Juha Piironen

Juha Piironen read the notes for Henri Toivonen in the Lancia 037 and then for Juha Kankkunen in the final Group B season, when the 23-year-old won the world title for Peugeot.

3
WRC wins 1982–86
9
podiums
20
starts
1986
world title
Grouve Sport documentary

Episode 8 — The Architects: Fiorio, Todt, Gumpert, Turner & the People Behind Group B

The people behind Group B, including the co-drivers.

Juha Kankkunen and Juha Piironen in the 205 Turbo 16 E2 at the 1986 Rallye Sanremo.
Juha Kankkunen and Juha Piironen in the 205 Turbo 16 E2 at the 1986 Rallye Sanremo.Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Career

Born in Helsinki on 8 April 1951, Piironen co-drove Pentti Airikkala to third on the 1982 1000 Lakes, then Henri Toivonen at Lancia in 1984 and 1985 (third in Finland 1984 and Sanremo 1985).

In 1986 he joined Juha Kankkunen at Peugeot. They won in Sweden, on the Acropolis and in New Zealand, and their consistency took the title. Piironen went on to win further titles with Kankkunen in 1987 and 1991. A brain haemorrhage in 1993 ended his career.

Statistics on this page cover world championship rallies from January 1982 to December 1986, excluding the annulled 1986 Rallye Sanremo, and are counted from the entry lists and results in Jonkka’s World Rally Archive. ‘Starts’ means appearances on an entry list.

Toivonen’s co-driver at Lancia, then Kankkunen’s for the 1986 title.

Career in the Group B years

World Rally Championship podiums of the co-driver, year by year (1982–1986). win 2nd 3rd

1982
0wins
1 podium
1983
0wins
0 podiums
1984
0wins
1 podium
1985
0wins
1 podium
1986
3wins
6 podiums

3 WRC wins · 9 podium finishes, 1982–1986

In pictures 1 photos

The Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Evo 2 that ran as No. 1 on the 1986 Safari Rally (photographed 2010)
The Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Evo 2 that ran as No. 1 on the 1986 Safari Rally (photographed 2010)Photo: Brian Snelson via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

More from Co-drivers

Fred GallagherFour African wins with Toyota, and Toivonen's co-driver at Opel.Read more →Ilkka KivimäkiAlén's co-driver for twenty years: 19 Group B-era podiums in Lancias.Read more →Sergio CrestoEuropean champion in 1984, Monte Carlo winner in 1986, killed with Toivonen in Corsica.Read more →Seppo HarjanneSalonen's co-driver: seven wins and the 1985 world title.Read more →Terry HarrymanVatanen's co-driver for six wins, and German champion with Mouton.Read more →Björn CederbergBlomqvist's co-driver: eight wins and the 1984 world title.Read more →

Sources

  1. Wikipedia (FI), Juha Piironen — https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juha_Piironen
  2. Jonkka's World Rally Archive (juwra.com), results and entry lists 1982–1986 — https://www.juwra.com/

All text is original writing for Grouve Sports Management Group, based on the sources above. Facts checked on 21 October 2026.

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Thumbnail photos on this page: Rutger van der Maar (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0); Rob Croes for Anefo (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0); Mr.choppers (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0); Unknown authorUnknown author (Wikimedia Commons, Public domain); Thesupermat (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); János Tamás (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0).