Miki Biasion

Last updated
Miki Biasion
Estoril Classic Week 2018 Miki Biasion (30294007657) (cropped).jpg
Biasion at 2018 Estoril Classic Week
Personal information
Nationality Flag of Italy.svg Italian
Born (1958-01-07) 7 January 1958 (age 66)
Bassano del Grappa, Veneto, Italy
World Rally Championship record
Active years 1980 – 1994
Co-driver Flag of Italy.svg Tiziano Siviero
Flag of Italy.svg Carlo Cassina
Teams Lancia, Ford
Rallies78
Championships 2 (1988, 1989)
Rally wins 17
Podiums40
Stage wins373
Total points768
First rally1980 Rallye Sanremo
First win1986 Rally Argentina
Last win1993 Acropolis Rally
Last rally1994 RAC Rally

Massimo "Miki" Biasion (born 7 January 1958) is an Italian rally driver, two-time World Rally champion.

Contents

Career

Biasion's Lancia Delta S4. Lancia Delta S4 005.JPG
Biasion's Lancia Delta S4.

Biasion was born in Bassano del Grappa, Veneto.

Biasion came to prominence in the early 1980s, winning both the Italian and European Rally Championships in 1983, driving a Lancia 037. He began competing in 1979, in an Opel Kadett GT/E. [1] 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).

After his championship years, Biasion was never able to 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 RS Cosworth 4x4 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 RS Cosworth, he won the Acropolis Rally and led the driver's championship for part of the season.

Biasion driving a Lancia Delta Integrale 16v at 2006 Rally Legend in San Marino. 2006 Rally Legend - Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16v.jpg
Biasion driving a Lancia Delta Integrale 16v at 2006 Rally Legend in San Marino.

Throughout Biasion's tenure at Ford he was overshadowed by the younger François Delecour, who generally proved to be 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 (his two last WRC events were part of the 2LWC prior to the late Colin McRae's honor as 1995 World Rally Champion, but this truly last WRC event was the RAC (now Wales Rally GB) in 1994 when it was won by McRae himself and Didier Auriol's honor as 1994 World Rally Champion).

Throughout his entire career he was co-driven by Tiziano Siviero, the sole exception being the Portuguese Rally of 1988, where Siviero was replaced by Carlo Cassina due to health problems.

He drove for the works Mitsubishi team on the Dakar rally in both 2003 [2] and 2004. In 2003, he finished the event's penultimate stage in third place, but his gearbox seized on the podium. Trying to move and fix the car in that area resulted in a 10-hour penalty. He fell from what was a podium in overall rally time to outside the top 10 in the final standings. In 2004, a roll ended his event - despite making it to service, the team could not fix the Pajero well enough to continue.

He returned to the event in 2006, [3] this time in the truck category. He drove for the manufacturer Iveco team, alongside team-mate Markku Alén. In 2007, he was part of the manufacturer Fiat team, running the diminutive Panda 4x4 ('PanDakar') on the event, alongside team-mate Bruno Saby. [4]

Biasion won the World Truck Championship in 1998 and 1999 driving an Iveco.

Personal life

Biasion was married to Italian rally driver Chantal Galli, who won the Italian women's rally championship several times. [1] They had four children, named Bettina, Isotta, Jacobo, and Olivia. The pair are now divorced, and Biasion is currently married to Paola. [5] [6] [7]

WRC victories

 # EventSeasonCo-driverCar
1 Flag of Argentina.svg Rally Argentina 1986 Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta S4
2 Flag of Monaco.svg Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo 1987 Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta HF 4WD
3 Flag of Argentina.svg Rally Argentina 1987 Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta HF 4WD
4 Flag of Italy.svg Rallye Sanremo 1987 Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta HF 4WD
5 Flag of Portugal.svg Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto 1988 Carlo Cassina Lancia Delta Integrale
6 Flag of Kenya.svg Safari Rally 1988 Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta Integrale
7 Flag of Greece.svg Acropolis Rally 1988 Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta Integrale
8 Flag of the United States.svg Olympus Rally 1988 Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta Integrale
9 Flag of Italy.svg Rallye Sanremo – Rallye d'Italia 1988 Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta Integrale
10 Flag of Monaco.svg Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo 1989 Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta Integrale
11 Flag of Portugal.svg Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto 1989 Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta Integrale
12 Flag of Kenya.svg Safari Rally 1989 Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta Integrale
13 Flag of Greece.svg Acropolis Rally 1989 Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta Integrale
14 Flag of Italy.svg Rallye Sanremo – Rallye d'Italia 1989 Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta Integrale 16V
15 Flag of Portugal.svg Rally de Portugal Vinho do Porto 1990 Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta Integrale 16V
16 Flag of Argentina.svg Rally Argentina 1990 Tiziano Siviero Lancia Delta Integrale 16V
17 Flag of Greece.svg Acropolis Rally 1993 Tiziano Siviero Ford Escort RS Cosworth

Complete WRC results

YearEntrantCar1234567891011121314WDCPoints
1980 Miki Biasion Opel Ascona MON SWE POR KEN GRC ARG FIN NZL ITA
Ret		 FRA GBR CIV -0
1981 Hawk Racing Club Opel Ascona 400 MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC ARG BRA FIN ITA
6		 CIV GBR 33rd6
1982 Conrero Opel Ascona 400 MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC NZL BRA FIN ITA
8		 CIV GBR 49th3
1983 Jolly Club Totip Lancia Rally 037 MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN ITA
5		 CIV GBR 21st8
1984 Jolly Club Totip Lancia Rally 037 MON
6		 SWE POR
4		 KEN FRA
2		 GRC
Ret		 NZL ARG FIN ITA
3		 CIV GBR 6th43
1985 Jolly Club Lancia Rally 037 MON
9		 SWE POR
2		 KEN FRA
Ret		 GRC NZL ARG FIN ITA
6		 CIV GBR 12th23
1986 Martini Lancia Lancia Delta S4 MON
Ret		 SWE POR
Ret		 FRA
Ret		 GRC
2		 NZL
3		 ARG
1		 FIN CIV ITA
3 [1] 		GBR USA 5th47
Lancia Rally 037 KEN
Ret
1987 Martini Lancia Lancia Delta HF 4WD MON
1		 SWE POR
8		 KEN FRA
3		 GRC
7		 USA
2		 NZL ARG
1		 FIN CIV ITA
1		 GBR 2nd94
1988 Martini Lancia Lancia Delta HF 4WD MON
Ret		 SWE 1st115
Lancia Delta Integrale POR
1		 KEN
1		 FRA GRC
1		 USA
1		 NZL ARG
2		 FIN CIV ITA
1		 GBR
1989 Martini Lancia Lancia Delta Integrale SWE MON
1		 POR
1		 KEN
1		 FRA GRC
1		 NZL ARG FIN
6		 AUS 1st106
Lancia Delta Integrale 16V ITA
1		 CIV GBR
1990 Martini Lancia Lancia Delta Integrale 16V MON
3		 POR
1		 KEN
Ret		 FRA GRC
3		 NZL ARG
1		 FIN AUS ITA
Ret		 CIV GBR
3		4th76
1991 Martini Lancia Lancia Delta Integrale 16V MON
2		 SWE POR
3		 KEN
Ret		 FRA GRC
3		 NZL ARG
2		 FIN AUS ITA
2		 CIV ESP GBR
Ret		4th69
1992 Ford Motor Co Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4x4 MON
8		 SWE POR
2		 KEN FRA
7		 GRC
3		 NZL ARG FIN
5		 AUS ITA
4		 CIV ESP GBR
5		4th60
1993 Ford Motor Co Ford Escort RS Cosworth MON
3		 SWE POR
2		 KEN FRA
7		 GRC
1		 ARG
2		 NZL
Ret		 FIN AUS
Ret		 ITA
Ret		 ESP
4		 GBR 4th76
1994 Ford Motor Co Ford Escort RS Cosworth MON
4		 POR
3		 KEN FRA
5		 GRC
Ret		 ARG
Ret		 NZL
Ret		 FIN ITA
3		 GBR
Ret		6th42
1 The results of the 1986 Rallye Sanremo were annulled by the FIA.

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References

  1. 1 2 Kjellström, PeO (1987-08-19). "Rallykometen Miki Biason [sic]: Lancias bäste försäljare" [Rallying comet Miki Biason: Lancia's greatest salesman]. Teknikens Värld (in Swedish). 39 (18). Stockholm, Sweden: Specialtidningsförlaget AB: 21.
  2. ↑ "Dakar 2003 (video 3 of 24)". YouTube . 7 March 2024.
  3. ↑ "Dakar 2006 Video 3". YouTube . 31 March 2024.
  4. ↑ "Dakar 2007 Video 1". YouTube . 8 April 2024.
  5. ↑ "Miki Biasion". Sports Car Legends (in Italian).
  6. ↑ "Miki Story – Miki Biasion". Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  7. ↑ "Acerca de Massimo "Miki" Biasion". www.iveco.com.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Autosport
International Rally Driver Award
1989		Succeeded by
Sporting positions
Preceded by European Rally Champion
1983		Succeeded by
Preceded by World Rally Champion
1988–1989 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Race of Champions
Classic Master
1998 		Succeeded by
Not held
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