Tapio Laukkanen

Born: 23 Sep 1969
Hometown: Lahti

Laukkanen (right) chats with Jake Himes of Minnesota, who was co-driving for Eric Seppanen at the 2002 Lake Superior ProRally.

Tapio Laukkanen started rallying in 1991. After seven junior wins with a Mitsubishi Galant in '92 he went on to win five of the eight rounds of the '93 Finland novice series and to claim the Finnish Junior Championship. He also contested 13 other rallies, taking eight wins, three seconds and two thirds. In 1994 he claimed Group N victory on the Rally of Wales.

His first outings with the SBG Sport/Volkswagen team came in '95; he was runner-up in the Finnish Championship taking victory outright on Nokia Rally, plus two second and two third places and claimed a hard-fought fourth in class on the Network Q RAC Rally. Laukkanen was unstoppable on home soil 1996: he won four rounds of the serise – in his VW Golf and claimed the crown with a round in hand. Laukkanen was among the very quickest in the 1996 British Championship also, but attracted more than his fair share of bad luck. His Volkswagen was more often than not among the top three championship contenders and, for the second year in succession, he duelled for the lead of the Scottish International Rally before mechanical problems intervened.

In 1997 was A varied rally programme. He finished runner-up in two-litre division on both Pirelli International and Scottish rounds of British Rally Championship as well as Neste Rally Finland world championship round. Other results included third in two-litre division on both Swedish world championship round and on the British series’ finale, the Manx International. He also won final two rounds of Finnish rally series.

For the season 1998 he moved to Renault and was in very important role when the team took it´s first British Championship title. Fourth overall in British Rally Championship in debut season with Renault Dealer Rallying. Best results were two second places on both the Scottish and Manx rounds, and second overall on double-header Pirelli International. Finished 18th overall and eighth in Formula 2 division on Corsican round of World Rally Championship. Also led F2 in Finland before retiring, then finished 23rd overall and seventh in F2 in Sanremo despite crashing down a ravine. Ended season on a high with F2 victory on Rally of Great Britain.

In 1999 he stayed with Renault dominating the British Rally Championship and taking the title. He also won F2 in Finland and finished 10th overall and third in F2 on Corsican round of World Rally Championship. Renault ended its rallying activity and for the season 2000 Tapio moved back to VW.

Season 2000 was not very lucky. He was not able to win the British Rally Championship title and in Rally Finland he made a big step to World Rally Car. He retired his first rally with the Ford Focus WRC, but in Australia he achieved his first ever WRC points when he placed fifth.

In 2001 he drove a couple of rallies with the Toyota Corolla WRC and in 2002 he is driving in British series with Group N Subaru.

Tapio Laukkanen has recently competed in a couple of SCCA ProRallys; the 2002 Lake Superior ProRally in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and the 2003 Sno*Drift ProRally in northern Lower Michigan. He damaged his Pirelli entered Subaru WRX during testing at Lake Superior, and ended up borrowing a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo II from Henry Joy. Laukkanen retired after only a few stages as he was uncomfortable driving such an unfamiliar car on unfamiliar roads. His luck was much better at Sno*Drift in January 2003, where he drove an AV Sport Subaru WRX to second overall behind Mitsubishi driver David Higgins.