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13 Jan 2007, 16:03 (Ref:1814340) | #1 | ||
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Hannu Mikkola
just looking through a cadwell park programme from 1969,and the special saloon car race was won by a British Vita Racing Escort TC driven by a Hano Mikkola.I thought he was only a rally driver,or was this another person? Anyone know?
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13 Jan 2007, 16:10 (Ref:1814347) | #2 | ||
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I'm pretty sure it is the same driver. He raced twice in the BTCC in 1969 and 1970 on Brands Hatch, one DNF, one fifth overall.
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13 Jan 2007, 23:50 (Ref:1814598) | #3 | |
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Or Hannu even. After Vic Elford left at the end of 1966 Ford lacked a really top long term tarmac driver throughout the Cortina/rwd Escort era. Piot, Staepelaere etc ran programmes with Escorts but they never employed a top tarmac star to lead or jointly lead the team and this surely hindered Escort development on tarmac. Some team drivers (including Roger Clark in 1967) were given outings in UK racing to improve tarmac rally skills.
Waldegard nearly won the 1979 Monte Carlo Rally in the Alan Wilkinson developed tarmac-optimised Escort but ice and snow were a factor. We never saw one of those cars (which sailed close to the wind and maybe a bit beyond regarding Group 4 regulations, just like the Fiat opposition) in the hands of a tarmac specialist on a dry World Championship tarmac rally. An indication that the championship was more gravel-orientated then than now. |
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14 Jan 2007, 16:27 (Ref:1814963) | #4 | ||
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ye i spelt it as it is in the programme. thats what made me wonder if it was the seme man. thanks for the info....
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15 Jan 2007, 10:20 (Ref:1815589) | #5 | ||
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I was at Cadwell that day - Mikkola was very spectacular - I remember him overtaking on the main straight ... on the grass!
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15 Jan 2007, 17:33 (Ref:1815840) | #6 | ||
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I saw him win a special saloon race in an Escort at Snetterton in 1969. Remember it was white with a matt black bonnet. Being a rally driver - very sideways through Russell! ( The proper one - not today's version )
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6 Aug 2017, 12:08 (Ref:3757703) | #7 | |
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Hannu came to stay with us and went testing with my father showing him the Cadwell lines etc not long before that race, being with Vita it was logical to have one of their sponsored drivers to help out I guess. I remember at the time he was just another racing chap to me as a youngster !GW
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7 Aug 2017, 10:04 (Ref:3757958) | #8 | |
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Wonder what he's doing nowadays? Don't really hear from him anymore
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8 Aug 2017, 12:00 (Ref:3758161) | #9 | ||
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He also raced (and I think won) in that car at Rufforth. I believe he was either testing or getting racing signatures to contest the Tour of Britain event later in the year.
Just checked old results and it was 26.07.69 and he came 2nd just behind Harry Ratcliffe in his Mini. These results also show him as Hano Mikkola. |
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8 Aug 2017, 17:07 (Ref:3758224) | #10 | ||
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Quote:
He lives half of the year in Palm Beach, Florida and another half in his native Finland. |
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