Timo Salonen
Timo Salonen is a Finnish rally driver, born in Helsinki on 1951-10-08. 1985 wrc world champion is the short version of the record; the long version, season by season, is below.
Timo Salonen: Career Record And Results At A Glance
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Full name | Timo Salonen |
| Born | 1951-10-08 — Helsinki |
| Nationality | Finland |
| Discipline | rally driver |
| Honours | National Order of Merit |
| Stories in the last 30 days | 0 |
Those fields are Wikidata claims. Each carries its own item identifier, so any of them can be re-checked at source. A missing field means neither source holds it. Nothing here is estimated.
Timo Salonen Career Wins On Record
6 wins are listed on the career record. Those 6 wins are given as they appear in the source — event, season and co-driver where a co-driver applies — rather than summarised into a career total, because a summarised total is the kind of number that goes quietly out of date. The results below are the record itself — each win, the season it was won in, and the co-driver alongside him for it. A career of 6 wins reads differently depending on how many starts it took, which is why the season results follow rather than a standalone win total.
| Number | Event | Season | Co-driver | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5ème Critérium Molson du Québec | 1977 | Jaakko Markkula | Fiat 131 Abarth |
| 2 | 11th Motogard Rally of New Zealand | 1980 | Seppo Harjanne | Datsun 160J |
| 3 | 13ème Rallye Côte d'Ivoire | 1981 | Datsun Violet GT | |
| 4 | 19º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto | 1985 | Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 | |
| 9 | 36th 1000 Lakes Rally | 1986 | ||
| 11 | 37th International Swedish Rally | 1987 | Mazda 323 4WD |
Timo Salonen Career Results, Season By Season
Timo Salonen season by season from 1974 to 2002: which team, which car, and where each campaign finished. On the rally side the columns are the individual rounds, so a blank means he did not start that event and a number means he did. Wins, podiums and championship positions are in the same table rather than summarised above it.
| Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Timo Salonen | Mazda 1300 | MON C | SWE C | POR | KEN | GRE C | FIN 22 | ITA | CAN | USA | GBR | FRA |
| 1975 | Timo Salonen | Datsun 160J | MON | SWE | KEN | GRC | MOR | POR | FIN 6 | ITA | FRA | GBR | |
| 1976 | Timo Salonen | Datsun 160J | MON | SWE | POR | KEN | GRC | MOR | FIN 6 | ITA | FRA | GBR | |
| 1977 | Timo Salonen | Fiat 131 Abarth | MON | SWE | POR | KEN | NZL | GRC | FIN 2 | CAN 1 | ITA | FRA | GBR Ret |
| 1978 | Alitalia Fiat | Fiat 131 Abarth | MON | SWE Ret | KEN | POR | GRE | FIN 2 | CAN Ret | ITA | CIV | FRA | GBR |
| 1979 | N.I. Theocharakis | Datsun 160J | MON | SWE | POR | KEN | GRC 2 | ||||||
| 1980 | Team Datsun Europe | Datsun 160J | MON | SWE 7 | POR Ret | KEN | GRE 2 | ARG | FIN 6 | NZL 1 | ITA Ret | FRA Ret | GBR Ret |
| 1981 | Team Datsun Europe | Datsun Violet GT/160J | MON | SWE | POR Ret | FRA Ret | GRE Ret | ARG Ret | BRA | FIN 4 | ITA 12 | CIV 1 | |
| 1982 | Team Nissan Europe | Nissan Silvia/Datsun Violet GTS | MON | SWE | POR Ret | KEN Ret | FRA | GRE Ret | NZL 4 | BRA | FIN 4 | ITA | CIV |
| 1983 | Team Nissan Europe | Nissan 240 RS | MON 14 | SWE | POR Ret | KEN Ret | FRA | GRE Ret | NZL 2 | ARG | FIN 8 | ITA | CIV |
| 1984 | Team Nissan Europe | Nissan 240 RS | MON 10 | SWE | POR | KEN 7 | FRA | GRE 6 | NZL 4 | ARG | FIN | ITA | CIV |
| 1985 | Shell Peugeot Talbot Sport | Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 | MON 3 | SWE 3 | POR 1 | KEN 7 | FRA Ret | ||||||
| 1986 | Shell Peugeot Talbot Sport | Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2 | MON 2 | SWE Ret | POR Ret | KEN | FRA Ret | GRE Ret | NZL 5 | ARG | FIN 1 | CIV | ITA |
| 1987 | Mazda Rally Team Europe | Mazda 323 4WD | MON Ret | SWE 1 | POR Ret | KEN | FRA | GRE | USA | NZL | ARG | FIN Ret | CIV |
| 1988 | Mazda Rally Team Europe | Mazda 323 4WD | MON 5 | SWE Ret | POR | KEN | FRA | GRE Ret | USA | NZL | ARG | FIN 4 | CIV |
| 1989 | Mazda Rally Team Europe | Mazda 323 4WD | SWE 22 | MON Ret | POR | KEN | FRA | GRE | NZL | ARG | FIN 2 | AUS | ITA |
| 1990 | Mazda Rally Team Europe | Mazda 323 4WD | MON 8 | POR Ret | KEN | FRA | GRE | NZL | ARG | ||||
| 1991 | Mitsubishi Ralliart Europe | Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 | MON 8 | SWE Ret | POR | KEN | FRA | GRE Ret | NZL | ARG | FIN DSQ | AUS 5 | ITA |
| 1992 | Mitsubishi Ralliart Europe | Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 | MON 6 | SWE | POR 5 | KEN | FRA | GRE | NZL | ARG | FIN | AUS | ITA |
| 2002 | Timo Salonen | Peugeot 206 WRC | MON | SWE | FRA | ESP | CYP | ARG | GRE | KEN | FIN 14 | GER | ITA |
Early career and WRC debut
Timo Salonen was born on October 8, 1951, in Helsinki, Finland. He began his professional rallying career in the mid-1970s, making his World Rally Championship debut in 1975. Salonen's early WRC appearances demonstrated his potential within the sport.
His first significant WRC result came at the 1977 1000 Lakes Rally in his home country. Driving a Fiat 131 Abarth, Salonen secured a second-place finish, marking his first WRC podium. This performance was followed by his inaugural WRC victory at the 1977 Critérium du Québec. This win, achieved in only his fifth WRC event, was also his first competitive outing outside of Finland. These early successes established Salonen as a driver capable of competing at the highest levels of international rallying.
The peugeot dominance and championship win
Salonen's career progression saw him join Nissan at factory level, primarily competing in endurance events. His consistent top-ten finishes in 1984 garnered attention from Jean Todt, who subsequently recruited him to Peugeot for the 1985 season. Initially, Salonen was positioned in a supporting role to Ari Vatanen. However, Vatanen's severe accident in Argentina repositioned Salonen as the team's lead driver.
He then embarked on a remarkable run, winning four consecutive WRC events. This achievement was an unbroken record until Sébastien Loeb's six consecutive wins in 2005. Salonen secured the 1985 World Rally Championship title with a 52-point lead over Stig Blomqvist, marking the largest points margin at that time. His driving style, characterized by a relaxed demeanor and often steering with one hand, earned him the nickname "Löysä" (Slack). Salonen remained with Peugeot for the 1986 season, finishing third in the drivers' championship, behind teammate Juha Kankkunen and Lancia's Markku Alén. His seven WRC victories and single World Championship title made him the most successful driver of the Group B era.
After the end of the Group B regulations, Salonen moved to Mazda. He achieved a notable victory at the 1987 Swedish Rally with the team. His last full WRC appearance was at the 1992 Rally Portugal. He later made a one-off return at the 2002 Neste Rally Finland, finishing 14th overall in a Peugeot 206 WRC.
Post-WRC career and legacy
Following his full-time WRC career, Salonen transitioned to rally raid competition, joining Guy Fréquelin's Citroën team. In 1992, his Citroën ZX caught fire during the Paris-Moscow-Beijing rally raid. He continued with Citroën in 1993, winning the Pharaohs Rally Raid and contributing to the team's victory in the Cross-Country World Cup manufacturers' title. That season, he also placed fourth at the Baja Aragon Raid, second at the Atlas Rally Raid, and third at the United Arab Emirates Desert Challenge. He withdrew from the 1993 Paris-Dakar Rally due to co-driver Fred Gallagher's back injury.
In 1994, Salonen was unable to participate in the Paris-Dakar-Paris rally due to a dispute between Citroën and event organizers. He did compete in other World Cup events, finishing second at the Tunisia Rally Raid and securing a win at the Baja Aragón. His 1995 season included a fifth-place finish at the Granda-Dakar rally, despite losing over five hours due to a front-wheel drive failure. He also finished third at the Atlas Rally and second at the Baja España-Aragón that year. Salonen, born in 1951, has since worked as the CEO of his car sales company, Autotalo Timo Salonen, in Finland. He was awarded the National Order of Merit.
Every Driver From The Same Country Racing In 2026
11 of them are contesting a professional championship this season. This is the field a driver is measured against at home, and where his own career sits in it. The bars are 30-day story counts from our own tracking: they show how much attention a driver is getting, not how quick he is.
| Driver | Series | Team | Stories, 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sami Pajari | WRC | Toyota | 39 |
| Valtteri Bottas | F1 | Cadillac | 28 |
| Teemu Suninen | ERC/WRC2 | Hyundai | 16 |
| Kalle Rovanperä | single-seaters/GT | – | 9 |
| Esapekka Lappi | WRC | Hyundai | 9 |
| Tuukka Taponen | FIA F3 | Ferrari Driver Academy | 7 |
| Jari-Matti Latvala | WRC | Toyota (team principal) | 5 |
| Roope Korhonen | WRC junior | – | 2 |
| Marcus Amand | Porsche Supercup | – | 2 |
| Lauri Joona | WRC2 | – | 2 |
| Emil Lindholm | WRC2 | – | 1 |
Finland's World Rally Champions
Finland has produced more World Rally Championship drivers' titles than any other country, and the list is short enough to give in full. Every name here has a page on this site.
| Driver | Titles | Record on this site |
|---|---|---|
| Juha Kankkunen | 4 (1986, 1987, 1991, 1993) | four WRC world titles |
| Tommi Mäkinen | 4 (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999) | four WRC world titles |
| Marcus Grönholm | 2 (2000, 2002) | two WRC world titles |
| Kalle Rovanperä | 2 (2022, 2023) | two WRC world titles |
| Ari Vatanen | 1 (1981) | 1981 WRC world champion |
| Timo Salonen | 1 (1985) | 1985 WRC world champion |
Timo Salonen holds 1 titles on that list. Six drivers are on it against one Finn currently in Formula 1, and six more are contesting the World Rally Championship this season. That is the ratio this site has to be built around, and it is why the rally desk is not a sideline to the F1 desk.
Teams Timo Salonen Has Driven For
The structured record here does not carry a team list for this driver, so none is given rather than assembled from memory. The season-by-season results table above names the entrant for each of his campaigns, which is the same information in a form that can be checked.
Following Timo Salonen Through The 2026 Season
Our Finnish drivers desk covers every round he contests. The 2026 calendar carries each session in Helsinki time. His results land in the results archive.
Timo Salonen is one of the drivers tracked on the driver index. Start there for the whole picture: one on the Formula 1 grid and six in the World Rally Championship — a ratio that would have looked absurd twenty years ago. The junior ladder is where the next ones come from.
Every driver page here is generated from the same record, so the figures are comparable across them. The method is set out in the editorial policy, and the desk that maintains these pages is the Finnish Desk.
Career fields are Wikidata claims (birth date, birthplace, teams, honours) and the results tables are the career-statistics tables from the same entity's reference article, source. Formula 1 career totals are from our own Finnish F1 dataset; 2026 finishes are the official classification via the Jolpica Ergast mirror. Checked 26 August 2026. Where a figure is absent it is because the record does not carry it.