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Marcus Grönholm

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Marcus Grönholm
Born
Marcus Ulf Johan Grönholm

(1968-02-05) February 5, 1968 (age 58)
Finland
Other namesMagic Marcus, Bosse
Occupation(s)Rally and rallycross driver (retired)
Years active1990s–2019
Known forTwo-time World Rally Champion (2000, 2002), third on all-time WRC wins list with 30 victories
Notable workRace of Champions winner (2002), Nations' Cup winner (2006)

Marcus Ulf Johan "Bosse" Grönholm (born February 5, 1968) is a retired Finnish rally and rallycross competitor, hailing from Finland's Swedish-speaking community. His son, Niclas Grönholm, is making a name for himself in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. Internationally recognized as "Magic Marcus" and known as "Bosse" across Scandinavia, Grönholm holds the third position in the all-time World Rally Championship wins list with 30 victories and earned two world titles in 2000 and 2002.

Following Peugeot's departure from the WRC, Grönholm joined the BP Ford World Rally Team for the 2006 season, narrowly missing the drivers' championship by a single point to Sébastien Loeb. He again finished second in 2007, trailing Loeb by four points. After that season, both Grönholm and his co-driver Timo Rautiainen stepped away from full-time rallying but made a brief comeback in 2009 piloting a private Subaru. In 2019, he returned to WRC competition behind the wheel of a Toyota Yaris prepared by Toyota Gazoo Racing under the GRX Team banner.

Early career

Marcus Grönholm’s father, Ulf "Uffe" Grönholm, was a two-time Finnish rally champion during the late 1970s and early 1980s before his untimely death during a practice session in 1981. Despite this family background, Marcus later stated that neither his father nor cousin Sebastian Lindholm significantly influenced his decision to pursue rallying. Initially drawn to motocross, a knee injury led him to try boxing before ultimately returning to motorsport.

Throughout the 1990s, Grönholm occupied minor roles within rallying, frequently driving Toyota Celicas and Corolla WRC vehicles. Often described as a late developer in the sport, he only secured a factory seat in his early thirties after impressive performances as a privateer caught the attention of major manufacturers including Ford, Toyota, and Peugeot. His breakthrough came upon signing with Peugeot in 1999.

1999–2005: Peugeot

In the 2000 Monte Carlo Rally, an engine failure hampered Grönholm’s efforts; however, he soon achieved his first championship victory at the Swedish Rally driving the Peugeot 206 WRC. He went on to claim the World Rally Championship title that year by outperforming contenders such as Richard Burns. Mechanical issues limited his 2001 season to fourth place overall, but he bounced back to secure his second championship in 2002.

Peugeot maintained its driver lineup and Marlboro sponsorship in 2003 but continued competing with the aging 206 model. Although Grönholm won three events that year, reliability problems and accidents dropped him to sixth place in the championship standings with a total of 46 points.

The debut of the Peugeot 307 in 2004 was marred by recurring gearbox and power steering failures. Despite these setbacks, Grönholm triumphed at the Finnish rally and finished runner-up in Spain. Nevertheless, multiple retirements and technical faults resulted in a fifth-place finish with 62 points for the season. A notable incident involving an injury to co-driver Timo Rautiainen attracted significant attention.

For the 2005 campaign, Peugeot transitioned from Michelin to Pirelli tires and added Markko Märtin as Grönholm’s teammate. Although early crashes challenged his progress, Grönholm secured podium finishes along with two victories—in Finland and Japan. The win in Japan came shortly after the tragic loss of Märtin’s co-driver Michael Park. Ultimately, Grönholm ended the year third overall with 71 points, narrowly missing out on second place to Petter Solberg due to fewer wins. At season’s end, Peugeot withdrew from the championship, leading Grönholm to pursue opportunities with other teams.

2006–2007: Ford

During the 2006 season, Grönholm joined the ranks of the Ford squad, driving their newly introduced 2006-specification Ford Focus RS WRC. He claimed his inaugural tarmac rally victory in Monte Carlo on his first outing, benefiting from the championship's 'Superally' regulations after rival Sébastien Loeb was forced out due to a crash. This was followed by a triumph in Sweden, although Loeb quickly established a significant lead by regularly securing second place or better, while Grönholm encountered several retirements and mistakes.

Grönholm achieved wins over Loeb in both Greece and Finland. Although Loeb seemed set to capture the championship after his victory in Cyprus, a cycling accident sidelined him for the final four events. Grönholm narrowed the points gap to just one but was eliminated from title contention after rolling his car in Australia. Nevertheless, his victory in New Zealand, finishing ahead of teammate Mikko Hirvonen, secured the manufacturers' championship for Ford against the Loeb-absent Kronos Citroën outfit.

The 2007 season started strongly for Grönholm with a third-place finish at Monte Carlo and a win in Sweden. While Loeb struggled in Norway and Sardinia, Grönholm maintained steady performances, capturing his 28th career rally win in Greece and holding a nine-point advantage at midseason. Ford achieved a one-two result in Finland with Grönholm first and Hirvonen second, both ahead of Loeb. However, a driving mistake during the German rally cost Grönholm a podium position, dropping him down to fourth place.

In New Zealand, Grönholm edged out Loeb by a mere 0.3 seconds—the narrowest margin ever recorded in World Rally Championship history—extending his championship lead to ten points with five rounds remaining. Podium finishes in Spain and France kept him in contention, but crashes in Japan and Ireland allowed Loeb to retake the lead. A runner-up finish at Wales Rally GB was insufficient for Grönholm to reclaim the championship, concluding the season as second overall.

On 14 September 2007, Grönholm declared he would retire from rallying at the end of the season, expressing his wish to conclude his career while still competitive and as a three-time World Rally Champion.

Other success

In 2002, Grönholm triumphed at the Race of Champions, receiving the Henri Toivonen Memorial Trophy and earning the distinction "Champion of Champions". At the 2006 Race of Champions, he partnered with Heikki Kovalainen to secure the Nations' Cup title for Finland.

Rallycross

On April 16, 2008, Grönholm revealed plans for a limited campaign competing in at least five rounds of the FIA European Championships for Rallycross Drivers (ERC) with Andréas Eriksson's Ford Team RS Europe. Piloting a 4WD Ford Fiesta ST ERC vehicle delivering and over 800 Nm of torque, it accelerated from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.2 seconds—quicker than contemporary Formula One cars. The schedule was later shortened to three events (Sweden, the Netherlands, Poland). Making his ERC debut at Höljes, Sweden on July 6 before an audience of 23,400 spectators, Grönholm secured pole position and won.

In 2011, Grönholm competed in the American Global RallyCross Championship (GRC), driving a 560 bhp Best Buy Ford Fiesta Mk7 prepared by Swedish outfit Olsbergs MSE. He continued racing in GRC during 2012, starting the season with two overall victories. His motorsport career concluded following an injury sustained during practice at X Games Los Angeles 2012.

Later rally career

In August 2008, Grönholm turned down an opportunity from Stobart M-Sport Ford to rejoin the WRC, stepping in for the injured Gigi Galli. Both Citroën and Subaru expressed interest in signing him for the 2009 season. Talks with Subaru regarding a full 12-event campaign faltered when their proposal was scaled back to just four rallies due to budget constraints. Soon after, Subaru exited the WRC amid the global financial crisis.

Grönholm made a brief comeback at the 2009 Rally Portugal, piloting a Prodrive-prepared Subaru Impreza WRC2009. While victory was not his objective, he showed competitive pace and held fourth place before crashing during Saturday’s first stage, which forced his retirement.

During the 2010 Rally Sweden, he competed in a Ford Focus RS WRC 08 representing Team Therminator alongside Matthias Therman. Despite encountering mechanical troubles and suffering a puncture that cost him considerable time, he managed to finish in 21st position.

In September 2010, Grönholm tested the Mini Countryman WRC in Portugal with Prodrive but did not commit to a permanent return. He later made a limited appearance in the 2019 World Rally Championship, driving a Toyota Gazoo Racing Yaris for GRX Team at the 2019 Rally Sweden.

Personal life

Grönholm lives in Ingå with his spouse Teresa and their three children, one of whom is Niclas Grönholm, active in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. As a native Swedish speaker, he is also fluent in Finnish, which he uses when calling pace notes.

He is related by marriage to his co-driver Timo Rautiainen, who is his brother-in-law, and is also cousin to rally driver Sebastian Lindholm. Both Grönholm and Rautiainen participated in the inaugural season of Amazing Race Suomi, where they finished fifth.

Titles

Year Title Vehicle
1991 Finnish champion (Group N) Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165
1994 Finnish champion (Group A) Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD
1996 Finnish champion (Group A) Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205
1997 Finnish champion (Group A) Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205
1998 Finnish champion (Group A) Toyota Corolla WRC / Toyota Celica GT-Four
2000 World Rally Champion Peugeot 206 WRC
2002 World Rally Champion Peugeot 206 WRC
2002 Champion of Champions Various models

WRC wins

# Event Year Co-driver Vehicle


Complete WRC results

20002002 2006 2007 (split) 2009 || Prodrive || Subaru Impreza WRC2009 ||
Year Team Vehicle 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Championship position Points
1989 Marcus Grönholm Lancia Delta Integrale SWE MON POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN
23 		AUS ITA CIV GBR NC 0
1990 Marcus Grönholm Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 MON POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN
Ret 		AUS ITA CIV GBR NC 0
1991 Marcus Grönholm Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN
13 		AUS ITA CIV ESP GBR NC 0
1992 Finnish Junior Rally Team Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 MON SWE
Ret 		POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG NC 0
Marcus Grönholm Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD FIN
Ret 		AUS ITA CIV ESP GBR

Peugeot Sport | Peugeot 206 WRC | Ret | 1 | Ret | 2 | 5 | 2 | Ret | 1 | 1 | Ret | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1

1st

65

Peugeot Sport | Peugeot 206 WRC | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | DSQ | 2 | Ret | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1

Ret |

1st

77

BP Ford World Rally Team

Ford Focus RS WRC 06

1

1

8

3

2

10

Ret

1

3

1

2

1

5

1

1

2nd 111

BP Ford World Rally Team

Ford Focus RS WRC (06 & 07)

3 || 1

2 2 4 2 1 1 colspan=8 rowspan=2| rowspan=2 style="background:#DFDFDF;"|

2nd 112

Ret colspan=4

NC || 0 |- style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 2019 || GRX Team || Toyota Yaris WRC ||

38 colspan=3

NC || 0 |-


WRC overview

  Peugeot Esso   5   4   7   42   4  65 Peugeot Total 14 3 4 34 8 36 Peugeot Total 14 5 9 69 2 77 Marlboro Peugeot Total 14 3 4 50 6 46 Marlboro Peugeot Total 16 1 5 71 5 62 Marlboro Peugeot Total 16 2 8 55 6 71 BP Ford World Rally Team 16 7 12 124 1 111 BP Ford World Rally Team 16 5 12 76 2 112 Prodrive 1 0 0 0 1 0 Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team 1 0 0 1 0 0 GRX Team 1 0 0 0 0
Season Team Events entered Wins Podium finishes Stage victories Retirements Points accumulated Championship standing
1989 Privateer 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
1990 Privateer 1 0 0 0 1 0 NC
1991 Privateer 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
1992 Finnish Junior Rally Team 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
Privateer 1 0 0 1 1 0
1993 Privateer 1 0 0 0 0 1 65th place
1994 Privateer 1 0 0 0 0 8 19th place
1995 Privateer 2 0 0 0 2 0 NC
H.F. Grifone 1 0 0 0 1 0
1996 Privateer 1 0 0 0 0 4 10th place
Team Toyota Castrol Finland 1 0 0 0 0 10
1997 Toyota Castrol Team 2 0 0 5 1 2 12th place
H.F. Grifone 1 0 0 1 0 3
Toyota Castrol Team Sweden 1 0 0 0 0 0
Toyota Castrol Team Finland 1 0 0 0 1 0
1998 H.F. Grifone 4 0 0 1 3 2 16th place
Toyota Castrol Team 2 0 0 8 1 0

Champion (1st)

4th place

Champion (1st)

6th place
5th place

3rd place

Runner-up (2nd)

Runner-up (2nd)

NC
NC
NC
"Overall" 153 30 61 547 50 615


Division 1

Year Team Vehicle 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ERX Position Total Points
2008 Ford Team RS Europe Ford Fiesta ST POR FRA HUN AUT NOR SWE
1 		BEL NED
10 		CZE POL
12 		GER 16th 32

AWD Category

Year Team Name Model Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Round 7 Round 8 Final Standing (GRC) Points Accumulated
2011 Best Buy Mobile Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta IRW1
1 		IRW2
1 		OLD1 OLD2 PIK1
2 		PIK2
1 		LA1
2 		LA2
3 		2nd 112

Supercar Division

Year Team Name Vehicle Model Event 1 Event 2 Event 3 Event 4 Event 5 Event 6 GRC Final Position Points Total
2012 Best Buy Mobile Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta CHA
1 		TEX
1 		LA
 NH
 LVS
 LVC
 7th place 43 points
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