Ari Vatanen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ari Vatanen
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Vatanen in 2009
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| Born | 27 April 1952 |
| Nationality | Finnish |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 1974–1985, 1987–1998, 2003 |
| Co-driver |  Alf Krogell Geraint Phillips Peter Bryant Atso Aho Jim Scott David Richards Terry Harryman "Tilber" Bruno Berglund Fabrizia Pons Roger Freeman Fred Gallagher Juha Repo |
| Teams | Ford, Opel, Peugeot, Subaru, BMW, Mitsubishi, Citroën |
| Rallies | 101 |
| Championships | 1 (1981) |
| Rally wins | 10 |
| Podiums | 27 |
| Stage wins | 590 |
| Total points | 518 |
| First rally | 1974 1000 Lakes Rally |
| First win | 1980 Acropolis Rally |
| Last win | 1985 Swedish Rally |
| Last rally | 2003 Rally Finland |
| Member of the European Parliament for Finland | |
| In office 13 June 1999 – 12 June 2004 |
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| Member of the European Parliament for Sud-Est (France) | |
| In office 13 June 2004 – 6 June 2009 |
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| Personal details | |
| Political party |
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Ari Vatanen (born 27 April 1952) is a famous Finnish rally driver. He later became a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1999 to 2009. Ari Vatanen won the World Rally Championship in 1981. He also won the tough Paris Dakar Rally four times. In 1997, he won the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies.
Contents
Ari Vatanen's Racing Career
Ari Vatanen started rallying in 1970. His first big race in the World Rally Championship was the 1974 1000 Lakes Rally. That same year, he won the Nortti Rally, which made many people notice him.
His first international rally was in Jamaica in 1975. He drove a Datsun 120Y and finished 12th. Later that year, he got his first professional chance to drive a Ford Escort RS1800. Even though he crashed, he impressed the Ford team manager. This led to him joining the team for the British Rally Championship the next year.
Winning the British Rally Championship
In 1976, Vatanen won the British Rally Championship. He repeated this amazing win in 1980. His co-driver for the 1980 win was David Richards. Richards later became a very important person in motorsports.
Between 1977 and 1980, Vatanen also raced in some World Championship events. He first drove for the official Ford team. After Ford left the sport, he joined the Rothmans Rally Team. He got his first World Rally Championship win at the 1980 Acropolis Rally. Then, in 1981, he became the World Rally Champion!
Moving to Opel and Peugeot
After winning the world title, Vatanen changed co-drivers and moved to the Opel team in 1983. Even though his Opel cars were not as powerful as others, he still managed to win the tough Safari Rally.
In 1984, Vatanen joined the factory team for Peugeot. He drove the amazing Peugeot 205 T16. From the 1984 1000 Lakes Rally to the 1985 Swedish Rally, Vatanen won five world rallies in a row!
A Serious Accident and Comeback
Vatanen was expected to win the 1985 world title. However, he had a very serious accident during the Rally Argentina. His car flipped over at a very high speed. He was badly injured and had to spend 18 months recovering. He also struggled with severe depression.
But Ari Vatanen made a full recovery! He returned to racing in 1987. He went on to win the famous Paris-Dakar Rally four times. He won with Peugeot in 1987, 1989, and 1990. Then he won with Citroën in 1991. In 1988, his car was stolen while he was leading the Dakar Rally, which caused a lot of talk.
In 1997, he won the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies. He drove a Citroën ZX Rallye-raid with his navigator Fred Gallagher (co-driver).
Pikes Peak and Later Career
After Peugeot stopped racing in the World Rally Championship, Vatanen also won the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb. This is a race up a mountain. Peugeot used what they learned from their rally cars to create the powerful 405 T16. This car had over 600 horsepower and special features like four-wheel drive. Vatanen set a record time, and his drive was shown in a famous short film called Climb Dance.
Vatanen continued to compete in the World Rally Championship until 1998. He drove for Mitsubishi Ralliart Europe in 1989 and 1990. His best result with Mitsubishi was second place at the 1990 1000 Lakes Rally.
From 1992 to 1993, he raced for Subaru. He finished second three times, including when the first Subaru Impreza made its debut in Finland. Even though he was doing well, Subaru replaced him with another driver at the end of 1993.
The next year, he returned to driving a Ford. He even filled in for an injured driver on the Ford factory team. He finished on the podium (top three) at the Rally Argentina. This was special because it was the first time he raced there since his big accident nine years before.
After 1995, Vatanen raced less often. He still managed to get a podium finish at the 1998 Safari Rally. He also briefly returned to Subaru for his 100th World Rally Championship event.
In 2003, Vatanen joined Nissan for the Paris-Dakar Rally, finishing seventh. He also raced in the 2003 Rally Finland. He drove the Dakar for Nissan again in 2004 and 2005. In 2007, he tried again with Volkswagen, but his car caught fire and he had to stop.
In 2008, Vatanen took part in the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally. He raced with his old co-driver David Richards. They drove the same Rothmans-sponsored Ford Escort RS1800 they used in 1981. This event was held to remember Colin McRae, another famous rally driver who had passed away.
Ari Vatanen's Personal Life
Ari Vatanen grew up in a rural area of Tuupovaara in Eastern Finland. He is married to Rita and they have four children: Kim, Ria, Tua, and Max. They have homes in both Finland and France. His son Max has followed in his footsteps and entered the 2016 British Rally Championship.
In 1993, Vatanen moved to southern France. There, he bought a farm and a winery. He can speak Finnish, English, and French very well.
Ari Vatanen's Political Career
In 1999, Ari Vatanen was elected to the European Parliament. He represented Finland as part of the conservative National Coalition party. Even though he lived in France, he served Finland. He worked on topics like car taxes, traffic rules, and helping other countries.
In 2004, he was elected again. This time, he represented France as part of the conservative Union for a Popular Movement party. In the 2009 European Parliament elections, he ran for Finland again but was not elected.
In 2009, Vatanen wanted to become the president of the FIA. This is the group that runs motorsports around the world. However, he lost the election to Jean Todt, who used to be his team boss at Peugeot.
See also
In Spanish: Ari Vatanen para niños
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