| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Finnish |
| Born | 4 September 1945 Helsinki, Finland |
| Died | 30 September 2009 (aged 64) Bray, Berkshire, United Kingdom |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 1973–1990, 2003 |
| Co-driver | Heikki Haaksiala John Davenport Risto Virtanen Mike Greasley Mike Nicholson Rodger Freeth Chris Porter Phil Short Juha Piironen Seppo Harjanne Ronan McNamee Brian Murphy Nigel Gardner |
| Teams | Privateer, Vauxhall, Rothmans Ford, Mitsubishi Ralliart, Martini Lancia, Nissan, Q8 Team Ford |
| Rallies | 37 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Rally wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 6 |
| Stage wins | 147 |
| Total points | 102 |
| First rally | 1973 1000 Lakes Rally |
| First win | 1989 RAC Rally |
| Last rally | 2003 Wales Rally GB |
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Pentti Airikkala (4 September 1945 – 30 September 2009) was one of the "Flying Finns" who dominated world rallying in the past four decades.[1] His career was more sporadic than many of his contemporaries, and he competed in only three World Rally Championship (WRC) events regularly; the two Scandinavian rallies (the 1000 Lakes and the Swedish Rally) and the RAC Rally in the United Kingdom.
Airikkala was born in Helsinki, Finland.[2] Most of his top flight competitive experience was behind the wheel of various rear wheel drive Vauxhall/Opels like the Chevette HS and Magnum coupé, but his greatest success came in the twilight of his career, when he won the 1989 RAC Rally in a Group A Mitsubishi Galant VR-4.[3][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.[5] 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 rally driving school in Oxfordshire teaching left-foot braking, where his roster of pupils included subsequent World Champions Colin McRae and Richard Burns.[6]
- ^ Pentti Airikkala, 'Flying Finns' website
- ^ Hope-Frost, Henry; Davenport, John (2004). The Complete Book of the World Rally Championship. Saint Paul, Minnesota: MotorBooks International. p. 62. ISBN 0-7603-1954-5.
- ^ 38th Lombard RAC Rally, Final classification, Rallybase.nl website
- ^ "My only WRC win -- Pentti Airikkala". Motor Sport Magazine. February 2005. p. 19. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
- ^ 1981 World Rally Championship for Drivers, Final classification, Rallybase.nl
- ^ Pentti's Champion Pupils Archived 2006-05-04 at the Wayback Machine, leftfootbraking.com