Marcus Grönholm
Marcus Grönholm ( born February 5, 1968 in Grankulla ) is a Finnish rally driver, is in his home country for the minority of Finland Sweden. He is a two-time World Rally Champion and World Rally Championship with 30 victories the second most successful driver in the "Eternal - best list " of the World Rally Championship. He is in the auto sport scene also like intent with the nickname "Magic Marcus ". In Finland and Sweden, however, is " bosses " his nickname. He lives with his wife and their three children in Ingå, about 50 kilometers south-west of Helsinki.
Beginnings motocross
Influenced by his father Ulf " Uffe " Grönholm, one of the best Finnish rally driver in the 1970s, in an accident during training for Finnish Hankiralli (Eng. snow rally ) came in Kirkkonummi 1981 killed Marcus himself began with motor racing. From 1981, he went first five years Motocross, to prevent him from a knee injury continue.
1987-2007: Rally Sport
1987 Gronholm drove his first rally. From 1989 he took part in the races of the World Rally Championship and won a total of 30 WRC rallies, more than any other fin in front of him. In the years 2000 and 2002 he was World Rally Champion with Peugeot.
In October 2005, he signed a two -year contract with the Ford factory team for which he went to the start since the 2006 season. In the Monte Carlo Rally in early 2006 he celebrated his only victory in the World Rally Championship in a tarmac rally. He had ascended into the circle of those pilots who were able to win on all surfaces rallies.
Marcus Grönholm gave on 14 September 2007 that he would end his career as a rally athletes after the World Cup season finale in early December 2007 in Wales. Grönholm's longtime co-driver, his brother- Timo Rautiainen, simultaneously announced his resignation.
From 2008: Rallycross
On 16 April 2008 Gronholm announced at a press conference in Stockholm that he will participate in the team of former Swedish rally driver colleagues Andréas Eriksson at least five of the eleven rounds of the FIA European Rallycross and in this context as a 560 -hp all-wheel drive Ford Fiesta Mk6 will go. Ultimately denied Grönholm but only three of the five planned races, where he could complete his Rallycross debut in the Swedish Höljes ( Finnskog ) with a surprising overall victory. But after 2008, the Finn went further Rallycross races, including in the U.S. and the so-called Global Rallycross Championship 2011. Moreover, he will participate with its almost 600 -hp Ford Fiesta Mk7 at the X-Games 17 in Los Angeles.
2009: Rally Sport and Pikes Peak
In 2009, Grönholm part with a Subaru Impreza WRC 2008 by Prodrive in the Rally Portugal.
On July 19, Grönholm took a 800 hp Ford Fiesta Mk7 part of the legendary Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. His team-mate, the Swede Andréas Eriksson, for in 2008 he already denied Rallycross inserts, oversaw a second Mk7 Fiesta. Both pilots took the right to select a new track record at Pikes Peak and thereby to undercut the first time the 10 - minute limit, but failed due to technical problems ( Grönholm with turbo damage 5 km before the finish in fifth place with 11:28 '963 Min. ) or driving errors ( Eriksson, rollover ).