • 1973 RAC Rally (Ford Escort RS1600)
  • 1974 RAC Rally (Ford Escort RS1600)
  • 1974 Rallye Côte d'Ivoire (Ford Escort RS1600)
  • 1975 RAC Rally (Ford Escort RS1800)
  • 1976 Rallye Côte d'Ivoire (Peugeot 504 V6)

References
  1. Pfundner, Martin (2005). Alpine Trials & Rallies: 1910 to 1973. Veloce Publishing Ltd. pp. 90–91.
  2. "New Inductees to Rally Hall of Fame". Neste Oil Rally Finland. 9 February 2011. Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  3. The Armstrong 500 (1965)
  4. Mount Panorama Bathurst - The Great Race - 1967 highlights
  5. "Finnish Rally Legend Timo Makinen Has Died". 5 May 2017.
  6. de Jong, Frank. "British Saloon Car Championship". History of Touring Car Racing 1952-1993. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
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