R.I.P Pentti Airikkala

[hansport]

Very, very Sad news, guys.................

The Legendary driver Pentti Airikkala has died, aged 64. He will be sadly missed by all.............





http://www.leftfootbraking.com/


Autosport Website, today wrote:-

One of the original flying Finns, Pentti Airikkala's driving style was as committed and spectacular as any of his contemporaries.

Airikkala, who lost his battle with cancer aged 64 yesterday, was almost as well known for his efforts in converting people to the virtues of left-foot braking as he was for his own success on the stage.

After collecting a variety of rally wins at home in Finland, Airikkala soon realised that a move south from his birthplace in Helsinki was the best way to forward his career - which is how he ended up living in Britain.

After driving myriad cars through his early days, he settled into a factory Vauxhall outfit, where he found the car which suited his style: the Chevette HS. Airikkala would take his sole British title with that car in 1979.

It was 10 years on from that season, however, that Pentti enjoyed his crowning glory - when he won the RAC Rally. He was offered a drive in the factory Mitsubishi team, at the wheel of a Group A Galant VR-4, as a thank you for winning Group N in that season's British Rally Championship, where he had seen off the threat of a certain Colin McRae in a Ford Sierra Cosworth.

After limited testing ahead of the event, Airikkala built his speed through Wales before moving through the gears as the rally headed into Kielder and the south of Scotland. A string of fastest times moved him into the lead fight and when Carlos Sainz hit trouble two stages from the end, Airikkala passed him to collect his one and only World Rally Championship win.

The significance of this win went beyond Airikkala breaking his duck at the highest level; this was an event Sainz was desperate to win - it was the last RAC Rally run without pace notes into the forests.

Twelve months later, Airikkala pieced together a last-minute deal to drive a Ford Sierra Cosworth 4x4, only to crash spectacularly in Cropton. After that, Airikkala would only make one more WRC appearance - on Rally GB again - when he retired a Group N Mitsubishi in 2003.

By that stage, Airikkala was busy running his own driving school, tutoring the likes of current Ford star Jari-Matti Latvala in the mysteries of the Scandinavian flick and left-foot braking.

Airikkala was a big character both on and off rallies, and one who will be sadly missed both in Britain and his native Finland.

[Isimmo]

Absolutely shocking news... A sad loss...

Remember the 80's when he won the 79 RAC in the Chevette at the beginning of the decade and again at the end of the decade with the big Mitsubishi Galant…

[David Small]

Very sad news , I remember watching him as well in that Chevette HS

[PeterB]

Very sad news indeed.

[4v6]

I remember very well Pentti camapigning the Galants in various rallies, always looked to be a spankingly good driver.

Rip mate.

[Darron Edwards]

I gave him a lift to shifnal once in my old audi 80.......nice bloke, I will miss him.

[Booty]

I'd heard he wasn't well a little while back. But he could turn upside down in a ditch, sit next to his Co-driver all through a Rally who had the shit's, all manner of things have happened to 'our Pentti'. But whenever there was a camera around and someone waved a microphone under his nose, he was the perfect interviewee. He always had time for the cameras, a laugh and a smile and was never ever down beat even if he had no chance of winning or even collecting a few points. Yet in his heyday he never seemed to drive 'the cooking car' but by God he'd try and he could drive the tits off a fish. Andrew Wood from Lanark was interviewed back in the 80's and when he was asked about Pentti his reply was ' Oh Pentti....you can't catch Pentti'.
A truly sad loss to the heroes of the 80's. R.I.P

[gabriel.oconnell]

this is yet another very sad day for me another one of my great hero has gone , had many a chat with him when he was in the chevette, and when he drove the lancia o37 out in the circuit of ireland many years ago , i hate to say bloody cancer what a bloody curse to our lifes, that word gives me the creeps

[SteveT63]

Very sad to hear this. ISTR he settled in Northhampton area and opened up an Intergrale drivers school some time back?...

He a Ari V always seemed to be taking the mick out of each other when then met on camera...Had some happy memories watching him in the Telecom Astra too...What a shame.

[darreno'd']

Sad news indeed, I was spectating on that 89 RAC and remember the win well.He was interviewed at one particularly foggy stage and the interviewee asked, "are you wearing those glasses to help with the fog" well said pentti, "they are certainly not for posing"