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DRIVER
52 years old, born on 27 April 1952 in Tuupovaara
Married, four children |
11th participation in the Dakar
List of awards in the Dakar: Four wins (1987, 1989, 1990, 1991), 4th in 1996, 5th in 1992, 7th in 2003, 8th in 1993.
Rally raid victories: Pharaohs Rally 1987, 1988 and 1989, Atlas Rally 1988, 1995 and 1997, Hong Kong-Beijing 1993 and 1996, Master Rally 1996 and 1997, Tunisia Rally 1988, UAE Desert Challenge 1997, Baja Aragon 1990, Baja Portugal 1995 and 1997, Baja Spain 1996.
Winner of the World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies in 1997
Rally awards: Champion of Great Britain 1976 and 1980; 10 world rally wins, World Champion 1981.
Motor sport is his whole life. It was almost his death as well, due to a terrible roadway accident, at more than 200 km/h, in the Argentina Rally 1986. Ari narrowly missed death, then went through a long and difficult fight back to health. His return to life was symbolised by his presence at the start of the Dakar 1987…and by his victory, 22 days later in Dakar. The most mobile of Finns, World Rally Champion in 1981, has experienced success without precedent in rally raids, and especially in the most prestigious event of the discipline. After this winning comeback, Ari won three other times in the Dakar, before turning the page in 1996, in order to turn (once again successfully) toward politics. But he itches for the sand, and the finest ambassador of the Dakar returned in 2003, with Nissan. At the age of 50, he drove a remarkable race and came in 7th in general, after having aroused a passion in line with his talent. His unusual experience of the desert and his sense of attack worked wonders. In 2004, again at the wheel of the Nissan Pickup, he passed the milestone of 50 stage wins. An additional line was added to the Vatanen legend and to a list of awards that was already incredible. Faithful to Nissan in 2005, the Finn is a serious candidate for victory. Will we see him on 16 January drinking his famous glass of milk on the shores of Lake Rose ? |
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“Given the constraints that the organisers have, I think that they’ve done excellent work. They’ve used the terrain that remains available well. The start in Barcelona is going to be something fantastic. That’s an exceptional atmosphere. I’ll always remember going through Barcelona during my first Dakar. It’s unforgettable. Even if there’s only half as much atmosphere this year it’s going to be fabulous. For the rest, it’s more than 5 000 kilometres of specials. The strongest will win. Black Africa, that’s the real Dakar! And in a real Dakar, you have to have a hard time of it! One of the favourites can do something stupid or have problems starting the third day in Morocco and can disappear from the list of candidates for victory. But inevitably everything should hinge on Mauritania, with the marathon stages and the navigation stages. That’s great. I’m very happy. But even with experience, you can easily get stuck in a race like this.” |
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