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Ari Vatanen has never been known as a Porsche man, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love him.
Born in Finland in 1952, Ari’s early success came in Escorts of the 1970s, which he used to win two British Rally championships, before joining the Rothmans rally squad in 1980 and winning the World Championship in 1981.
No one enters the World Rally Championship and wins so quickly unless they have talent to spare, and Ari has all of that. His WRC career spanned twenty-five years first time around, with a modest comeback in 2003 driving a 206 WRC. He went on to win in politics also – insofar as anyone ever can – serving as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2009.< "I grew up in Eastern Finland on the Russian border," says Ari. "I knew no one and had no connections. But nobody could take away my dreams: when the urge is there, nothing can hold you back." This video showcases Ari's genius, and his inspirational outlook on talent. We bow down in his excellence - all hail Vatanen!
