The best rally driver ever

[DeltaS4]

Who is the best rally driver ever.

 

[Scaff]

Walter Röhrl gets my vote, not only as one of the best rally drivers of all time, but as one of the single most talented drivers of all time.

His skill at the time of group B was amazing, as was his time at Pikes Pike. To this day his skill and ability as the chief Porsche test driver has resulted in the development of some of the finest drivers cars on the market today.

Any video you watch with him behind the wheel shows a level of car control and skill that is second to none.

BTW - He would not have got my vote, but some may take issue with Colin McRae not being on the list, as the one time holder of the most WRC rally wins he does deserve a place on it. You may want to make a quick edit of the poll.

 

[TwinTurboJay]

Someone else, "Colin McRae"

'nuff said

 

[GilesGuthrie]

I edited the poll to include Colin McRae, adding TwinTurboJay's vote to that, and removing it from "Someone Else".

This is a really hard decision. I'll have to have a think about it and come back to you.

The short (!!) list is:
Tommi Mäkinen
Walter Röhrl
Ari Vatanen
Stig Blomqvist
Hannu Mikkola
Marcus Grönholm

 

[Scaff]

I edited the poll to include Colin McRae, adding TwinTurboJay's vote to that, and removing it from "Someone Else".

This is a really hard decision. I'll have to have a think about it and come back to you.

The short (!!) list is:
Tommi Mäkinen
Walter Röhrl
Ari Vatanen
Stig Blomqvist
Hannu Mikkola
Marcus Grönholm

Tommi Mäkinen
Ari Vatanen
Stig Blomqvist

These were the other three on my short list; you are quite right Giles, its a damn hard one to call. Also any chance you could edit Didier Auriol name to its correct spelling, somehow 'Dirier Auriol' doesn't have the same ring to it; still its an easy typo to make (I should know look at how often I edit my posts and most of the time its for typos).

DeltaS4, who would you go for?

 

[DeltaS4]

I chose Toivonen because he would have won championship 1986 but he died. He was the only driver who could handle Lancia Delta S4 when it came 1985. He was also very good driving on track (He could have been F1 driver but he chose rallying) so I voted him.

Other opportunitys were Mikkola and Mäkinen.
Mikkola because he won championship and has same first name that I have. Mäkinen because he is the only one who have won championship four times without past. (hope you understand what I mean)

Sorry! McRae was in my list but I forgot it and D and R are so same style in Finland that I didn't know which one was right.

BTW in poll Finnish names are written the way they are written in Finland so they are correct.

 

[Danny]

My vote goes to Tommi Makkinen. He was without doubt, the coolest rally driver ever.

 

[buckas]

burnseys better than mcrae - why isnt he on the list?

 

[Scaff]

burnseys better than mcrae - why isnt he on the list?

why is he?

I like Richard Burns, but would not rank him as high as McRae or the others on the list.

Both may have won a world championship, but McRae held the record for the most WRC wins by a single driver (until Carlos Sainz overtook him this year).

Also McRae has demonstrated that he has ability outside the field of WRC, with good showings in the Dakar and other Baja and rally raids events. Combined with a strong showing at Le Mans and you have the profile of a well rounded, world class driver.

I think that Burns is capable of making the grade, but he just does not yet have the depth of exerience. Hopefully he will be back in the game soon and continue where he left off.

OK, I've given my reason why Richard Burns is not better than Colin McRae and why I think he should not (yet) be on this list. Your turn, tell me why he should be.

Oh, and welcome to GTP, have fun.

 

[Scaff]

I chose Toivonen because he would have won championship 1986 but he died. He was the only driver who could handle Lancia Delta S4 when it came 1985. He was also very good driving on track (He could have been F1 driver but he chose rallying) so I voted him.

Other opportunitys were Mikkola and Mäkinen.
Mikkola because he won championship and has same first name that I have. Mäkinen because he is the only one who have won championship four times without past. (hope you understand what I mean)

Sorry! McRae was in my list but I forgot it and D and R are so same style in Finland that I didn't know which one was right.

BTW in poll Finnish names are written the way they are written in Finland so they are correct.

Toivonen was a superb driver who unfortunatly did not live long enough to show his full potential. Imagine what he could have achieved if his career had been as long as Carlos Sainz's or Walter Rohrl's.

What he did display was truly amazing, it was a great shame.

I have some footage on DVD of him in the S4 and you are quite right that he was one of the few people who could control the car. Unfortunatly its was this very car that he died in.

BTW - No worries about the D and R thing, your English is far better that my Finnish; but glad to see that Giles has added McRae.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

burnseys better than mcrae - why isnt he on the list?

What? There's no way on this Earth that Richard Burns is as good a rally driver as Colin McRae. He lacks the pace, the timing and the versatility of McRae. In the year that he was champion, he won only one round of the championship, whereas three other drivers (Gronholm, Makinen, McRae) each won three rounds. How is that dominance?

Then, when he switched teams, to Peugeot, he was nowhere. Watching him at the Monte, you almost felt embarrassed for him, so slow and tentative he was. He never got anywhere near his team-mate or the winner's rostrum. Whereas when McRae moved from Subaru to Ford, it took him three rounds to take the overweight Focus to the winner's table.

Additionally, Burns has no experience out of a WRC car. Unless of course you want to mention his 1999 appearance in one of the Porsche GB Guest cars in the Carrera SuperCup, where he rolled out of the race on the 1st lap. It's worth mentioning McRae's experience in Dakar and other Rally Raids (he won one last month), plus his creditable showing at Le Mans, and his awesome performance in a Jordan F1 car.

"Didier Auriol"'s name spelling is now fixed...

 

[DeltaS4]

It is sad that Henri said to Finnish interviewer just before Corte (where he died): "Your brains are not good enought to drive this car, it's so fast. We have already drove one Finnish rally today". (he mean there was so many stages) And in 1982 he said "If these group b cars come and no-one makes rules that slows them, someone can die." And he was the one who died.

I don't think Burns is good enought to that list but that's my opinion... Yes he has won championship but he didn't won it very clearly,( he wasn't obvious winner).

Who can I change names in poll? Could you fix Alen's name too , it is Alén. Notice the mark on E.

Yihuu, I'm Junior member!!!! What is the next level?

You can try to translate my homepage if you want to learn Finnish. (Link in Signature.)

 

[GilesGuthrie]

I don't think Burns is good enought to that list but that's my opinion... Yes he has won championship but he didn't won it very clearly,( he wasn't obvious winner).

Who can I change names in poll? Could you fix Alen's name too , it is Alén. Notice the mark on E.

Done.

It's your poll. You can have whoever you want on it.

 

[Scaff]

Done.

It's your poll. You can have whoever you want on it.

Come on Giles - who you going for?

 

[daan]

Gwyndaf Evans. School bus driver during the week, demon rally driver at the weekends. And he looked nothing like a demon rally driver.

(I know he shouldn't really be mentioned in the same thread as the other "real" greats above. I just think it's great that he drove the school bus!)

 

[Danny]

Does he drive the MG ZR rally car?

 

[daan]

He did in 2002. I can't see any more up to date info. He's driven loads of different cars throughout his career.

 

[hellnback]

I went for Ari Vatanen (the BDA king...), although he didn't always finish a rally (this is one of the main reasons he only got one Championship), he always pushed it to the limit and was scarily fast...

 

[Evo7GTA]

After watching the Vatanen Touch and the Vatanen Touch Too, I'd say Ari Vatanen. I simply love the way he drove that MkII Escort.

 

[Stinky Chicken]

Tommi, no question.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

Come on Giles - who you going for?

I decided on Stig Blomqvist eventually.

 

[Scaff]

I decided on Stig Blomqvist eventually.

Good call, he made my short-list

 

[TS1AWD]

Being one in the USA and following the SCCA alot, (when it existed) I would have to say David Higgins, He was an amazing driver and pretty muched crushed the competition in the SCCA ProRally. I hear he is now working with the Mitsubishi WRC team.

 

[Nurmipora]

I voted Henri Toivonen because I think he's the best. Sad that he died so early .

 

[dcr22B]

Being one in the USA and following the SCCA alot, (when it existed) I would have to say David Higgins, He was an amazing driver and pretty muched crushed the competition in the SCCA ProRally. I hear he is now working with the Mitsubishi WRC team.

He also won the British Rally Championship this year in a Hyundai Accent.

 

[RouWa]

Walter Röhrl. He was simply the best:

http://www.oppositelock.freeserve.co.uk/wr.html
http://www.josef-bayer.de/roehrl/index_nf.htm

 

[subforever]

I vote sebastien loeb because he's french like me and because Petter Solberg is missing ! I'm sorry if I speak not very well but I'm french

 

[RexKwonDo]

Walter Röhrl, Michèle Mouton and Markku Alen

 

[newbielives]

Sebastien loeb, He is the smoothest driver have ever seen.

In Mexico, he suffers a wheel break down in the early stages and forces him to last place, but by the end of the rally he is 4th beating out 6th and 5th place drivers by over 20secs on the final stage and also being the fastest in most of the previous stages.

 

[786]

ugh, just cant make a decision on this one...damn good poll but too many damn good drivers!