Marcus Gronholm: Two-Time WRC Champion Known as Magic Marcus

Marcus Gronholm was a Finnish rally driver who won the World Rally Championship drivers' title with Peugeot in 2000 and again in 2002. He later moved to Ford, twice finished runner-up to Sebastien Loeb, and retired from rallying at the end of 2007 with 30 rally wins to his name.

Who is Marcus Gronholm?

Marcus Ulf Johan Gronholm, known as Bosse in Finland and Scandinavia and as Magic Marcus abroad, was born on 5 February 1968. He is a former rally and rallycross driver from the Swedish-speaking community of Finland. He ranks third in the all-time list of WRC rally wins, with 30 victories, and he won two world championships.

His rise came later than many of his rivals. He did not become a factory driver until his early thirties, and then his speed on the stages made him one of the most successful drivers of his era.

Two world titles with Peugeot, a 0.3-second win over Loeb in 2007 and a retirement announced while he still had the speed to win.

How did Gronholm start in rallying?

His father, Ulf Gronholm, was an active rally driver in the late 1970s and early 1980s and won the Finnish championship twice. Ulf was killed during a practice run for Hankiralli on 25 February 1981, when his son was 13 years old.

As a teenager Gronholm enjoyed motocross, but a serious knee injury forced him to switch to boxing. He later raced in the world series during the 1990s, where he drove Toyota Celicas and Corolla WRCs in bit-part roles.

How did he win his first factory contract?

Gronholm's breakthrough came as a privateer. A string of fastest stage times in one season as a privateer, including on the final day of Rally Finland, brought him to the attention of Ford, Toyota and Peugeot, and all three made offers. He chose Peugeot, a championship newcomer for 1999.

How did he win the 2000 and 2002 titles with Peugeot?

After an engine failure on the season-opening round in Monte Carlo, Gronholm's first win of the title season came on the Swedish Rally a month later, in the Peugeot 206 WRC. More wins followed, including on his home round, and they were enough to see off Subaru's Richard Burns, who finished second to him in Great Britain.

The 2001 season was far less kind. Mechanical problems left him fourth overall in the points table. He then easily won his second title in 2002, the year he also took the Race of Champions Champion of Champions trophy.

What happened to Peugeot's challenge in 2003 to 2004?

In 2003 Peugeot kept the same driver line-up and the 206, now four years old and showing its age. Gronholm won in Sweden, New Zealand and Argentina, but fuel pressure problems in Greece and a broken propshaft in Cyprus cost valuable points. He finished sixth with 46 points.

In 2004 the team introduced the 307, which was plagued by gearbox and power steering problems through the season. Gronholm found it unreliable, and he said he was fed up with the car after more power steering trouble in Mexico. A Cyprus win seemed to be his, but he and teammate Harri Rovanpera were both disqualified for illegal water pumps.

He finished the 2004 season fifth with 62 points. Finland gave him a win he was allowed to keep, but a crash on the first stage in Germany followed, and his runner-up finish in Spain was the last podium of the year.

How did the 2005 season go for Peugeot?

For 2005 Peugeot switched from Michelin to Pirelli tyres, and Markko Martin joined the team as his new teammate. Gronholm finished second in Mexico and New Zealand, but Loeb dominated the year with ten wins on Michelin tyres that were superior on the Peugeot.

He won in Finland and Japan that year. The Japanese win came just after the death of Michael Park, co-driver of Markko Martin, and Gronholm was set to finish second before Petter Solberg crashed on the penultimate stage. In the standings he finished third on 71 points, level with Solberg, who took second on the wins count.

Why did he move to Ford for 2006?

For 2006 Gronholm switched to Ford, which had given him a new Focus RS WRC specification. He won his first tarmac rally in Monte Carlo that January, helped by the Superally rules after a Citroen crash. He followed up with a win in Sweden, the second round of the season.

Loeb then pulled away, rarely finishing outside the top two. Gronholm's own challenge was hurt by a string of retirements and mistakes, although he beat Loeb in Greece and Finland.

How close was the 2006 title fight?

Loeb came close to the title in Cyprus, but a biking injury forced him out of the last four rounds. Gronholm pushed to within a single point of the lead as Loeb recovered, yet his title hopes ended when he rolled out of contention on the first leg of the penultimate rally in Australia.

A win in New Zealand, ahead of teammate Mikko Hirvonen, helped confirm the manufacturers' title for Ford over Kronos Citroen, which was running without Loeb.

What did the 2007 season bring?

Gronholm started 2007 with third in Monte Carlo and then won the Swedish Rally. While Loeb slipped out of the points in Norway and Sardinia, Gronholm won in Greece, his 28th career win, and led the championship by nine points over Loeb at the summer break.

At Rally Finland Ford took a one-two, with Gronholm winning and Hirvonen second ahead of Loeb. At Rallye Deutschland a driving error dropped him to fourth behind his teammate.

Why was the New Zealand finish so close?

After a tight battle over all three legs, Gronholm won in New Zealand by 0.3 seconds from Loeb. It was the closest finish in the history of the World Rally Championship, and it put him ten points clear with five rounds left.

Crashes in Japan and Ireland later handed the lead back to Loeb. Gronholm finished the season as runner-up, four points behind the Frenchman.

Why did Gronholm retire from rallying?

On 14 September 2007 Gronholm announced plans to retire from rallying at the end of that season. He said he wanted to stop while he still had the speed to win rallies, rather than leave it too late to win. He also cited the chance to retire as a three-time world champion.

What did Gronholm do in rallycross and later rallies?

In April 2008 Gronholm announced a limited programme of at least five rounds in the FIA European Rallycross Championship, driving for Andreas Eriksson's Ford Team RS Europe. The car had 560 bhp (420 kW) and a 0 to 100 km/h time of 2.2 seconds. He won his ERC debut at Holjes in Sweden on 6 July 2008.

He later took part in the American Global RallyCross Championship with a Best Buy Ford Fiesta, and in 2012 he won two overall events early in the season. A career-ending injury in practice at X Games Los Angeles 2012 brought that phase to an end.

How did his comeback attempts go after 2007?

Gronholm did not stay out of the car for long after his retirement. In August 2008 he declined an offer from Stobart M-Sport Ford to return to the WRC as a replacement for the injured Gigi Galli, and both Citroen and Subaru were reported to want him for 2009.

The Subaru talks were the most serious. In December 2008 a deal for a full twelve-event programme was restructured to four events for financial reasons, which did not appeal to him. Subaru then announced its withdrawal from the series because of the economic downturn, and the deal disappeared.

He came out of retirement for Rally Portugal in 2009, driving a Prodrive-prepared Subaru Impreza WRC2009. He said he was not aiming for the win, and he stayed in touch with the leaders until he crashed on the opening stage of the Saturday, damaging the engine and ending his rally while he was fourth.

In 2010 he took part in Rally Sweden in a Ford Focus RS WRC 08 for Team Therminator, alongside his countryman Matthias Therman, with Timo Rautiainen co-driving as he had throughout his career. Technical problems on stage six cost him 13 minutes, and a puncture later cost another seven. He finished 21st overall, which was a long way from the form of his championship years.

In September 2010 he also test drove the Mini Countryman WRC in Portugal, before taking any long-term decisions about his future. Those tests were the last serious steps he took toward a driving return, and his only later appearance came in 2019 at Rally Sweden.

What were his other wins and records?

His 2002 Race of Champions win brought the Henri Toivonen Memorial Trophy. In 2006 he and Heikki Kovalainen represented Finland as one team and took the Nations' Cup.

He won his home rally five times. Across Peugeot and Ford, his 30 rally wins give him a place among the most successful drivers in the championship's history.

In 2019 he returned for a limited appearance at Rally Sweden in a Toyota Yaris run by Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT under the GRX Team banner.

How is Gronholm remembered?

Gronholm is remembered first for his two world titles with Peugeot, which came in 2000 and 2002 after a slow start to his time at the top level. With 30 rally wins he ranks third in the WRC's history, and his duels with Loeb at Ford were among the closest of the late 2000s.

The 2007 season is the one most often cited. The New Zealand win by 0.3 seconds remains the closest finish in the championship's history, and it came in the year he finished runner-up for the second time. He then chose to step away while still winning, which is a decision many drivers have not been able to make.

His story also shows the range of a rally driver's career. He moved from privateer stage times to factory contracts, through a rallycross programme in Europe and the United States, and back to occasional rally appearances, always as a driver who could still win stages.