- Miki Biasion
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Miki Biasion Personal information Nationality Italian
Born January 7, 1958 World Rally Championship record Active years 1980–1994 Teams Lancia, Ford Rallies 78 Championships 2 (1988, 1989) Rally wins 17 Podiums 40 Stage wins 373 Total points 768 First rally 1980 Rallye Sanremo First win 1986 Rally Argentina Last win 1993 Acropolis Rally Last rally 1994 RAC Rally Massimo 'Miki' Biasion (born January 7, 1958) is an Italian rally driver, two times world rally champion.
Contents
Career
Born at Bassano del Grappa, Biasion came to prominence in the early 1980s, winning both the Italian and European Rally Championships in 1983, driving a Lancia 037. He was later drafted in to play a key role for the works Lancia World Rally Championship team in the mid-1980s as the squad sought to regroup after previous star driver Henri Toivonen's fatal crash, and would go on to dominate early Group A rallying, taking the world championship in the years 1988 and 1989. At his peak, Biasion was notching victories in almost three quarters of all events he entered. He also was only the second driver to successfully defend his title (after Juha Kankkunen) and the third one to win two titles (after Kankkunen and Walter Röhrl).
Biasion was never to quite achieve that level of success again. He failed to win an event for Lancia in 1991, and switched to Ford for 1992 on a contract that made him the highest-paid driver of his day, and gave him some managerial input. The optimism did not last. Biasion reputedly described the Ford Sierra Cosworth as "a pile of shit" after his first event for the team (the 1992 Monte Carlo Rally), although on the Portuguese Rally he did give the car its best WRC result by finishing second. The following year, driving the new Ford Escort Cosworth, he won the Acropolis Rally and led the driver's championship for part of the season.
Throughout Biasion's tenure at Ford he was overshadowed by the younger Francois Delecour, who generally also proved faster, especially on tarmac. Moreover, Delecour's road accident, which forced him to sit out much of the 1994 season, exposed the weaknesses in the team. Insufficient resources meant that development of the Escort slipped behind its rivals, and Biasion's relationship with the team worsened as the season progressed. He was subsequently dropped for the following year. After contesting a couple of rallies for private teams, he retired quietly at the end of the 1995 season.
Throughout his entire career he was co-driven by Tiziano Siviero, the exception being the Portuguese Rally of 1988, where Siviero was replaced by Carlo Cassina due to health problems.
Biasion won the World Truck Championship in 1998 and 1999 driving an Iveco.
His presence in the starting grid of the Lisbon-Dakar 2007 has been announced. He will be driving a factory works Fiat Panda Cross.
WRC victories
Complete WRC results
Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 WDC Points 1980 Miki Biasion Opel Ascona MON SWE POR KEN GRC ARG FIN NZL ITA
RetFRA GBR CIV - 0 1981 Hawk Racing Club Opel Ascona 400 MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC ARG BRA FIN ITA
6CIV GBR 33rd 6 1982 Conrero Opel Ascona 400 MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC NZL BRA FIN ITA
8CIV GBR 49th 3 1983 Jolly Club Totip Lancia Rally 037 MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN ITA
5CIV GBR 21st 8 1984 Jolly Club Totip Lancia Rally 037 MON
6SWE POR
4KEN FRA
2GRC
RetNZL ARG FIN ITA
3CIV GBR 6th 43 1985 Jolly Club Lancia Rally 037 MON
9SWE POR
2KEN FRA
RetGRC NZL ARG FIN ITA
6CIV GBR 12th 23 1986 Martini Lancia Lancia Delta S4 MON
68SWE POR
RetFRA
RetGRC
2NZL
3ARG
1FIN CIV ITA
3[1]GBR USA 5th 47 Lancia Rally 037 KEN
Ret1987 Martini Lancia Lancia Delta HF 4WD MON
1SWE POR
8KEN FRA
3GRC
7USA
2NZL ARG
1FIN CIV ITA
1GBR 2nd 94 1988 Martini Lancia Lancia Delta HF 4WD MON
RetSWE 1st 115 Lancia Delta Integrale POR
1KEN
1FRA GRC
1USA
1NZL ARG
2FIN CIV ITA
1GBR 1989 Martini Lancia Lancia Delta Integrale SWE MON
1POR
1KEN
1FRA GRC
1NZL ARG FIN
6AUS 1st 106 Lancia Delta Integrale 16V ITA
1CIV GBR 1990 Martini Lancia Lancia Delta Integrale 16V MON
3POR
1KEN
RetFRA GRC
3NZL ARG
1FIN AUS ITA
RetCIV GBR
34th 76 1991 Martini Lancia Lancia Delta Integrale 16V MON
2SWE POR
3KEN
RetFRA GRC
3NZL ARG
2FIN AUS ITA
2CIV ESP GBR
Ret4th 69 1992 Ford Motor Co Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4x4 MON
8SWE POR
2KEN FRA
7GRC
3NZL ARG FIN
5AUS ITA
4CIV ESP GBR
54th 60 1993 Ford Motor Co Ford Escort RS Cosworth MON
3SWE POR
2KEN FRA
7GRC
1ARG
2NZL
RetFIN AUS
RetITA
RetESP
4GBR 4th 76 1994 Ford Motor Co Ford Escort RS Cosworth MON
4POR
3KEN FRA
5GRC
RetARG
RetNZL
RetFIN ITA
3GBR
Ret6th 42 - 1 The results of the 1986 Rallye Sanremo were annulled by the FIA.
References
External links
Awards and achievements Preceded by
Markku AlénAutosport
International Rally Driver Award
1989Succeeded by
Carlos SainzSporting positions Preceded by
Juha KankkunenWorld Rally Champion
1988-1989Succeeded by
Carlos SainzPreceded by
Walter RöhrlRace of Champions
Classic Master
1998Succeeded by
Not heldWorld Rally Champions 1977: Sandro Munari (FIA Cup) · 1978: Markku Alén (FIA Cup) · 1979: Björn Waldegård · 1980: Walter Röhrl · 1981: Ari Vatanen · 1982: Walter Röhrl · 1983: Hannu Mikkola · 1984: Stig Blomqvist · 1985: Timo Salonen · 1986–1987: Juha Kankkunen · 1988–1989: Miki Biasion · 1990: Carlos Sainz · 1991: Juha Kankkunen · 1992: Carlos Sainz · 1993: Juha Kankkunen · 1994: Didier Auriol · 1995: Colin McRae · 1996–1997–1998–1999: Tommi Mäkinen · 2000: Marcus Grönholm · 2001: Richard Burns · 2002: Marcus Grönholm · 2003: Petter Solberg · 2004–2005–2006–2007–2008–2009–2010–2011: Sébastien Loeb
See also: List of drivers · List of records Winners of Autosport's International Rally Driver Award 1982: Michèle Mouton • 1983: Stig Blomqvist • 1984: Ari Vatanen • 1985: Timo Salonen • 1986–87: Juha Kankkunen • 1988: Markku Alén • 1989: Miki Biasion • 1990–91: Carlos Sainz • 1992: Didier Auriol • 1993: Juha Kankkunen • 1994–95: Colin McRae • 1996: Tommi Mäkinen • 1997: Tommi Mäkinen & Colin McRae • 1998–99: Tommi Mäkinen • 2000–01: Richard Burns • 2002: Marcus Grönholm • 2003: Petter Solberg • 2004–06: Sébastien Loeb • 2007: Marcus Grönholm • 2008: Sébastien Loeb • 2009: Mikko Hirvonen • 2010: Sébastien LoebCategories:- 1958 births
- Living people
- People from Bassano del Grappa
- World Rally Champions
- World Rally Championship drivers
- Italian rally drivers
- Dakar Rally drivers
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