My Top 10 Favourite WRC Drivers of All-Time

Following on from my favourite F1 drivers of all-time list is this one, my all-time favourites from my first love, the World Rally Championship.

The majority consist of my favourites from my childhood, having started watching the WRC at the age of three, and my favourite WRC era of the mid-2000s.

However, there’s a couple of current drivers and one Group B legend in here, so without further ado here are my top 10 favourite WRC drivers of all-time;

10. Carlos Sainz

Two world championships and driver of so many iconic cars, Sainz's ability and longevity hold him up as one of the WRC’s all-time greats. I have so many memories of Sainz Sr. from growing up as a rally fan, mainly from his season with Citroen, he is a must for this list.

9. Gigi Galli

Very much a bit part player through the 2000s, Galli was always flat out, always entertaining but usually in the trees. He was fiery, passionate and an absolute showman, as demonstrated by him climbing on the roof of his moving car on numerous occasions in the Portugal Stadium stage. Certainly one of the greatest personalities ever to grace the sport.

8. Sebastien Loeb

The undisputed G.O.A.T.

79 wins, 9 consecutive championships, just the greatest to ever do it. I used to hate Loeb as a kid as he always beat my favourites at the time (more on them soon), however, I grew to love him after his 2018 return. He comes across as humble and a great sportsman despite his standing in the sport, and his personality paired with his talent is one hell of a combination.

7. Kalle Rovanpera

My current favourite in the WRC, I’ve followed Kalle’s career since 2018 when he joined my favourite manufacturer, Skoda, in WRC-2. Rovanpera is an exciting young talent who could be in the title fight as early as this year, aged just 20. Another fast, on the limit driver, he is certainly a future world champion.

6. Petter Solberg

Responsible for possibly my earliest memory, not just in rally but life, the sight of Solberg celebrating his 2003 title win in Wales will always stick with me. Another big personality, Solberg was exciting to watch but sadly never quite got the accolades his talent deserved.

5. Colin McRae

If he isn’t on the list of every rally then I’ll be amazed. McRae was the epitome of the rally icon, the rather crash than finish second mentality made him the most exciting driver on earth, in any discipline. As famous for his many crashes as he was for his world title and rally wins, his mammoth effort at Australia 2005 in the under-performing Skoda Fabia WRC is a personal highlight, as well as the donuts in the 555 Impreza in 1995 and the huge barrel roll in his Ford Focus in 2001. A true rally legend.

4. Michele Mouton

One of the greatest and certainly most underrated of the iconic Group B era, Mouton broke down doors and showed up men at a time where it wasn’t thought possible. I’m passionate about gender equality in sport and Michele Mouton is the person who shows why women deserve respect in ‘male dominated’ sports. In 1982, Mouton battled the most physical era of rally, sexism from competitors and even team-mates and the loss of her father days before the penultimate round in Cote d’Ivoire to finish second in the championship, harmed by her team’s decision not to run in Kenya. A true hero in and out of the car and a figure motorsport should remember forever.

3. Jan Kopecky

A bit of a curveball now. Kopecky is a hero of his home team, Skoda, and is the driver I follow closest when he competes in the Fabia R5 in WRC-2. A great driver who’s talents are massively under-appreciated, he has dominated the Czech National Championship, winning all but three rounds entered between 2011 and 2019, and won the European Rally Championship and the World Rally Championship-2. In WRC-2 he hasn’t been off the podium since 2017. Sadly, with Skoda no longer a factory entry, we may have seen the last of Kopecky in the famous green, but as long as he’s driving, I’ll be rooting for him.

2. Marcus Gronholm

A spectacular flying Finn, Gronholm is a two-time champion who could've won five or six if it had not have been for a certain Mr. Loeb. Always on the limit and always good for an entertaining soundbite, Gronholm kept Loeb on his toes through his era of dominance and drove two of my favourite rally cars of all-time in the Peugeot 206 and the Ford Focus RS. From run ins with the Welsh police, to his interview after co-driver Timo Rautiainen’s ‘injury’ in Turkey in 2005 and many iconic and airborne onboard shots, Gronholm will continue to dominate my memories of WRC.

1. Markko Martin

The first driver I supported in WRC, mostly because his first name was similar to mine and he was in a Mk. I Ford Focus, it is a shame we only got to see four years of him in the WRC. Another fast, exciting young talent, Martin and his co-driver, the late, great Michael Park were one of the greatest pairing of the 2000s, their relationship and personality made them beyond likable as did their talent in their respective fields. I’m certain Martin would’ve continued to push Loeb and Gronholm for world titles had Michael still been with us, Markko never got to show his full potential and Michael will forever be missed. Memorable moments of the pair are Park’s “oh Markko” call as Martin slid off the road at the 2003 Rallye France and Martin’s win there a year later, in which Martin fell down a ditch while trying to extinguish a turbo fire mid-rally.