World champion Tommi Makinen wrote himself into the record books yesterday by becoming the first driver to win a rallying event five successive times.

Makinen, who had led his home Finland Rally since the third stage on Friday, finished 35.6 seconds clear.

The last four of those successes were in a Mitsubishi, making them the first manufacturer to achieve the feat in the event's 47-year history.

Carlos Sainz of Spain in a Toyota, one of only two non-Scandinavians to have won the event, took second place after holding off a concerted challenge from Ford's Juha Kankkunen to beat the Finn by 9.6 seconds.

Kankkunen, in his 17th Finland Rally, was happy with his third podium finish in the last four rounds after finding that the 16.1 second overnight deficit was too great to catch Sainz.

Frenchman Didier Auriol, the only other non-Scandinavian winner of the event, was fourth one minute, 44 seconds behind Kankkunen with Briton Richard Burns a creditable fifth on his first attempt in Finland.

Swede Thomas Radstrom was sixth and, despite winning five of the six stages on the final leg, Finn Marcus Gronholm could not overhaul his fellow Toyota driver and had to settle for seventh.

He had been third before losing more than three minutes on stage 16 in getting his car back on the road after his inner tyre exploded.

Finn's Jarmo Kytolehto and Pasi Hagstrom were eighth and ninth, with Bruno Thiry of Belgium completing the top 10.

Makinen's win, together with Burns's fifth place, have moved Mitsubishi above the Subaru team in the manufacturers' championship.