Matti Rantanen (rally driver)

{{Infobox WRC driver

| name = Matti Rantanen

| image= Matti Rantanen - Rally Finland 2009.JPG

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1981|02|13|df=y}}

| nationality = {{flagicon|FIN}} Finnish

| Years = 2005–2012

| Co-driver = {{flagicon|FIN}} Jan Lönegren
{{flagicon|FIN}} Mikko Lukka

| Teams = Munchi's

| Races = 8

| Championships = 0

| Wins = 0

| Podiums = 0

| Stagewins = 0

| Points = 12

| First race = 2005 Rally Finland

| Last race = 2012 Rally Finland

}}

Matti Rantanen (born 13 February 1981) is a Finnish rally driver from Lammi.

Career

Rantanen began rallying in 2003 in his native Finland. In 2004 and 2005 he competed in the Finnish Junior Rally Championship, and the main Finnish Rally Championship in 2005 and 2006. In 2005 he competed in his first World Rally Championship round on Rally Finland, winning the Group N category (for less powerful Group N cars). He repeated this feat in 2006, also winning the Group N class in the Finnish Rally Championship. He moved up to the Group N category in the Finnish championship in 2007, finishing sixth. He finished fourth in the following year, 2008. On the 2008 Rally Finland, Rantanen drove a Ford Focus WRC to seventh overall.{{cite web |url=http://www.mattirantanen.net/ |title=Matti Rantanen - Ralliautoilun Suomen Mestari 2006 - Mattirantanen.net |accessdate=2009-07-22 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207100719/http://www.mattirantanen.net/ |archivedate=2009-02-07 }}

In 2009 Rantanen is competing in the British Rally Championship in a front-wheel-drive Renault Clio. He competed in the 2009 Rally Finland for the Munchi's Ford World Rally Team, in which he recorded his highest finish to date after finishing in fifth place overall.{{Cite web|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/76550|title = Munchi's adds Rantanen for Finland}}