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 | |
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Ari Pieti Uolevi Vatanen (born 27 April 1952) is a Finnish rally driver. He later became a politician and served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1999 to 2009. Ari Vatanen won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1981. He also won the famous Paris Dakar Rally four times. In 1997, he won the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies.
Racing Career
Ari Vatanen started his rallying journey in 1970. His first big race in the World Rally Championship was the 1974 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland. That same year, he won the Nortti Rally, which helped him get noticed.
His first international rally was in Jamaica in 1975. Later that year, he got his first professional chance to drive a Ford Escort RS1800 in the RAC Rally. Even though he crashed, he impressed the Ford team manager, Stuart Turner. This led to him joining the Ford team for the British Rally Championship the next year.
In 1976, Ari Vatanen won the British Rally Championship. He won it again in 1980 with his co-driver David Richards. From 1977 to 1980, Vatanen also raced in some World Championship events for Ford. After Ford left the sport, he raced for the Rothmans Rally Team. He got his first win at the 1980 Acropolis Rally. Then, in 1981, he became the World Rally Champion.
After 1981, Vatanen raced in the British Championship. In 1983, he joined the Opel team. Even though their cars were only two-wheel-drive, Vatanen still managed to win the tough Safari Rally.
In 1984, Vatanen joined the Peugeot team to drive the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16. He had an amazing winning streak, winning five world rallies in a row from the 1984 1000 Lakes Rally to the 1985 Swedish Rally. He was expected to win the 1985 world title. However, he had a very serious accident at the Rally Argentina. His car crashed at high speed, and he was badly injured. He spent 18 months recovering.
Ari Vatanen made a full recovery and returned to racing in 1987. He went on to win the Paris-Dakar Rally four times: with Peugeot in 1987, 1989, and 1990, and with Citroën in 1991. In 1988, his car was stolen while he was leading the Dakar Rally, which caused a lot of discussion.
In 1997, he won the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies with a Citroën ZX Rallye-raid.
After Peugeot stopped racing in the World Rally Championship, Vatanen also won the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb. This is a famous race up a mountain road. Peugeot used what they learned from their rally cars to build a special car for Pikes Peak. Vatanen set a record time in this powerful car, and his race was even shown in a 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 the Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 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.
In 1994, he returned to driving a Ford. He even filled in for an injured driver on the Ford factory team. He finished third at Rally Argentina, which was special because it was the first time he had raced there since his big accident nine years earlier.
After 1995, Vatanen raced less often. He finished third at the 1998 Safari Rally. He also raced in his 100th World Rally Championship event at the 1998 Rally of Great Britain.
Vatanen joined Nissan for the Paris-Dakar Rally in 2003, finishing seventh. He also raced in the 2003 Rally Finland. In 2004 and 2005, he drove the Dakar for Nissan. In 2007, he tried again with Volkswagen, but his car caught fire and he had to stop.
In September 2008, Vatanen took part in the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally in Scotland. He raced with his old co-driver, David Richards, in the same Ford Escort RS1800 they drove in 1981. This event was held to remember Colin McRae, another famous rally driver who passed away in 2007.
Personal Life
Ari Vatanen grew up in the countryside of Tuupovaara in Eastern Finland. He is married to Rita and they have four children: Kim (who passed away in 2024), Ria (born 1980), Tua (born 1982), and Max (born 1990). They have homes in both Finland and France. Max Vatanen has followed in his father's footsteps and entered the 2016 British Rally Championship.
In 1993, Vatanen moved to southern France, where he bought a farm and a winery. He can speak Finnish, English, and French fluently.
Political Career
In 1999, Ari Vatanen was elected to the European Parliament. This is a group of people who make laws for countries in Europe. He was elected from Finland, even though he lived in France. He worked on topics like car taxes, traffic rules, helping developing countries, and farming policies.
In 2004, he was re-elected to the European Parliament, but this time from France. In the 2009 European Parliament elections, he ran again in Finland but was not elected.
In 2009, Vatanen wanted to become the president of the FIA. This is the group that controls many motorsports, including rallying. However, he lost the election to Jean Todt, who used to be his team boss at Peugeot.
Career Highlights
WRC Victories
| Number | Event | Season | Co-driver | Car |
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| 1 |  Acropolis Rally |
1980 | David Richards | Ford Escort RS1800 |
| 2 | Acropolis Rally |
1981 | ||
| 3 |  Rallye do Brasil |
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| 4 | 1000 Lakes Rally |
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| 5 |  Safari Rally |
1983 | Terry Harryman | Opel Ascona 400 |
| 6 | 1000 Lakes Rally |
1984 | Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 | |
| 7 | Rallye Sanremo |
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| 8 | RAC Rally |
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| 9 | Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo |
1985 | ||
| 10 | Swedish Rally |
See also
In Spanish: Ari Vatanen para niños
