Henri Toivonen

Quick Facts

Full Name	Henri Toivonen
Occupation	Driver
Date Of Birth	Aug 25, 1956(1956-08-25)
Age	68
Date Of Death	May 2, 1986, Arrondissement de Corte, France
Birthplace	Jyväskylä
Country	Finland
Birth City	Central Finland
Horoscope	Virgo

Henri Toivonen Biography

Henri Toivonen is one of the most popular and richest Driver who was born on August 25, 1956 in Jyväskylä, Central Finland, Finland.

Henri Pauli Toivonen (25 August 1956 – 2 May 1986) was a Finnish rally driver born in Jyväskylä, the home of Rally Finland. His father, Pauli, was the 1968 European Rally Champion for Porsche and his brother, Harri, became a professional circuit racer.

Toivonen was complaining about the car being too fast and powerful for a rally like the Tour de Corse. He found it very hard to keep the 600 hp Lancia balanced on the road and admitted it was very exhausting. A number of other rally drivers driving other Group B cars in the rally shared his concerns, and in a short interview before he steered his Lancia into the 18th stage, Toivonen made a comment which would remain his last words in public:

Henri Toivonen Net Worth

Henri Toivonen is one of the richest Driver from Finland. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Henri Toivonen 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

Toivonen had strong ties to rallying at an early age. He was born in Jyväskylä, the city which has hosted the Rally Finland since 1951. His father, Pauli Toivonen, was a successful international rally driver who would go on to win the Monte Carlo, 1000 Lakes and Acropolis rallies and become the 1968 European Rally Champion. Henri Toivonen learned to drive when he was five years old, but despite his rallying connections, started competition in circuit racing. He began with karts and won the Finnish Cup in touring cars before switching to Formula Vee, winning one round of the Scandinavian Championship in his first year. Toivonen graduated to Formula Super Vee the following year and won a round of the European Championship, as well as becoming the 1977 Finnish Champion in the Formula Vee class. Due to his family’s concerns about the safety of circuit racing, he switched to rallying full-time. Toivonen’s kart was purchased by the parents of a 6-year-old Mika Häkkinen, who would later be a two-time Formula One World Drivers’ Champion.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Henri Toivonen height Not available right now. Hilario weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.

Who is Henri Toivonen Dating?

According to our records, Henri Toivonen married to Erja Toivonen. As of December 1, 2023, Henri Toivonen’s is not dating anyone.

Relationships Record : We have no records of past relationships for Henri Toivonen. You may help us to build the dating records for Henri Toivonen!

Toivonen continued with Opel into the 1983 season, now driving the Manta 400, which took advantage of the new Group B regulations. Although the Manta was a Group B car, it was underpowered against the likes of the Audi Quattro A2 and Lancia 037, which were controlling the world rally scene at the time. Toivonen achieved a win at the Manx International Rally, a round of the British Open Rally Championship and the European Rally Championship, in the Isle of Man, at his first attempt. He also finished first at the Mille Pistes rally in France, but the organisers decided to ban the Group B cars halfway through the event. Toivonen and his co-driver, Ian Grindrod, received only a consolation trophy. In the World Rally Championship, he retired in three rallies, finished sixth at the Monte Carlo Rally and fourth at the Rallye Sanremo. He also drove a Ferrari 308 GTB at the San Marino Rally, where he was co-driven by Juha Piironen for the first time. The pair retired from the event, but Piironen would become his main co-driver for the next two seasons, and later have a long and successful partnership with four-time world champion Juha Kankkunen. In late October, Toivonen again competed on the circuits. This time he entered two sportscar races, driving a Porsche 956 for Richard Lloyd Racing in the European Endurance Championship. He only practiced the car at Imola and did not race, but in the next race at Mugello, partnered with Derek Bell and Jonathan Palmer, he finished third.

Facts & Trivia

Hilario Ranked on the list of most popular Driver. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in Finland. Henri Toivonen celebrates birthday on August 25 of every year.

In a Henri Toivonen obituary, titled Rebel With a Cause, published in Motor five days after Toivonen’s fatal accident, rally author Martin Holmes named him a “rebel driver”, and proof that young drivers can be successful in rallying, a sport which had previously been dominated by older, more experienced drivers such as fellow Finn Hannu Mikkola, Swede Stig Blomqvist and German Walter Röhrl. However, Toivonen could not achieve the necessary level of consistency to avoid a number of high speed accidents. Prior to the introduction of the Delta S4, he was known for his ability to make up large amounts of time in single stages. This led to a number of stage wins but also to several bad accidents resulting from driving mistakes. Toivonen’s career almost ended in early 1985, when he was nearly paralysed in the Rally Costa Smeralda accident – 1985 would have been his first full WRC season, excluding the extremely arduous endurance events in Africa- the Safari Rally and the Ivory Coast Rally for which he was never entered in his career- in actual fact, Toivonen never did a single rally outside Europe- not even the Safari Rally, which was considered one of the most prestigious rally events up until 2002, when it was taken off the WRC calendar. The World Rally Archive’s Hall of Fame now names him an “icon for the one of the most controversial periods of rallying.”

Top Facts about Henri Toivonen

1. Henri Toivonen was a Finnish rally driver.
2. He was born on August 25, 1956.
3. Toivonen won the British Rally Championship in 1980.
4. He made his World Rally Championship debut in 1980.
5. Toivonen won his first WRC event in 1984.
6. He tragically died during the 1986 Tour de Corse rally.
7. Toivonen was known for his aggressive driving style.
8. He drove for Lancia and Peugeot teams during his career.
9. Henri’s father, Pauli Toivonen, was also a successful rally driver.
10. His legacy lives on through the Henri Toivonen Memorial Trophy award

What happened Henri Toivonen?

Toivonen died in a crash on 2 May 1986 while leading the Tour de Corse rally in Corsica. His American co-driver, Sergio Cresto, also died when their Lancia Delta S4 plunged down a ravine and exploded.

What caused Group B rally end?

Group B was the World Rally Championship’s most famous era and produced the most spectacular cars. But Group B’s time was effectively ended when Henri Toivonen and co-driver Sergio Cresto were killed in a crash on the Tour of Corsica in 1986.

Is Henri Toivonen still alive?

May 2, 1986

Where did Henri Toivonen crash?

Arrondissement de Corte, France

Does Group B rally still exist?

Beyond WRC Although 1987 saw the end of Group B rally car development and their appearance on the world rally scene, they did not disappear. They were still permitted in regional championships providing they met the limit of 1600cc for four-wheel-drive or were homologated prior to 1984.