The year following his retirement, he founded his own company, TMR (Tommi Mäkinen Racing), in the suburbs of his hometown Jyvaskyla, Finland, and began to take action towards bringing up a new generation of drivers and manage his rally school. "I was able to continue rallying due to all the support I received from many people. This is my turn to support young aspiring drivers," he said when he began his business. Mäkinen soon joined the STI Group N business plan and became a partner as one of the base teams cooperating with the promotion of Group N. He says, "SUBARU was serious about promoting and expanding the Group N business, which is a customer category. This matched perfectly with my dreams of educating the new generation. SUBARU makes cars diligently, and they listen to what rally drivers like me have to say. When I speak to them, I see that although their company isn't monstrous, they have the determination to bring SUBARU to world number 1 status. I like this about SUBARU." Chris Atkinson, who later became a regular SWRT driver, was a student at Mäkinen's school in the summer of 2005, later entering Rally Finland in a TMR Group N Impreza. Mikko Hirvonen, a quickly advancing WRC driver, and Jari Matti Latvala, said to be top among the young drivers, have both been taught by Mäkinen. Jari Ketomaa, who is entered in this year's P-WRC in a TMR Impreza, was actually Finnish champion last year, running in a rival machine. He is one of Mäkinen's recommended drivers among the young competitors. Many TMR drivers respect Mäkinen and are knocking on TMR's doors. "My dream is to bring up a new world champion from my place. There are many extremely talented drivers in Finland. I know I can do it." The emperor squinted. His relationship with SUBARU is destined to grow. Tommi Mäkinen is the greatest WRC rally hero of the late '90s. He won race after race with crushing force, recording a total of 24 wins in the WRC - and on 4 occasions became world champion. At the peak of his career in the autumn of 2001, he suddenly announced that he was going to move from a rival team to SUBARU. He was always calm and steady. He was also always a gentleman but at the same time reticent. People started calling him the Emperor from the way he carried himself and his dignified appearance. We didn't know until Mäkinen came over to SUBARU that he was actually very shy and honest, and that people treated him as the noblest person in the rallying world. After he won in Monte Carlo for the 4th consecutive time, in what was his first race after transferring to SUBARU, he slowly said, without any hint of a smile, "I mustn't go too fast. Monte Carlo has rapidly changing surface conditions. Not even I can see beyond a corner that's out of sight." He added, "My least favorite rally is Monte Carlo." He doesn't shower you with the expected words of a driver, this was pure Tommi. The Emperor's retirement was sudden as well. When teammate Petter Solberg started gaining momentum in 2003, he became his advisor and supported him tirelessly. It is now a famous anecdote that he suggested Solberg use his car after Petter's was totaled during shakedown in Corsica. In November of that year, when Solberg became WRC world champion at Wales Rally GB, Mäkinen retired.