 Salonen in 2017. | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Finnish |
| Born | 8 October 1951 Helsinki, Finland |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 1974 – 1992, 2002 |
| Co-driver | Seppo Harjanne Jaakko Markkula Erkki Nyman Stuart Pegg Voitto Silander Launo Heinonen |
| Teams | Fiat, Datsun, Nissan, Peugeot, Mazda, Mitsubishi |
| Rallies | 95 |
| Championships | 1 (1985) |
| Rally wins | 11 |
| Podiums | 24 |
| Stage wins | 256 |
| Total points | 524 |
| First rally | 1974 1000 Lakes Rally |
| First win | 1977 Rally Canada |
| Last win | 1987 Swedish Rally |
| Last rally | 2002 Neste Rally Finland |
Timo Salonen (born 8 October 1951) is a Finnish former rally driver who won the 1985 World Rally Championship season for Peugeot. It was commented of him that he stood out from other drivers, because he was overweight, wore thick glasses and smoked heavily, but still remained one of the fastest and most competitive drivers in the sport. He was also known for his relaxed attitude and for his habit of steering his rally car with one hand only. These factors led to the nickname Löysä ("Slack").[1] With his 11 rally wins he remained the most successful driver of Group B era (1983–1986) of WRC.
- ^ "Timo Salonen, ensimmäisen luokan ajaja". Suomen Moottoriurheilumuseo (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 12 February 2008. Retrieved 26 August 2008.