⤷ ゛Henri Toivonen ˎˊ˗
Henri Pauli "Henkka" Toivonen (1956-1986) is, in my (totally not biased) opinion, one of the most talented drivers that WRC has ever seen (don't look at my profile picture).
Manufacturer teams: Talbot (1980-1981), Opel (1982-1983), Lancia (1984-1986)
Total WRC rallies entered: 40 (18 finishes, 9 podiums)
Wins: 3: 1980 RAC Rally, 1985 RAC Rally, 1986 Rallye Monte Carlo
Notable co-drivers: Juha Piironen, Sergio Cresto
Born on August 25th 1956 in Jyväskylä, the city known for hosting Rally Finland, Henri Toivonen grew up already surrounded by racing. His father, Pauli Toivonen, was the 1968 ERC champion, and overall a rather successful rally driver.
Henri (middle of the picture) with his parents, Pauli (1929-2005) and Ulla, and his younger brother Harri (1960-) - picture taken early 1963
Given his upbringing, one might think Henri sat in a rally car at five years old and never got out, but that's only half true. Indeed, even though Henri did know how to drive road cars at five years old, he started competing in circuit racing.
He graduated from karts to touring cars, and then moved into Formula Vee in 1976. In 1977, he competed in Formula Super Vee and became the Finnish champion of the category. However, his family was worried about the lack of safety single-seater racing offered, which prompted him to switch to rallying full time soon after.
Still, in November 1982, he participated in one non-championship British Formula Three race in Thurxton, driving for Eddie Jordan Racing. He qualified fifth and finished fourth in the race that was totally dominated by Ayrton Senna.
Henri in fifth position on the grid, right behind pole sitter Ayrton Senna
Henri finished only once outside of the points in his WRC career, in the 1978 RAC Rally. Afterwards, he never finished a rally below 6th position (which only happened twice!!).
If you're a results nerd like I am, here you can find Henri's full rally results, including national rallies and ERC!
What made Henri Toivonen stand out from his peers was mostly his young age, and how he managed to achieve in just a few years more than most drivers in a full career. For example, a first win in his first manufacturer year, which prompted him to become the youngest driver to win a WRC event (at 24 years and 86 days). He held the record until 2008.
Unfortunately, what could've been one of the best careers of all time was cut short in the 18th stage of the 1986 Tour de Corse. Henri had been suffering from the flu all week, and insisted to drive in the dangerous Corsican roads anyway, as he'd just lost the lead of the championship. He was comfortably leading the rally despite being exhausted and complaining that the cars were too powerful for the roads.
Today, we have driven more than the whole distance of the 1000 Lakes Rally. After 4 hours of driving, it's hard to keep up with the speed. So, with a modern car like this, it's just impossible to race here. It's physically exhausting and the brains can't keep up with it anymore. - Henri Toivonen in a small interview before the 18th stage, his last recorded words.
In the 7th kilometre of the 18th stage, Corte-Taverna, in a remote part of the road, where there were no spectators or marshalls, he went off the side of the road at a tight left-hander with no guardrail.
The car crashed on its roof and caught fire within seconds of the crash. Both Henri and his co-driver, Sergio Cresto, died in their seats with no possible way of getting out before the fire erupted.
It has remained unclear of what really happened, since there were no direct eye-witnesses, no brake marks on the road, and no one really knew about the crash for a while, until the Lancia team realised Toivonen failed to arrive from the stage on schedule. When a rescue team finally arrived, the car was burnt without recognition, and the cause of the accident has never been figured out.
Through his whole career, and his tragic end, Henri Toivonen is, and will always be considered, one of the best drivers Group B, and rally, has ever seen.
Simca Rallye 2 - 1975 1000 Lakes Rally (co-driver: Antero Lindqvist)
Chrysler Avenger - 1977 1000 Lakes Rally (co-driver: Antero Lindqvist)
Chrysler Sunbeam - 1978 RAC Rally (co-driver: Juhani Korhonen)
Ford Escort - 1979 RAC Rally (co-driver: Phil Boland)
Talbot Sunbeam Lotus - 1980 RAC Rally (co-driver: Paul White)
Opel Ascona 400 - 1982 Acropolis Rally (co-driver: Fred Gallagher)
Lancia 037 Rally - 1985 Rallye de Monte Carlo (co-driver: Juha Piironen)
Lancia Delta S4 - 1986 Tour de Corse (co-driver: Sergio Cresto)
