Pentti Airikkala
Encyclopedia
Pentti Airikkala was one of the 'Flying Finns' who dominated world rallying in the past four decades. His career was more sporadic than many of his contemporaries, and he competed in only three World Rally Championship
(WRC) events regularly; the two Scandinavia
n rallies (the 1000 Lakes and the Swedish Rally
) and the RAC Rally in the United Kingdom
.
Airikkala was born in Helsinki
, Finland
. Most of his top flight competitive experience was behind the wheel of various rear wheel drive Vauxhall
/Opel
s like the Chevette HS and Magnum coupé
, but his greatest success came in the twilight of his career, when he exploited his local knowledge as a longtime UK resident to win the 1989 RAC Rally in a Group A
Mitsubishi Galant VR-4
. He is still the third oldest driver to win a WRC event.
Altogether he competed in 36 WRC events between 1973 and 1990, and a 37th in 2003, scoring 102 points and achieving a best of 9th overall in the 1981 Drivers' Championship. He also contested the British Rally Championship
in the 1970s/80s, becoming British Rally Champion in 1979. Since retiring from full-time international competition he operated a highly successful race driving school in Oxfordshire
, where his roster of pupils included subsequent World Champions Colin McRae
and Richard Burns
.
, UK
, aged 64. He had been battling illness in recent years and was admitted to hospital shortly before his death after suffering liver problems and a fall.
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
(WRC) events regularly; the two Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n rallies (the 1000 Lakes and the Swedish Rally
Swedish Rally
The Uddeholm Swedish Rally , formerly the Swedish Rally, is an automobile rally competition held in Värmland, Sweden in early February. First held in 1950, when it was called the Rally to the Midnight Sun with start and finish at separate locations, seventeen years later both start and finish...
) and the RAC Rally in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Airikkala was born in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. Most of his top flight competitive experience was behind the wheel of various rear wheel drive Vauxhall
Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors is a British automotive company owned by General Motors and headquartered in Luton. It was founded in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, began manufacturing cars in 1903 and was acquired by GM in 1925. It has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for...
/Opel
Opel
Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...
s like the Chevette HS and Magnum coupé
Vauxhall Magnum
The Magnum was a car manufactured by Vauxhall Motors from 1973 to 1978. First seen at the London Motor Show in October 1973, the Magnum as was an HC Viva with a larger engine, more luxurious interior, vinyl roof, higher trim level and twin headlights...
, but his greatest success came in the twilight of his career, when he exploited his local knowledge as a longtime UK resident to win the 1989 RAC Rally in a Group A
Group A
In relation to motorsport governed by the FIA, Group A referred to a set of regulations providing production-derived vehicles for outright competition. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, the Group A referred to production-derived vehicles limited in terms of power, weight, allowed...
Mitsubishi Galant VR-4
Mitsubishi Galant VR-4
The Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 was the range-topping version of Mitsubishi Motors' Galant model, available in the sixth , seventh and eighth generations of the vehicle...
. He is still the third oldest driver to win a WRC event.
Altogether he competed in 36 WRC events between 1973 and 1990, and a 37th in 2003, scoring 102 points and achieving a best of 9th overall in the 1981 Drivers' Championship. He also contested the British Rally Championship
British Rally Championship
The Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship is a yearly rallying series based in the United Kingdom. It comprises seven events with eight scoring opportunities throughout the British Isles. The first championship was run in 1958 and it has been licensed by the MSA Motor Sports Association since...
in the 1970s/80s, becoming British Rally Champion in 1979. Since retiring from full-time international competition he operated a highly successful race driving school in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, where his roster of pupils included subsequent World Champions Colin McRae
Colin McRae
Colin Steele McRae, MBE was a Scottish rally driver born in Lanark.The son of five-time British Rally Champion Jimmy McRae and brother of rally driver Alister McRae, Colin McRae was the 1991 and 1992 British Rally Champion and, in 1995, became the first British person and the youngest to win the...
and Richard Burns
Richard Burns
Richard Alexander Burns was an English rally driver. He was born in Reading, Berkshire. He was the 2001 World Rally Champion, having previously finished runner-up in the series in 1999 and 2000. He also helped Mitsubishi to the world manufacturers' title in 1998, and Peugeot in 2002...
.
Death
Airikkala died at Bray, BerkshireBray, Berkshire
Bray, sometimes known as Bray on Thames, is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. It stands on the banks of the River Thames, just south-east of Maidenhead. It is famous as the village mentioned in the song The Vicar of Bray...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, aged 64. He had been battling illness in recent years and was admitted to hospital shortly before his death after suffering liver problems and a fall.
WRC victories
| # | Event | Season | Co-driver | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  38th Lombard RAC RallyRally GB Wales Rally GB is the largest and most high profile motor rally in the United Kingdom. It is a round of the FIA World Rally Championship and was formerly a round of the MSA British Rally Championship and is based in and around the city of Cardiff in Wales... |
1989 1989 World Rally Championship season The 1989 World Rally Championship season was the 17th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 13 rallies, with some adjustments to the schedule versus the previous season... |
Ronan McNamee | Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 The Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 was the range-topping version of Mitsubishi Motors' Galant model, available in the sixth , seventh and eighth generations of the vehicle... |
Complete WRC results
| Year | Team/Entrant | Car | WRC Round | WDC | Points | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| 1973 | Opel Finland | Opel Kadett Opel Kadett The Opel Kadett is a small family car produced by the German automobile manufacturer Opel between 1937 and 1940, and then again from 1962 until 1991 , when it was replaced by the Opel Astra.-Original model :... |
MON 1973 Monte Carlo Rally The 1973 Monte Carlo Rally was the 42nd running of the Monte Carlo Rally, one of the world's oldest and most well-known automobile rallies. Run in late January and hosted in the principality of Monaco, the 1973 rally was notable for being the first rally on the Fédération Internationale de... |
SWE 1973 International Swedish Rally The 1973 International Swedish Rally was the 24th running of the International Swedish Rally and the second round of the inaugural World Rally Championship season. Run in mid-February around Karlstad, Sweden, the rally was the only snow and ice rally of the WRC calendar, a distinction it would... |
POR 1973 Rally of Portugal The 1973 Rally of Portugal was the 7th running of the Rallye de Portugal and the third round of the inaugural World Rally Championship season. Run in mid-March in southern Portugal on a mixture of asphalt and gravel, the rally began with a concentration run from a number of European cities,... |
KEN 1973 Safari Rally The 1973 East African Safari Rally was the 21st running of the Safari Rally, and the fourth round of the inaugural World Rally Championship season. Run in mid-April in central Kenya, the Safari was a markedly different rally from the other dates on the WRC schedule... |
MAR 1973 Rally of Morocco The 1973 Rally of Morocco was the 16th running of the Rally of Morocco, and the fifth round of the inaugural World Rally Championship season. Run in mid-May between Morocco's two major cities, Rabat and Casablanca, the Rallye du Maroc was a very long stage rally covering more than 1200 km on both... |
GRE 1973 Acropolis Rally The 1973 Acropolis Rally was the 21st running of the Acropolis Rally, and the fifth round of the inaugural World Rally Championship season. Run in late-May on the punishing hot gravel roads of central Greece, the Acropolis is a long-standing event on the WRC calendar.In 1973, and for several years... |
PLD 1973 Polish Rally The 1973 Polish Rally was the 33rd running of the Rally Poland, and the seventh round of the inaugural World Rally Championship season. Run in mid-July in southern Poland, this marked to only year in which Poland was part of the WRC calendar... |
FIN 1973 1000 Lakes Rally The 1973 1000 Lakes Rally was the 23rd running of the 1000 Lakes Rally , and the eighth round of the inaugural World Rally Championship season. Run in early August in central Finland, this rally marked a distinct change from the previous event in the series, the 33 Rajd Polski... RET |
AUT 1973 Austrian Alpine Rally The 1973 Austrian Alpine Rally was the 44th running of the Austrian rally, and the ninth round of the inaugural World Rally Championship season. Run in mid-September around Baden, Austria, the rally was entirely on gravel surface special stages... |
ITA 1973 Sanremo Rally The 1973 Sanremo Rally was the 15th running of the Italian rally, and the tenth round of the inaugural World Rally Championship season. Run in mid-October around Sanremo, Italy, the rally was a mixed surface rally, with some stages on tarmac and others on gravel... |
USA 1973 Press-on-Regardless Rally The 1973 Press-on-Regardless Rally was the 25th running of the American rally, and the eleventh round of the inaugural World Rally Championship season. Run at the outset of November in the State of Michigan in the United States, the rally was run entirely on gravel.Due to a combination of... |
GBR 1973 RAC Rally The 1973 Daily Mirror RAC Rally was the 22nd running of the British rally, and the twelfth round of the inaugural World Rally Championship season. Run in mid-November in the County of Yorkshire in England, the rally was run primarily on gravel, with some sections of tarmac as well... |
FRA | N/A | N/A | |||||||
| 1974 | Dealer Team Vauxhall | Vauxhall Magnum Coupé Vauxhall Magnum The Magnum was a car manufactured by Vauxhall Motors from 1973 to 1978. First seen at the London Motor Show in October 1973, the Magnum as was an HC Viva with a larger engine, more luxurious interior, vinyl roof, higher trim level and twin headlights... |
POR 1974 Rally Portugal The 1974 Rally of Portugal was the 8th running of the Rallye de Portugal and was the first round of the 1974 World Rally Championship season after the oil crisis forced the cancellation of the Monte Carlo and Swedish rallies.... |
KEN 1974 Safari Rally The 1974 Safari Rally was the 22nd East African Safari Rally and the second round of the shortened 1974 World Rally Championship season. It took place between April 11 and April 15, 1974. The Safari Rally didn't use special stages at this time to decide a winner... |
FIN 16 |
ITA | CAN | USA | N/A | N/A | ||||||||||||||
| Center Hotels/ Clarke & Simpson |
Ford Escort RS1600 | GBR RET |
FRA | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1975 | Dealer Team Vauxhall | Vauxhall Magnum Coupé Vauxhall Magnum The Magnum was a car manufactured by Vauxhall Motors from 1973 to 1978. First seen at the London Motor Show in October 1973, the Magnum as was an HC Viva with a larger engine, more luxurious interior, vinyl roof, higher trim level and twin headlights... |
MON | SWE | KEN | GRE | MAR | POR | FIN RET |
ITA | GBR 20 |
FRA | N/A | N/A | ||||||||||
| 1976 | Privateer | Ford Escort RS1600 | MON | SWE | POR | KEN | GRE | MAR | FIN 2 |
ITA | FRA | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||
| Team Avon Tyres | GBR RET |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1977 | Toyota Team Europe | Toyota Celica Toyota Celica The Toyota Celica name has been applied to a series of coupes made by the Japanese company Toyota. The name is ultimately derived from the Latin word coelica meaning "heavenly" or "celestial".... |
MON | FIN | SWE RET |
POR | KEN | NZL | GRE | ITA 1977 Giro d'Italia The 1977 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 60th running of the Corsa Rosa, was held from 20 May to 12 June 1977. It was won by the Belgian Michel Pollentier.... |
SA | PLD | – | 0* | ||||||||||
| Dealer Team Vauxhall | Vauxhall Chevette 2300 HSR Vauxhall Chevette The Chevette was a supermini model of car manufactured by Vauxhall in the UK from 1975 to 1984. It was Vauxhall's version of the family of small "T-Cars" from Vauxhall's parent General Motors ; the family included the Opel Kadett in Germany, the Isuzu Gemini in Japan, the Holden Gemini in... |
FIN RET |
ITA | CAN | FRA | ITA | AUS | ESP | FRA | GBR 16 |
CIV | |||||||||||||
| 1978 | Dealer Team Vauxhall | Vauxhall Chevette 2300 HSR Vauxhall Chevette The Chevette was a supermini model of car manufactured by Vauxhall in the UK from 1975 to 1984. It was Vauxhall's version of the family of small "T-Cars" from Vauxhall's parent General Motors ; the family included the Opel Kadett in Germany, the Isuzu Gemini in Japan, the Holden Gemini in... |
MON | FIN | SWE RET |
KEN | POR | GRE | SCO 2 |
PLD | FIN 3 |
NZL | CAN | FRA | ITA | ITA 1978 Giro d'Italia The 1978 Giro d'Italia, the 61st running of the race, was held from 20 May to 10 June 1978. It was won by the Belgian Johan de Muynck.This edition covered 3,610 km, in 20 stages, completed at an average speed of 35.56 km/h.... |
AUS | ESP | CIV | FRA | GBR RET |
10th | 10* | |
| 1979 | Dealer Team Vauxhall | Vauxhall Chevette 2300 HSR Vauxhall Chevette The Chevette was a supermini model of car manufactured by Vauxhall in the UK from 1975 to 1984. It was Vauxhall's version of the family of small "T-Cars" from Vauxhall's parent General Motors ; the family included the Opel Kadett in Germany, the Isuzu Gemini in Japan, the Holden Gemini in... |
MON | SWE 3 |
POR | KEN | GRE | NZL RET |
FIN RET |
CAN | ITA | FRA | GBR 7 |
CIV | 15th | 16 | ||||||||
| 1980 1980 World Rally Championship season The 1980 World Rally Championship season was the eighth season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 12 rallies... |
Dealer Team Vauxhall | Vauxhall Chevette 2300 HSR Vauxhall Chevette The Chevette was a supermini model of car manufactured by Vauxhall in the UK from 1975 to 1984. It was Vauxhall's version of the family of small "T-Cars" from Vauxhall's parent General Motors ; the family included the Opel Kadett in Germany, the Isuzu Gemini in Japan, the Holden Gemini in... |
MON | SWE 6 |
POR | KEN | GRE | ARG | FIN RET |
GBR RET |
CIV | 36th | 6 | |||||||||||
| Masport | Ford Escort RS2000 | NZL RET |
ITA | FRA | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1981 1981 World Rally Championship season The 1981 World Rally Championship season was the ninth season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 12 rallies... |
Rothman's Rally Team | Ford Escort RS1800 | MON | SWE 3 |
POR | KEN | FRA | GRE | ARG | BRA | FIN 5 |
ITA | CIV | GBR 4 |
9th | 30 | ||||||||
| 1982 1982 World Rally Championship season The 1982 World Rally Championship season was the tenth season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 12 rallies. By this time, the schedule format had become generally stable, with only one or two changes to venues year to year... |
Team Ralliart Ralliart Ralliart was the high-performance and motorsports division of Mitsubishi Motors. It was responsible for development and preparation of the company's rally racing and off-road racing vehicles, as well as the development of high-performance models and parts available to the public... |
Mitsubishi Lancer Turbo Mitsubishi Lancer The Mitsubishi Lancer is a family car built by Mitsubishi Motors. It has been known as the Colt Lancer, Dodge/Plymouth Colt, Chrysler Valiant Lancer, Chrysler Lancer, Eagle Summit, Hindustan Lancer, Soueast Lioncel, Mitsubishi Carisma, and Mitsubishi Mirage in various countries at different times,... |
MON | SWE | POR | KEN | FRA | GRE | NZL | BRA | FIN 3 |
ITA | CIV | GBR RET |
15th | 12 | ||||||||
| 1983 | Martini Racing Martini Racing Martini Racing is the name under which various motor racing teams raced when sponsored by the Martini & Rossi distillery that produces Martini vermouth. Martini's sponsorship program began in 1968... |
Lancia Rallye 037 Lancia 037 The Lancia Rally 037 was a mid-engine rally car built by Lancia in the early 1980s purely for the FIA Group B World Rally Championship. Driven by Markku Alén, Attilio Bettega, and Walter Röhrl, the car won Lancia the manufacturers' world championship in the 1983 season... |
MON | SWE | POR | KEN | FRA | GRE | NZL | FIN 5 |
ITA | CIV | GBR | 21st | 8 | |||||||||
| 1984 1984 World Rally Championship season The 1984 World Rally Championship season was the 12th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 12 rallies following the same schedule as the previous season. Stig Blomqvist beat the defending world champion and Audi teammate Hannu... |
Team Nissan Europe | Nissan 240RS | MON | SWE | POR | KEN | FRA | GRE | NZL | ARG | FIN RET |
ITA | CIV | GBR | – | 0 | ||||||||
| 1985 1985 World Rally Championship season The 1985 World Rally Championship season was the 13th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 12 rallies following the same schedule as the previous season. Peugeot Sport's Timo Salonen beat Audi Sport's Stig Blomqvist and Walter... |
British Telecom Mobile Phone | Vauxhall Astra GTE | MON | SWE | POR | KEN | FRA | GRE | NZL | ARG | FIN | ITA | CIV | GBR RET |
– | 0 | ||||||||
| 1986 1986 World Rally Championship season The 1986 World Rally Championship season was the 14th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 13 rallies, including all twelve venues of the previous season as well as the addition of the Olympus Rally... |
British Telecom Mobile Phone | Vauxhall Astra GTE | MON | SWE | POR | KEN | FRA | GRE | NZL | ARG | FIN | CIV | ITA | GBR 16 |
USA | – | 0 | |||||||
| 1987 1987 World Rally Championship season The 1987 World Rally Championship season was the 15th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 13 rallies in the same venues of the previous season... |
GM Dealersport | Opel Kadett GSi | MON | SWE | POR | KEN | FRA | GRE | USA | NZL | ARG | FIN | CIV | ITA | GBR RET |
– | 0 | |||||||
| 1988 1988 World Rally Championship season The 1988 World Rally Championship season was the 16th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship... |
Safety Devices | Lancia Delta Integrale | MON | SWE | POR | KEN | FRA | GRE | USA | NZL | ARG | FIN | CIV | ITA | GBR 4 |
30th | 10 | |||||||
| 1989 1989 World Rally Championship season The 1989 World Rally Championship season was the 17th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 13 rallies, with some adjustments to the schedule versus the previous season... |
Mitsubishi Ralliart Europe | Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 The Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 was the range-topping version of Mitsubishi Motors' Galant model, available in the sixth , seventh and eighth generations of the vehicle... |
SWE | MON | POR | KEN | FRA | GRE | NZL | ARG | FIN | AUS | CIV | ITA | GBR 1 |
0 | ||||||||
| 1990 1990 World Rally Championship season The 1990 World Rally Championship season was the 18th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of 12 rallies. The drivers' world championship was won by Carlos Sainz in a Toyota Celica GT-Four, ahead of Didier Auriol and Juha Kankkunen... |
Q8 Team Ford | Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4×4 | MON | POR | KEN | FRA | GRE | NZL | ARG | FIN RET |
AUS | ITA 11 |
CIV | GBR RET |
– | 0 | ||||||||
| 2003 | Fairfield Motorsport | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI | MON | SWE | TUR | NZL | ARG | GRE | CYP | GER | FIN | AUS | ITA | FRA | GBR RET |
– | 0 | |||||||