One of the most notable forgotten champions is Markku Alén, a Finnish driver who was often considered one of the fastest of his generation. Despite his incredible pace, Alén never officially won the WRC Drivers’ Championship, even though he was the FIA Cup for Drivers champion in 1978 before the WRC Drivers’ title was formally introduced. Alén was the perennial nearly-man of rallying, narrowly missing out on titles due to misfortune, team orders, or mechanical failures.

His closest brush with the championship came in 1986 when he was briefly crowned World Champion before his title was rescinded due to a controversial disqualification from the Sanremo Rally. Alén’s talent was undeniable, and his contributions to rallying were immense, yet his achievements never translated into legendary status due to the timing of his career and his unlucky breaks in crucial moments​.

Henri Toivonen is another tragic figure in WRC history, a driver who seemed destined for greatness but whose career was cut short by a fatal accident. Toivonen was renowned for his extraordinary talent, winning his first WRC event at just 24 years old, making him one of the youngest winners at the time.

He was a rising star during the dangerous Group B era, driving the monstrous Lancia Delta S4. In 1986, he won the Monte Carlo Rally and looked set to challenge for the championship. However, his life and career tragically ended at the Tour de Corse later that year when his car veered off the road, leading to a fatal crash that also claimed his co-driver, Sergio Cresto.

Toivonen’s death was not only a personal tragedy but also marked the end of the Group B era as safety concerns forced a major overhaul of rallying regulations. Despite his brief but impactful career, Toivonen is often overshadowed by drivers who had the chance to fulfill their potential on the biggest stage​.

Another driver who could have been a legend is François Delecour, a Frenchman known for his flamboyant style and fiery personality. Delecour was immensely talented, securing several victories in the early 1990s with the Ford Escort RS Cosworth, including a memorable win at the Monte Carlo Rally. In 1994, he was considered a favorite for the championship, but an accident in a friend’s Ferrari sidelined him for much of the season, derailing his title hopes.

Though he continued to compete at the top level for several more years and played a role in developing the successful Peugeot 206 WRC, Delecour never again had a realistic shot at the title. His career serves as a reminder of how the smallest twists of fate can alter a driver’s trajectory from a potential legend to a nearly forgotten champion​.

Didier Auriol, another French talent, was dominant in the early 1990s and became the first French driver to win the WRC Drivers’ Championship in 1994. Auriol was known for his smooth, precise driving style and his prowess on the tarmac, where he was virtually unbeatable at his peak.

However, Auriol’s career coincided with the rise of other big names like Carlos Sainz and Tommi Mäkinen, and he struggled to maintain his form in the latter half of the decade. Although he was a champion and one of the most successful drivers of his time, his achievements have often been overshadowed by the multi-title winners who followed him​.

These drivers, among others, played pivotal roles in their eras and shaped the sport in significant ways, but their contributions are often overlooked in discussions of WRC’s greatest legends. They remind us that success in rallying is not just about winning titles; it’s also about timing, opportunity, and sometimes, sheer luck.