Pauli Toivonen
Encyclopedia
Pauli Toivonen was a Finnish
rally car driver. He drove for Citroën
, Lancia
and Porsche
and had many successes to his credit. Pauli was the father of Harri
and Henri Toivonen
.
Toivonen was awarded a controversial first place on the 1966 Monte Carlo Rally
after a protest by the Citroën team manager against the top finishing British cars. As a result, the top three placing Mini
s of Timo Mäkinen
, Rauno Aaltonen
and Paddy Hopkirk
and Roger Clark
's 4th place Ford Cortina
were disqualified. The reason given by rally officials was that the headlamp bulbs were not homologated following a last minute rule change. Toivonen was so embarrassed that he boycotted the post-rally awards ceremony and never drove for Citroën again.
As a result, Pauli did not brag about his victory in the prestigious Monte Carlo rally because he felt he had not deserved the victory. However, when his son, Henri came in first at the same event twenty years later —- this time in a convincing manner —- Pauli said, "Now the name of Toivonen has been cleared."
Pauli was European Rally champion in 1968 and won four other events for Porsche in the same year.
Whilst Pauli Toivonen was mainly known for driving rally cars, he also drove for Porsche in World Sportscar Championship
races and for Renault
in the 24 Hours of Le Mans
.
Henri Toivonen
and Sergio Cresto
(his co-driver) both died when their Lancia left the road and caught fire during the 1986 Tour de Corse. Henri was just 29 years old - having achieved more in his short life than most rally drivers manage in their entire careers.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
rally car driver. He drove for Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
, Lancia
Lancia
Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Some modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
and Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
and had many successes to his credit. Pauli was the father of Harri
Harri Toivonen
Harri Toivonen is a former Finnish rally and race car driver. He is the younger brother of Henri Toivonen and son of Pauli Toivonen....
and Henri Toivonen
Henri Toivonen
Henri Pauli Toivonen was a Finnish rally driver born in Jyväskylä, the home of Rally Finland. His father, Pauli Toivonen, was the 1968 European Rally Champion for Porsche and his brother, Harri Toivonen, became a professional circuit racer.Toivonen's first World Rally Championship victory came...
.
Toivonen was awarded a controversial first place on the 1966 Monte Carlo Rally
Monte Carlo Rally
The Monte Carlo Rally or Rally Monte Carlo is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco which also organises the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix and the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique. The rally takes place along the French Riviera in the Principality of Monaco and...
after a protest by the Citroën team manager against the top finishing British cars. As a result, the top three placing Mini
Mini
The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...
s of Timo Mäkinen
Timo Mäkinen
Timo Mäkinen was one of the original "Flying Finns" of motor rallying. He is most famous for his hat-tricks of wins in the RAC Rally and the 1000 Lakes Rally-Career:...
, Rauno Aaltonen
Rauno Aaltonen
Rauno August Aaltonen , also known as "The Rally Professor", is a Finnish former professional rally driver who competed in the World Rally Championship throughout the 1970s. Before WRC was established Aaltonen competed in the European Rally Championship. He won the championship in 1965, with Tony...
and Paddy Hopkirk
Paddy Hopkirk
Patrick Barron "Paddy" Hopkirk is a former rally driver from Northern Ireland.He was born in Belfast and educated at Clongowes Wood College in County Kildare from 1945 – 1949 before attending Trinity College, Dublin until 1953. He started his winning career in professional racing and rally driving...
and Roger Clark
Roger Clark
Roger Albert Clark, MBE, was a British rally driver during the 1960s and '70s, and the first competitor from his country to win a World Rally Championship event when he triumphed at the 1976 RAC Rally.-Biography:...
's 4th place Ford Cortina
Ford Cortina
As the 1960s dawned, BMC were revelling in the success of their new Mini – the first successful true minicar to be built in Britain in the postwar era...
were disqualified. The reason given by rally officials was that the headlamp bulbs were not homologated following a last minute rule change. Toivonen was so embarrassed that he boycotted the post-rally awards ceremony and never drove for Citroën again.
As a result, Pauli did not brag about his victory in the prestigious Monte Carlo rally because he felt he had not deserved the victory. However, when his son, Henri came in first at the same event twenty years later —- this time in a convincing manner —- Pauli said, "Now the name of Toivonen has been cleared."
Pauli was European Rally champion in 1968 and won four other events for Porsche in the same year.
Whilst Pauli Toivonen was mainly known for driving rally cars, he also drove for Porsche in World Sportscar Championship
World Sportscar Championship
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance and road racing events in Europe and North America with dozens of gentleman drivers at the grid,...
races and for Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
in the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
.
Henri Toivonen
Henri Toivonen
Henri Pauli Toivonen was a Finnish rally driver born in Jyväskylä, the home of Rally Finland. His father, Pauli Toivonen, was the 1968 European Rally Champion for Porsche and his brother, Harri Toivonen, became a professional circuit racer.Toivonen's first World Rally Championship victory came...
and Sergio Cresto
Sergio Cresto
Sergio Cresto was the co-driver of Henri Toivonen at the Lancia Martini team for the 1986 World Rally Championship season. He was also a former co-driver for fellow Lancia employee, the Italian driver Attilio Bettega....
(his co-driver) both died when their Lancia left the road and caught fire during the 1986 Tour de Corse. Henri was just 29 years old - having achieved more in his short life than most rally drivers manage in their entire careers.
Notable victories
| Year | Rally | Finish | Car | Co-driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Thousand Lakes Rally | 2nd | Citroën | Jaakko Kallio |
| 1962 | Thousand Lakes Rally | 1st | Citroën DS19 | Jaakko Kallio |
| 1963 | Monte Carlo Rally | 2nd | Citroën DS19 | A. Jarvi |
| 1965 | Thousand Lakes Rally | 3rd | Volkswagen 1500S | Kalevi Leivo |
| 1966 | Monte Carlo Rally | 1st | Citroën DS21 | E. Mikander |
| 1967 | Swedish Rally | 6th | Lancia | Ahava |
| Tour de Corse | 2nd | Lancia | M. Tiukkanen | |
| Thousand Lakes Rally | 7th | Lancia | Salonen | |
| 1968 | Monte Carlo Rally | 2nd | Porsche 911T | M. Tiukkanen |
| Acropolis Rally | 3rd | Porsche 911T | M. Kolari | |
| West German Rally | 1st | Porsche 911T | M. Kolari | |
| East German Rally | 1st | Porsche 911T | M. Kolari | |
| San Remo Rally | 1st | Porsche 911T | M. Tiukkanen | |
| Castrol-Danube Rally | 1st | Porsche 911T | M. Tiukkanen | |
| Geneva Rally | 1st | Porsche 911T | Vihervaava | |
| European Champion | ||||
| 1969 | Acropolis | 1st | Porsche 911S | M. Kolari |
External links
Site dedicated Henri Toivonen- http://www.flyingfinns.com/toiv_p.htm