RE: Ari Vatanen: PH Meets
Discussion
He has been a long time hero of mine, if you love classic rallying of this vintage, look up my youtube channel with the same handle as i have on here! for some reason at the age of 11 i had the foresight to record Grandstand and world of sport.
Watch this for an in period demonstration of his 1982 montecarlo rally. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TL76PVcy_g
Watch this for an in period demonstration of his 1982 montecarlo rally. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TL76PVcy_g
I saw Ari on , I think , his UK debut - early days anyway- in the Rodgers Carpet Rally in Cropton Forest - late 70s ? He was driving a ratty old Ascona and I have never seen one driven quite so beyond the normal limits as his . Saw many times in Escorts and Gp B too - a great driver and a very smart and likeable man.
sidewayssam said:
He has been a long time hero of mine, if you love classic rallying of this vintage, look up my youtube channel with the same handle as i have on here! for some reason at the age of 11 i had the foresight to record Grandstand and world of sport.
Watch this for an in period demonstration of his 1982 montecarlo rally. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TL76PVcy_g
Cheers Watch this for an in period demonstration of his 1982 montecarlo rally. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TL76PVcy_g
Enjoyed watching that
I applaud the 11-year old you!
Gary29 said:
All those who 'promised' pics, where are they ?h.
Is that to me ?...as if I care !
He was walking around Race Retro 2015 with Mick Jones,legendary
Boreham engineer,now sadly deceased and they're standing by an RS200 and RS1700T owned by the same lucky bloke,who's name I forget.
lucido grigio said:
He was walking around Race Retro 2015 with Mick Jones,legendary
Boreham engineer,now sadly deceased and they're standing by an RS200 and RS1700T owned by the same lucky bloke,who's name I forget.
But, I had no idea Mick had passed away.......as so recently.
Mick really was a legend in Ford Motorsport circles, wasn't it for Ari's RS on a round of the British that Mick pulled the diff out of a spectators V6 Capri to put in the Ari's car to keep him in the event?
As a former Escort Twin Cam owner, Mick will always be revered, as it was Mick that spent a spare weekend at Boreham shoehorning the running gear from a Lotus-Cortina into an early Escort shell to build the prototype Twin Cam, and effectively start the path to the Escorts legendary status.
Nice article, a true gentleman.
Back in 1977 we brought his younger brother Tatu over to drive on the Wolverhampton and South Staffs Castrol 77 national event in Wales. This 17 year old arrived, with his sister in tow to keep him in check, only 200kms of stage experience but supposedly faster than Ari at his age, and more likely to crash. It was the first time David Sutton had ever comprehensively insured one of his cars, even though the RS1800 was definitely well used, massive understatement, we'd had the same car earlier in the year on the Lindisfarne, in killer Kielder, and it was well buggered then.
Complete cock up before the event, Tatu was told in order to familiarise himself with the car to drive it from London to Wales, and on the way it would be helpful to find a bit of loose surface to set the brake balance up. Unfortunately nobody told him where to avoid, so when he got nabbed trying the car out on Myherin, destined to be SS1, there was a right old hoohah. Stewards accepted that it was a genuinely innocent bit of stupidity and in no way an attempt at cheating, fined £180 (~900 in today's money), the maximum possible, though the organisers wanted to kick him out from starting.
Anyway Tatu binned it on stage 1, so did we albeit it was just a brief excursion into a ditch but still finished.
Sorry folks, bit of an off topic tale of family Vatanen.
Back on topic, the old Dear God video amuses and impresses in equal measure, not least because of the size of the cojones for the rest of the stage with the pace and commitment considering the degree of understeer due to the punctured tyre.
Back in 1977 we brought his younger brother Tatu over to drive on the Wolverhampton and South Staffs Castrol 77 national event in Wales. This 17 year old arrived, with his sister in tow to keep him in check, only 200kms of stage experience but supposedly faster than Ari at his age, and more likely to crash. It was the first time David Sutton had ever comprehensively insured one of his cars, even though the RS1800 was definitely well used, massive understatement, we'd had the same car earlier in the year on the Lindisfarne, in killer Kielder, and it was well buggered then.
Complete cock up before the event, Tatu was told in order to familiarise himself with the car to drive it from London to Wales, and on the way it would be helpful to find a bit of loose surface to set the brake balance up. Unfortunately nobody told him where to avoid, so when he got nabbed trying the car out on Myherin, destined to be SS1, there was a right old hoohah. Stewards accepted that it was a genuinely innocent bit of stupidity and in no way an attempt at cheating, fined £180 (~900 in today's money), the maximum possible, though the organisers wanted to kick him out from starting.
Anyway Tatu binned it on stage 1, so did we albeit it was just a brief excursion into a ditch but still finished.
Sorry folks, bit of an off topic tale of family Vatanen.
Back on topic, the old Dear God video amuses and impresses in equal measure, not least because of the size of the cojones for the rest of the stage with the pace and commitment considering the degree of understeer due to the punctured tyre.
His importance to Ford Motorsport of old was so high and well known that it was announced in an
obituary piece in Motorsport News.
There was a gathering of the "old" engineers at the RSOC national day a few years back.
I collared the lot of them before they entered a forum with members and they all signed a programme
of the day.
I'll have to see if I can find it.
obituary piece in Motorsport News.
There was a gathering of the "old" engineers at the RSOC national day a few years back.
I collared the lot of them before they entered a forum with members and they all signed a programme
of the day.
I'll have to see if I can find it.
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