Tommi Makkinen Retiring after this Season in WRC

[tekwar]

This is really sad news, would have love to see him give it one more go for Mitsubishi next season before he retired. At least retiring on the team that gave him his championships would be nice. But i guess all good things come to an end. Will miss him though.

http://www.crash.net/uk/en/news_view.asp?cid=4&nid=74133

[TT]

I read it yesterday.. sad, true, but as he said, it was useless for him to try and try again... this is the right moment ot leave WRC IMO...

[geekdiggy]

he picked a good time to go out because the next coming seasons will bring turmoil in the wrc for sure. besides, he's already very respected and successful, not to mention rich and old, go out on top as they say.

subaru announced they've signed burnsie for next season, and petter just got married saturday. so this has been an eventful week for subaru AND WRC OWNS ALLLLLLLLLLLLL

[stracing]

so is mitsu using the colt as the car for next year?

[TT]

so is mitsu using the colt as the car for next year?

Nope, afaik, it will be the Lancer again...

[tekwar]

what are the major changes that he speaks of for next year? i mean i still feel he is more than capable of winning more championships....if he wanted to go out on top, i wish it could be while he was still champion....but then again, thats wishful thinking. First Mika Hakkinen, now Tommi Makkinen. These finns just love to do this to me....bah....

[TT]

what are the major changes that he speaks of for next year? i mean i still feel he is more than capable of winning more championships....if he wanted to go out on top, i wish it could be while he was still champion....but then again, thats wishful thinking. First Mika Hakkinen, now Tommi Makkinen. These finns just love to do this to me....bah....

Well, next season there would be only two "official" drivers allowed for every car... I guess he feared not to have a spot with all the young rising stars around...

[geekdiggy]

I guess he feared not to have a spot with all the young rising stars around...


nah tommi's got a family and a fresh new daughter to tend to. he's always complained of not having enough time for family and to me that's a priority over driving especially if you're already financially set. following a gearbox problem in the argentinian rally (which dropped him 15 minutes) he saw no reason to continue contesting the rally so he immediately packed it up and headed home to his newborn baby. that's a family man, who is needed more at home then in the forests.

[Homans]

I agree. Tha man has done so much for the sport already that he doesnt need to work hard at carving another niche for himself. If the time has come for him, i say celebrate a fantastic run in an ever-increasingly challenging sport, and more power to the guy for sticking it out as long as he has.

[jakaracman]

I bet he'll still be racing. Look at Vatanen and Blomquvist. You just cant stop. He'll do it for fun!

[initiala4]

Tommi is a legend...in rally...I think he really brought mitsu up.

[heath]

what are the major changes that he speaks of for next year? i mean i still feel he is more than capable of winning more championships....if he wanted to go out on top, i wish it could be while he was still champion....but then again, thats wishful thinking. First Mika Hakkinen, now Tommi Makkinen. These finns just love to do this to me....bah....

well Mika gave it a go in the australian rally this year? Does that count? I still think he is an amazing driver...heh it was funny cause he had a lancer with left hand drive to compete in the rally cause he couldn't drive an australian left hand drive! hehehe good old Mika! Keep battling along!

[Billyjuan]

I hate to see Tommi Makkinen leave the WRC because he was one of the best out there in the WRC, but people have to stop someday. And we have to respec his decision

[Vansquish]

I wouldn't be surprised if we see a lot of the best WRC drivers leaving after this season, I can't remember what I read in Autocar, but I remember that it made me mad at the rules, so I can kind of imagine what it was that's making Makinen and McRae feel like giving up on the sport....oh wait...that was it...they're going to let the WRC drivers drive their WRC cars when they scout the routes...now when you think about that it doesn't sound like a real problem, but if you consider the fact that as a result they'll be driving faster and be more able to judge what's going on on the road, it'll take a lot of the skill out of the race. When you have to drive the course in something other than your uber-car, you look at things a little differently and you have to sort of plan ahead for what you're gonig to do in the real car during the real race. I dont' blame Makinen for wanting to leave.

[geekdiggy]

^^^^congratulations on having no idea what you're talking about.

firstly, makinen's decision to retire from the WRC had nothing to do with its structure or format or the rule changes. he simply decided that he's had his run and made his mark (and money, might i add). he's grown and seriously thought about his family being too much of a priority for him to be needed in the rallying world, that's why he's leaving.

as for mcrae, he doesn't WANT to leave. he HAS to leave. the new rules have forced him into early retirement and there's no open seats for him in any of the top teams, and as he states himself, "i'd rather be in a top car or none at all".

[TT]

"i'd rather be in a top car or none at all".

And he said the right thing BTW.. since he is unable to be again a top driver with a top car, I bet he won't race with a privateer one ;)

[geekdiggy]

it sucks that he's too proud to be in an uncompetitive team. it could also be that he's too lazy to want to improve a shitty car (i.e. hyundai or skoda, well, only skoda now) but i guess if he wanted to be in the WRC bad enough he'd sign with a not-so-top team.

[TT]

I agree with you.. but it's pretty hard to guess what is on his mind... he was champion so young, then he still was a top driver, never had terrible seasons... but never winning again.. but still, every one always pointed at him as the best rally driver around... and I think he really believes that... and that's why he doesn't want to run if not in a good car... I don't know, maybe he will do like Didier Auriol and change his mind in the future because he really love WRC ... but so far he is maybe to conviced he deserve a top car, to consider other options...

[TT]

BTW, about Colin: http://www.wrc.com/en_GB/News/2003/012/2003_R_I_McRaeteam.htm

LMAO... still somebody believing in him... "This might be the opportunity for somebody to come on the scene with a private team and take on the works outfits - a bit like the Formula 1 heroes of the past, such as Rob Walker and Ken Tyrrell." Comon! Alister and Colin on a privatly entered car managing to beat Peugeot, Citroen and Subaru? Yeh, sure...

[jumpman23]

Sad, but the best things in life has an end. Tommi has had one of the greatest careers a WRC driver would die for....Best of luck to Tommi in his Retirement life, but I think we'll be seeing him around the WRC or motorsports.