Pentti Airꦬikkal🎃a, one of the stars of British and World rallying in the 1970s and 1980s, has died at the age of 64 after a year-long battle with illness.

The Finn, who took the British Rally Championship in 1979, made 37 starts in the World Rally Championship during his career, m🌸aking his debut ꧙in 1973 on the 1000 Lakes Rally and competing through to 1990 before retiring - although he did come out of retirement to return to the stages of Rally GB in 2003.

Airikkala's lone WRC success came on the 1989 Lombard RAC Rally where - partnered by Ronan McNamee - he brought his Mitsubishi Galant home first ahead of Toyota pair 💛C💃arlos Sainz and Juha Kankkunen.

Following his retirement from the sport, Airikkala set up his own rallyschool near Oxfor💎d in an attempt to find a future WRC star, with British WRC title winners Colin McRae and Richard Burns amongst his past students🐻.

mahbx.com extends its deepest sympathies to Pentti's💛 family and frie♍nds.