1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally

Forty-nine years ago Finnish rally legend Hannu Mikkola, driving a Mk I Ford Escort 1850 GT, beat 96 other teams to claim victory in the 25,700 km 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally. To celebrate, Ford created the Mk I Ford Escort Mexico, and the world rejoiced.
The event was the first of two World Cup Rallies and the second of four marathon rallies to be held in a nine-year period beginning with the 1968 London-Sydney Marathon. It started at Wembley Stadium, in London on April 19, 1970, and finished 38 days later in Mexico City on May 27.

Mikkola, alongside co-driver Gunnar Palm, was one of five Ford Escort 1850 GT drivers tackling the event, including original “Flying Finn” Timo Mäkinen, and former England and Tottenham Hotspurs striker, Jimmy Greaves. Each car was powered by an 1850 cc version of the Kent Crossflow engine.

In an interview with Motorsport magazine Mikkola:

“We were doing so many long stages, especially in the Andes where we were several thousand metres high which made it so very difficult physically. One stage was over 900 km long. I would start to fall asleep while driving and Gunnar Palm used to hit me with the pace-note book to keep me awake.”

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