Juha Kankkunen driving Lancia Delta Hf Sanremo 1992 / INTEGRALE VESTITO

Integrale Vestito Channel

Juha Matti Pellervo Kankkunen born 2 April, 1959 in Laukaa) is a Finnish former rally driver. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1983 to 2002. He won 23 world rallies and four drivers' world championship titles, which were both once records in the series. Sébastien Loeb has since collected more world titles, but no driver has so far been able to repeat Kankkunen's feat of becoming a world champion with three different manufacturers.

Kankkunen was signed by Toyota in 1983 and he took his first WRC win in his third year in the team. His performances got him a deal with the defending champions Peugeot for 1986, and Kankkunen was soon crowned the series' youngest-ever champion. As Peugeot withdrew from the championship following the ban of Group B, Kankkunen moved to Lancia and became the first driver to successfully defend his title. After a two-year stint back at Toyota, he returned to Lancia and won a record third title in 1991.

In 1993, Kankkunen re-joined Toyota and won his fourth title. Following Toyota's disqualification and 12-month ban in 1995, Kankkunen did not return to active participation in the series until joining Ford half-way through the 1997 season. After moving to Subaru for 1999, he took his first win in over five years. Before retiring after the 2002 season, he competed part-time for Hyundai.

Kankkunen's achievements outside the WRC include winning the Dakar Rally in 1988 and the Race of Champions in 1988 and 1991. Following his retirement from active rallying, he has worked in the fields of business and politics. Since 2007, Kankkunen holds the world speed record on ice in a Bentley Continental GT.

By the time Kankkunen had taken the long-awaited win for Toyota, he had already signed a deal to reacquaint himself with Lancia for the 1990 season. Half-way through the season, Kankkunen found himself only fourth in the championship and Toyota in the lead with their new star driver Carlos Sainz. Although Kankkunen later repeated his win in Australia and collected his fifth podium of the season in Sanremo, Sainz went on to take a dominant title. Kankkunen placed third in the drivers' world championship, between his teammates Didier Auriol and the defending world champion Biasion. Lancia edged out Toyota to take a record fourth manufacturers' title in a row.

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• lancia
• lancia delta
• hf
• hf integrale
• alfa
• alfa romeo
• romeo
• stratos
• 037 rally
• rally
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• awd
• 4wd
• delta s4
• s4
• motorsport
• juha
• juha kankkunen
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• group b

[SuperPrivate2011]

Brilliant driver in the World's best rally car (including Impreza, Xsara & C4)

[MrBluntNose]

Legendary driver in legendary car