Bruno Thiry
A consistent Belgian rally star who challenged the sport's Nordic giants and became a national motorsport hero.
Born 1962 (age 64)·Belgian rally driver·Birthday: October 8·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bruno Thiry burst onto the international rally scene in the early 1990s, bringing a distinctly Belgian flair to a sport long dominated by Scandinavians. Driving with a smooth, calculated style, he became a mainstay of the World Rally Championship for more than a decade, most famously behind the wheel of various Ford and Subaru machines. Thiry was never just a participant; he was a perennial points-scorer and podium threat, particularly on the asphalt events where his tarmac expertise shone. His career is a testament to consistency and adaptability, securing results for a variety of factory and privateer teams. Though a world title remained elusive, his numerous stage wins and high finishes cemented his status as Belgium's most successful rally driver, inspiring a generation of fans in a country with a rich circuit-racing tradition but fewer rally legends.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bruno was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bruno Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Bruno's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 50
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 60
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 64 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Achieved three podium finishes in the World Rally Championship, including a second place at the 1996 Rallye Catalunya.
- Won the Belgian Rally Championship title in 1995.
- Competed in over 80 World Rally Championship events between 1990 and 2003.
- Secured multiple stage wins across his WRC career, notably on asphalt rallies like Corsica and Spain.
Did You Know?
He was born in Saint-Vith, a German-speaking municipality in eastern Belgium.
He co-drove for his friend and compatriot Freddy Loix in several rallies after his own driving career slowed.
He often raced with a distinctive yellow and blue helmet design featuring a lion, a symbol of his Wallonia region.
He competed in the Dakar Rally in 2006, driving a BMW X5.
“You have to be fast, but you also have to finish.”
