SKIN - Tommi Mäkinen / Seppo Harjanne - Ford Escort Cosworth GrpA - 1000 Lakes Rally 1994
If you are not familiar with the 1994 edition of the 1000 Lakes Rally yet, it was wild. Maybe most memorably, it is remembered as the first win and worldwide breakthrough an upcoming Finnish star driver, Tommi Mäkinen. The rally started with two clear favourites. 4-time world champion Juha Kankkunen and a 30-year old Tommi Mäkinen. As a preparation for the rally, the pair had battled in Mänttä-ralli a couple weeks earlier. This was the first time Tommi managed to beat Juha fair and square. As Miki Biasion had stepped out of the 1000 Lakes, Ford's manufacturer team had called Tommi, the local star, to drive their car alongside Francois Delecour. On SS2 Lankamaa, Juha famously rolled his Celica on his home road, and lost his chance of victory, despite him driving a madman run to finish in 9th. Incredibly, this stage also caught Ari Vatanen in his Red Bull-sponsored Escort Cosworth , as he lost his wheel and retired from the event. The local spectators were bummed to see...