Kankkunen won the demanding Safari Rally three times during his career, with his first victory coming back in 1985.
That 1985 win came as a major surprise. At the time, Rally Safari simply wasn’t won by first-timers – but Kankkunen managed to do just that.
The victory at Safari Rally was also Kankkunen’s first career win in the World Rally Championship. Back then, Rally Kenya was run a bit differently than it is today, with the full route stretching over 5,000 kilometres.
The challenge was made even tougher by the rain, which came in typical African fashion – uninvited and unexpected.
“It was like ice,” Kankkunen recalled the conditions in an interview with Dirtfish.
The 1985 event, however, went favourably for Kankkunen. Fellow Finn Hannu Mikkola and Swede Stig Blomqvist were among those forced to retire, which opened the door for Kankkunen to go for the win – though the Finn didn’t realise it at the time.
“Really, I had no idea what was coming. No idea at all. I was 25. Just a boy,” Kankkunen recalled.
“I had heard talk about this being the toughest rally in the world. The old boys then, they were not saying so much, but when we did the recce I was lucky to be together with Björn and, of course, our team principal was Ove Andersson, who had also won this event in 1975.,” Kankkunen continued.
Kankkunen received valuable advice – and knew how to make the most of it.
“I was taking good advice from them, and then the driving came surprisingly good. I came to the top and stayed there. I just kept the same speed and, suddenly, the others were having little problems and then I realized I am leading by half an hour!” Kankkunen smiled.
In the end, Kankkunen drove to victory in his Toyota Celica, with his Swedish teammate Björn Waldegård finishing second. Local legend Mike Kirkland came third.
“When I was growing up, definitely it was one of my dreams to be a rally driver and to compete in Kenya. When I won this rally, it wasn’t just my first win – it was also my first podium in the world championship,” Kankkunen smiled.
Over the course of his remarkable career, Kankkunen won 23 rallies and claimed the world championship title four times – in 1986, 1987, 1991, and 1993.
