Originally Posted by kirungi okwogera
Good news then! He is only behind these 90s and 2000s drivers: Miki Biasion 17, Auriol 20, Kankkunen 23, Makinen 24, Mcrae 25, Sainz 26, Gronholm 30 (and Loeb of course!). All champions. Most are multiple champions! Champions have had many fewer too - Burns had only 10 wins you know... Blomqvist and Salonen both 11 wins, Munari 7 wins.
Oh and I stand corrected, Markku Alen was driver's champion after all, in 1978, so Hirvonen is the winningest driver ever not to win a championship! I guess it goes to show there's a right and wrong time to win rallies... Munari got the right time, Hirvonen definitely the wrong time! During the Loeb dynasty, even top-class drivers get only crumbs.