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 also competed for the manufacturer Mitsubishi squad in the Cross-Country World Cup and Dakar events between 1991 and 1992, finishing fourth overall in '91. 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. 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.
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. Sixth 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 # Event Season Co-driver Car 1 19ème Rallye Côte d'Ivoire 1987 Peter Diekmann Volkswagen Golf GTI 16V 2 40th International Swedish Rally 1991 Staffan Parmander Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 3 44th International Swedish Rally 1995 Staffan Parmander Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution II 4 8th Telstra Rally Australia 1995 Staffan Parmander Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III 5 46th International Swedish Rally 1997 Staffan Parmander Subaru Impreza WRC 97 6 27th Smokefree Rally New Zealand 1997 Staffan Parmander Subaru Impreza WRC 97
WRC results 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 SWE51 POR KEN GRC ARG FIN NZL ITA FRA GBR CIV - 0 1981 Kenneth Eriksson Saab 96 V4 MON SWE31 POR KEN FRA GRC ARG BRA FIN ITA CIV GBR - 0 1982 Kenneth Eriksson Saab 96 V4 MON SWE15 POR KEN FRA GRC NZL BRA FIN ITA CIV GBR - 0 1983 Kenneth Eriksson Opel Ascona 400 MON SWE16 POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN ITA CIV GBR - 0 1984 Opel Team Sweden Opel Kadett GT/E MON SWE7 POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN ITA CIV 36th 4 Kenneth Eriksson Opel Kadett GSI GBRRet 1985 Opel Team Sweden Opel Kadett GSi MON SWE10 POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN ITA CIV GBR 68th 1 1986 Volkswagen Motorsport Volkswagen Golf GTi 16V MON9 SWE7 PORRet KENRet FRA8 GRC7 NZL7 ARG5 FIN12 CIV ITA5* GBR11 USA 10th 25 1987 Volkswagen Motorsport Volkswagen Golf GTi 16V MON5 SWE8 POR3 KENRet FRARet GRCRet USA NZL2 ARG4 FIN CIV1 ITA GBR9 4th 70 1988 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Supra Turbo MON SWE POR KEN4 12th 22Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 FRA6 GRC USA NZL ARG FINRet CIV ITA6 GBRRet 1989 Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 SWE3 MON POR KEN FRA GRCRet NZL ARG FIN4 AUS2 ITA CIV GBR4 6th 47 1990 Mitsubishi Ralliart Europe Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 MONRet PORRet KEN FRA GRCRet NZL ARG FIN3 AUSRet ITA CIV GBR2 8th 27 1991 Mitsubishi Ralliart Europe Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 MONRet SWE1 POR KEN FRA GRC7 NZL ARG FIN3 AUS2 ITA CIV ESP GBR2 5th 66 1992 Mitsubishi Ralliart Europe Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 MONRet SWE PORRet KEN FRA GRCRet NZL ARG FIN AUS ITA CIV ESP GBR7 41st 4 1993 Mitsubishi Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer RS MON4 SWE POR5 KEN FRA GRCRet ARG NZL FIN5 AUS ITA ESP GBR2 6th 41 1994 Mitsubishi Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer RS MON5 POR KEN FRA 12th 18 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo II GRCRet ARG NZL4 FIN ITA GBR 1995 Mitsubishi Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evo II MON SWE1 POR FRA 3rd 48 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III NZL5 AUS1 ESP GBRRet 1996 555 Subaru WRT Subaru Impreza 555 SWE5 KEN2 IDNRet GRC5 ARG3 FIN5 AUS2 ITA5 ESP7 4th 78 1997 555 Subaru WRT Subaru Impreza WRC'97 MON SWE1 KENRet PORRet ESP FRA ARG3 GRCRet NZL1 FINRet IDN3 ITA AUSRet GBRRet 5th 28 1998 555 Subaru WRT Subaru Impreza WRC'97 MON SWE4 KEN 14th 3 Hyundai Motor Sport Hyundai Coupé Kit Car PORRet ESP21 FRA ARGRet GRCRet Hyundai Coupe Kit Car Evo2 NZL20 FINRet ITARet AUS22 GBRRet 1999 Hyundai Motor Sport Hyundai Coupe Kit Car Evo2 MON SWERet KEN POR14 ESPRet FRA ARG GRC15 NZL17 FINRet CHN11 ITARet AUS9 GBR25 - 0 2000 Hyundai Castrol WRT Hyundai Accent WRC MON SWE13 KEN PORRet ESP23 ARG8 GRCRet NZL5 FIN15 CYP FRARet ITA45 AUS4 GBRRet 11th 5 2001 Hyundai Castrol WRT Hyundai Accent WRC MON SWE8 21st 1 Hyundai Accent WRC2 POR7 ESP ARGRet CYPRet GRCRet KEN FIN12 NZL10 ITA FRA AUS12 GBR6 2002 Škoda Motorsport Škoda Octavia WRC Evo2 MON13 SWERet FRARet ESP17 CYP9 ARG6 GRE14 KENRet 18th 1 Škoda Octavia WRC Evo3 FINRet GER10 ITA11 NZLRet AUS8 GBR13
References
External links
Kenneth Eriksson at ewrc-results