Tommi Mäkinen marked the history of the WRC with his raw talent and 4 consecutive titles at the wheel of 4 different Evo generations. There are definitely some affinities between the Finn and the Japanese Manufacturer for which he won 22 of its 24 total victories between 1994 and 2002.
Mäkinen’s started to get noticed in the worldwide scene after he became Finnish Rally Champion in 1988 driving a Lancia Delta HF. He then moved on to make his debut in the WRC and scoring a first victory only in 1994 in a Ford Escort RS Cosworth.
The same year, he moved to the Mitsubishi Ralliart factory team and started getting better results until the 1996 season where he dominated the championship scoring 5 victories on a 9 races season and resulting in a first World Championship title with the Evo III.
From this point, he went on to win every championship until 1999 (4 titles) driving 4 generations of Evo’s (III to VI), making him the second most successful Rally driver of all time, tied with fellow Finn Kankkunen and Frenchmen Ogier. He also won the Race of Champions in 1999 and 2000 while at the peak of his career.
Tommi remained with the Ralliart Team until 2001 where he finished 3rd and then moved to the 555 Subaru World Rally Team. He scored his last victory at the Monte-Carlo Rally in 2002, and retired from the competition at the end of 2003.
In 2016, he officially came back to the Rally scene by becoming Team Principal of the Toyota GAZOO Racing Factory Team in the WRC Championship.
To commemorate his title, Mitsubishi released a Tommi Mäkinen Limited Edition Evo VI (or 6.5) in the RS and GSR packs offering lower ride height, Enkei wheels, specific bumpers, Recaro black/red seats, and titanium turbine. If you are in the search of one of these very rare specimens, The Mechanists are currently advertising a rare Factory LHD example of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI Tommi Mäkinen Edition.
Check it out here -> https://articles.themechanists.com/2017/10/02/evo6tme/
