Simo Lampinen (born 22 June 1943) is a Finnish former rally driver, and one of the first of the " Flying Finns" who came to dominate the sport.

Biography

Lampinen was born in

Porvoo Porvoo (; ; ) is a city in Finland. It is located on the south coast of the country, on the Gulf of Finland. Porvoo lies in the eastern part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Porvoo is approximately , while the Porvoo sub-region, sub-re ...

. Having contracted

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

at a young age, he was left with a pronounced limp, and as a result he was granted a driving licence aged 17 so he could travel to and from school more easily. He quickly graduated to competitive driving, and won the Finnish Rally Championship twice in succession in 1963 and 1964. His early victories were in the Saab 96, before being lured to

Lancia Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe, which is the European subsidiary of Stellantis. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganise ...

in 1970 where he continued his winning ways. He also drove for

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...

and Triumph, though without the same success. More recently, he has been Clerk of the Course at the Rally Finland, the event he won three times himself, and he has also assisted Saab in two racing events; their Saab 900 Talladega Challenge in

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

in 1996 where several speed records were set, and the 2000

Pikes Peak Pikes Peak is the List of mountain ranges of Colorado#Mountain ranges, highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. The Ultra-prominent peak, ultra-prominent fourteener is located in Pike National Forest, ...

race, when Per Eklund won in a race-prepped Saab 9-3 Viggen.

International victories

1963

: 13th 1000 Lakes Rally ( Saab 96)

1964

: 14th 1000 Lakes Rally ( Saab 96)

1968

: 17th RAC Rally ( Saab 96 V4)

1970

: 3º TAP Rallye de Portugal ( Lancia Fulvia)

1972

: 15ème Rallye du Maroc ( Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF) : 22nd 1000 Lakes Rally ( Saab 96 V4)

Complete IMC results

References

Profile of Lampinen at FlyingFinns.comCareer results of Lampinen at Rallybase.nl
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lampinen, Simo 1943 births Finnish rally drivers World Rally Championship drivers Living people Sportspeople from Porvoo Racing drivers from Uusimaa 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers World Sportscar Championship drivers