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Kenneth Eriksson

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Kenneth Eriksson
Personal information
NationalitySweden Swedish
Born (1956-05-13) 13 May 1956 (age 68)
Äppelbo
World Rally Championship record
Active years1980 – 2002
Co-driverSweden Lennart Larsson
Sweden Sven-Erik Heinstedt
Sweden Ragnar Spjuth
Sweden Bo Thorszelius
West Germany Peter Diekmann
Sweden Staffan Parmander
Sweden Tina Thörner
TeamsSubaru, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Škoda
Rallies138
Championships0
Rally wins6
Podiums21
Stage wins214
Total points489
First rally1980 Swedish Rally
First win1987 Rallye Côte d'Ivoire
Last win1997 Rally New Zealand
Last rally2002 Rally Great Britain

Kenneth Eriksson (born 13 May 1956 in Äppelbo, in the kommun of Vansbro) is a now retired World Rally Championship rally driver. He drove for several manufacturer teams, including the Subaru World Rally Team, Mitsubishi, Hyundai and Škoda. He was the 1986 Group A Champion in the competition's only year, his best performance, overshadowed by the fatalities that occurred in that season.

His finest showing in the top-tier World Rally Championship was third place overall for Mitsubishi in 1995. He controversially won the Swedish Rally that year under pressure on the road from second-placed young teammate Tommi Mäkinen, as well as winning directly ahead of the Champion-elect, Subaru World Rally Team's Colin McRae in Australia. He then switched to Subaru for the 1996 season to drive the Impreza WRC alongside McRae.[1] He excelled for them as a second points-scorer on the championship's loose-surface rounds. Conversely, Italian Piero Liatti often took on the same responsibility for asphalt rounds. By the end of the 1997 season Eriksson and regular co-driver Staffan Parmander had collected six individual World Rally victories. These included a famous win aboard the Impreza in New Zealand in 1997, on which occasion he took advantage of the altercation with a sheep that befell long-time leader, Ford's Carlos Sainz. Between 1995 and 1997, he also notched up a hat-trick of Asia-Pacific rally titles.

Eriksson with a Hyundai Accent WRC at the 2001 Rally Finland.

After finishing fourth on the 1998 Swedish Rally, Eriksson was released from his contract at Subaru in order to pursue a kit-car and latterly a World Rally Car chance with Hyundai. He was joined as factory driver of both the Hyundai Coupe and eventual Hyundai Accent WRC by fellow eventual one-time Subaru driver, Alister McRae. 6th on the 2001 Rally Great Britain marked his solitary points finish for the team, on his last outing with them. He then enjoyed his final season with Škoda, in 2002, alongside navigator Tina Thörner in the light of Parmander's retirement and with his teammate in the sister Octavia WRC being the young Finn Toni Gardemeister.

Eriksson departed the 'works' world rally scene at the end of 2002. He has since been competing in the Race to the Sky hillclimb event held in Cardrona Valley, New Zealand. He finished second in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

WRC victories

[edit]
 #  Event Season Co-driver Car
1 Ivory Coast 19ème Rallye Côte d'Ivoire 1987 Peter Diekmann Volkswagen Golf GTI 16V
2 Sweden 40th International Swedish Rally 1991 Staffan Parmander Mitsubishi Galant VR-4
3 Sweden 44th International Swedish Rally 1995 Staffan Parmander Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution II
4 Australia 8th Telstra Rally Australia 1995 Staffan Parmander Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III
5 Sweden 46th International Swedish Rally 1997 Staffan Parmander Subaru Impreza WRC 97
6 New Zealand 27th Smokefree Rally New Zealand 1997 Staffan Parmander Subaru Impreza WRC 97

WRC results

[edit]
Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 WDC Points
1980 Kenneth Eriksson Saab 96 V4 MON SWE
51
POR KEN GRC ARG FIN NZL ITA FRA GBR CIV - 0
1981 Kenneth Eriksson Saab 96 V4 MON SWE
31
POR KEN FRA GRC ARG BRA FIN ITA CIV GBR - 0
1982 Kenneth Eriksson Saab 96 V4 MON SWE
15
POR KEN FRA GRC NZL BRA FIN ITA CIV GBR - 0
1983 Kenneth Eriksson Opel Ascona 400 MON SWE
16
POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN ITA CIV GBR - 0
1984 Opel Team Sweden Opel Kadett GT/E MON SWE
7
POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN ITA CIV 36th 4
Kenneth Eriksson Opel Kadett GSI GBR
Ret
1985 Opel Team Sweden Opel Kadett GSi MON SWE
10
POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN ITA CIV GBR 68th 1
1986 Volkswagen Motorsport Volkswagen Golf GTi 16V MON
9
SWE
7
POR
Ret
KEN
Ret
FRA
8
GRC
7
NZL
7
ARG
5
FIN
12
CIV ITA
5*
GBR
11
USA 10th 25
1987 Volkswagen Motorsport Volkswagen Golf GTi 16V MON
5
SWE
8
POR
3
KEN
Ret
FRA
Ret
GRC
Ret
USA NZL
2
ARG
4
FIN CIV
1
ITA GBR
9
4th 70
1988 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Supra Turbo MON SWE POR KEN
4
12th 22
Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 FRA
6
GRC USA NZL ARG FIN
Ret
CIV ITA
6
GBR
Ret
1989 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 SWE
3
MON POR KEN FRA GRC
Ret
NZL ARG FIN
4
AUS
2
ITA CIV GBR
4
6th 47
1990 Mitsubishi Ralliart Europe Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 MON
Ret
POR
Ret
KEN FRA GRC
Ret
NZL ARG FIN
3
AUS
Ret
ITA CIV GBR
2
8th 27
1991 Mitsubishi Ralliart Europe Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 MON
Ret
SWE
1
POR KEN FRA GRC
7
NZL ARG FIN
3
AUS
2
ITA CIV ESP GBR
2
5th 66
1992 Mitsubishi Ralliart Europe Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 MON
Ret
SWE POR
Ret
KEN FRA GRC
Ret
NZL ARG FIN AUS ITA CIV ESP GBR
7
41st 4
1993 Mitsubishi Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer RS MON
4
SWE POR
5
KEN FRA GRC
Ret
ARG NZL FIN
5
AUS ITA ESP GBR
2
6th 41
1994 Mitsubishi Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer RS MON
5
POR KEN FRA 12th 18
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo II GRC
Ret
ARG NZL
4
FIN ITA GBR
1995 Mitsubishi Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evo II MON SWE
1
POR FRA 3rd 48
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III NZL
5
AUS
1
ESP GBR
Ret
1996 555 Subaru WRT Subaru Impreza 555 SWE
5
KEN
2
IDN
Ret
GRC
5
ARG
3
FIN
5
AUS
2
ITA
5
ESP
7
4th 78
1997 555 Subaru WRT Subaru Impreza WRC'97 MON SWE
1
KEN
Ret
POR
Ret
ESP FRA ARG
3
GRC
Ret
NZL
1
FIN
Ret
IDN
3
ITA AUS
Ret
GBR
Ret
5th 28
1998 555 Subaru WRT Subaru Impreza WRC'97 MON SWE
4
KEN 14th 3
Hyundai Motor Sport Hyundai Coupé Kit Car POR
Ret
ESP
21
FRA ARG
Ret
GRC
Ret
Hyundai Coupe Kit Car Evo2 NZL
20
FIN
Ret
ITA
Ret
AUS
22
GBR
Ret
1999 Hyundai Motor Sport Hyundai Coupe Kit Car Evo2 MON SWE
Ret
KEN POR
14
ESP
Ret
FRA ARG GRC
15
NZL
17
FIN
Ret
CHN
11
ITA
Ret
AUS
9
GBR
25
- 0
2000 Hyundai Castrol WRT Hyundai Accent WRC MON SWE
13
KEN POR
Ret
ESP
23
ARG
8
GRC
Ret
NZL
5
FIN
15
CYP FRA
Ret
ITA
45
AUS
4
GBR
Ret
11th 5
2001 Hyundai Castrol WRT Hyundai Accent WRC MON SWE
8
21st 1
Hyundai Accent WRC2 POR
7
ESP ARG
Ret
CYP
Ret
GRC
Ret
KEN FIN
12
NZL
10
ITA FRA AUS
12
GBR
6
2002 Škoda Motorsport Škoda Octavia WRC Evo2 MON
13
SWE
Ret
FRA
Ret
ESP
17
CYP
9
ARG
6
GRE
14
KEN
Ret
18th 1
Škoda Octavia WRC Evo3 FIN
Ret
GER
10
ITA
11
NZL
Ret
AUS
8
GBR
13

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Subaru in International Rallying: 1993-1996". Drive Performance Magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-05-13. Retrieved 2008-02-23. Archived 2008-05-13 at the Wayback Machine
[edit]
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Inaugural event
Race of Champions
Rally Master

1990
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship
1995, 1996 & 1997
Succeeded by