Henri Toivonen, 30 years on...

Today, 30 years ago, the Finnish rally star Henri Toivonen was killed at Corsica.

I remember that day as if it happened yesterday. I was 11 years old (2 weeks shy of 12) and I stopped watching rally for a while, since my idol in rallying had lost his life and there seemed to be no point in rally anymore.

I visited Henri's grave at the Espoo Cemetery, in Finland to pay my respect to him (I wish the links below to my photos will work). It seems strange that Henri died when he was 29 years old and I was standing there as an almost 42-years-old man, yet remembering how I felt on the 2nd of May, 1986. I'm getting older, I'm much older now than Henri was when he died and Henri will always remain a young man in everyone's minds and hearts.

Thank you, Henri, for all the memories. "You'll never be forgotten, but always remembered." Rest in peace.

-Klas 

https://drive.google...OEsxXzlhdUJGa0U

https://drive.google...c2FseFJoRkxVRlk

https://drive.google...UjlOOUg2bTNia1k

https://drive.google...NTIzcXhsWUc2Nk0

https://drive.google...amVISk45Q0JQQ0k

Not because I share my Christian name with him (a mere coincidence) but also for me, it was a blow when I found out about Henri's death.

We can only wonder how the 1986 season had continued  between Lancia and Peugeot had he lived on.

Rest in peace Henri,

Henri

Thankyou for sharing those photographs.

I spent alot of time yesterday thinking about that horrible day, like you I will never forgot that day and my love of rallying also went away for a while, I was lucky enough to meet Henri at the RAC Rally in November 1985 and to find out he had died just a few months later was destroying, picking up Autosport the following Thursday was heartbreaking.

Having been up close to the Lancia Delta S4, Peugeot 205, Metro 6R4, they were nothing short of beasts, the noise they made was pure violence and I have never seen a race or rally car come close to them since. 

RIP Henri.