Norway is the only nation with a WRC Champion but no WRC event

There are eight nations who have produced World Rally Champions since the WRC was born.  Seven of them host WRC events.  At the moment, Norway misses out on this particular honour!

Norway is today the only country that has produced a World Rally Champion but does not host a WRC event.  Hopefully that will change. With a perfectly executed Rally Norway in February, all of Norway’s rally supporters are hoping there can be a WRC event in Norway from 2007.

In 1979 the first World Rally Championship was contended, and since then there have been 16 different champions hailing from eight nations: Sweden, Germany, Italy, Spain, Great Britain, Finland, France and Norway.

Finland has always been a leading rally-nation and boasts five of history’s 16 World Champions.  They also produced the most successful, with Tommi Mäkinen and Juha Kankkunen with four WRC titles each.   Sweden gave birth to the first Champion of all, when Björn Waldegård won in 1979.

In 2003 Petter Solberg became World Champion and from next year hopes and believes that he can participate in WRC on home turf.

Rally Norway, which is an official FIA Candidate Race for the WRC, takes place on 10th and 11th February with its base in Hamar.

World Rally Champions

2005: Sebastien Loeb (France) Citroën
2004: Loeb Citroën
2003: Petter Solberg (Norway) Subaru
2002: Marcus Grönholm (Finland) Peugeot
2001: Richard Burns (Great Britain) Subaru
2000: Grönholm Peugeot
1999: Tommi Mäkinen (Finland) Mitsubishi
1998: Mäkinen Mitsubishi
1997: Mäkinen Mitsubishi
1996: Mäkinen Mitsubishi
1995: Colin McRae (Great Britain) Subaru
1994: Didier Auriol (France) Toyota
1993: Juha Kankkkunen (Finland) Toyota
1992: Carlos Sainz (Spain) Toyota
1991: Kankkkunen Lancia
1990: Sainz Toyota
1989: Massimo Biasion (Italy) Lancia
1988: Biasion Lancia
1987: Kankkunen Lancia
1986: Kankkunen Peugeot
1985: Timo Salonen (Finland) Peugeot
1984: Stig Blomqvist (Sweden) Audi
1983: Hannu Mikkola (Finland) Audi
1982: Walter Röhrl (Germany) Opel
1981: Ari Vatanen (Finland) Ford
1980: Röhrl Fiat
1979: Bjorn Waldegård (Sweden)Ford