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video of monte wrc 1985
18-04-2009 klo 22:13
hi can anyone suggest where i can get the full video footage of the wrc 85 monte which ari won?i have only watched bits and pieces of the rally video and not the entire rally!!
Written by: vikram mavaji
Alan Watkins
26-04-2009 klo 19:21
I have been fortunate to meet Ari on several occasions and never fail to be warmed by the nature of this wonderful human being. Frighteningly quick in a rally car what has amazed me over the years is that despite the speed Ari has out of the car he is the gentleist of men with a warmth and infectious personality that endears him to young and old alike. Myself and my friend Rob along with David Sutton organised the celebration for the Celebration of the World championship win in 1981 at Castle Coombe, Ari stayed with us literally all day and half into the evening, he never once tired of photo and autograph oppurtunities for the masses of people who turned up to see him. For me Ari is simply a Legend in life someone who I would like to aspire to be - not as a rally driver but as a human being - Thanks for the continuing memories Ari
Written by: Arimax
The Great Man
27-04-2009 klo 04:07
Alan is spot on. Ari is not only one of the most exciting rally drivers of all time, but a great and humble human being. I've met Ari on many occassions, in the UK, in New Zealand, and in Australia, and the underlying impression he leaves you with is that he is as much interested in you as you are in him.
I've built a replica of Ari and David Richards 1981 World Rally Championship winning Escort RS to use in local events, and now only wish I had one-tenth of the talent he has behind the wheel, so that I could display the car in true Ari attitude.......sideways !!
Written by: Rothmans Frank
28-06-2009 klo 00:35
This rally was so special and that story is a legende today, so there was no question about buy this ready made car!
I belive there is no ather ,even nera similar story in rally history:)
Written by: M.Suttonen
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Monte Carlo Rally
If any one rally can epitomize the whole career of Ari Vatanen, this is it.
The event first came on the brink of being cancelled altogether. Then during the recce Ari's first co-driver Martti Simonen passed away. Next Ari got a cramp in his back while jogging and lost a week of practice time lying in hospital, not knowing whether he could even take the start.
"At the end of the second stage I went a bit wide in a corner, where spectators were standing close to the road. I could hear a noise from the back as people were being bowled over. A couple of men bounced up the bonnet and over the top of the car, breaking the windscreen. It was pandemonium!"
It seemed to take ages before Ari got the news that no-one was badly hurt in the incident. Trying to settle in he finished the first day 35 seconds behind Monte-meister Walter Röhrl's Audi.
The conditions were typically tricky making tyre choice a real headache, but winning a stage boosted Ari's confidence to a new level and he never looked back. A string of fastest times took him to an unassailable lead by the time the rally reached its half-way point in Gap. Then a miscalculation by Terry Harryman led to the pair clocking in early for the rest halt and receiving an eight minute road penalty! Instead of leading by 3,5 minutes they now trailed Röhrl by 4,5!
"I started my new fight by asking Rita to fly down to France on the first plane in the morning. I kept saying to myself that I must not think about the overall situation, but just concentrate on one stage at a time and go as fast as I can. Safe tyre choices were not an option now! On the next stage I overshot one corner and lost time in reversing back, but we still beat Walter by 19 seconds. It made me feel so good I could feel my eyes moist."
This was proof enough that it was not all over yet. In possibly the most amazing fight-back in rally history Ari hunted down Röhrl, and when the latter made a wrong tyre call in Col St Raphael he was back through to the lead with another eight stages yet to run. Even Walter seemed to feel the right man won after all!