Rauno August Aaltonen (born 7 January 1938), also known as "The Rally Professor", is a Finnish former professional

rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a United States school or college sporting event Spor ...

driver who competed in the

World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is the highest level of global competition in the motorsport discipline of rallying, owned and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA. There are separate championships ...

throughout the 1970s.

Career

Before WRC was established Aaltonen competed in the

European Rally Championship The European Rally Championship (officially FIA European Rally Championship) is an automobile rally competition held annually on the European continent and organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship has b ...

. He won the championship in 1965, with Tony Ambrose as his co-driver. He also won the Finnish Rally Championship in 1961 and 1965. In 1966, he partnered Bob Holden in Australia to win the premier touring car race, the Gallaher 500, in a Mini Cooper S at Mount Panorama in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. Aaltonen finished second on six occasions in the Safari Rally, which is considered one of the most difficult courses in rallying. In 1985, he was leading the rally by two hours when his engine broke down before the last few special stages. His other merits include winning the

1000 Lakes Rally Rally Finland (formerly known as the Neste Rally Finland, Neste Oil Rally Finland, 1000 Lakes Rally and Rally of the Thousand Lakes; fi, Suomen ralli, sv, Finska rallyt) is a rally competition in the Finnish Lakeland in Central Finland. The r ...

in 1961, the RAC Rally in 1965, the

Monte Carlo Rally The Monte Carlo Rally or Rallye Monte-Carlo (officially ''Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo'') is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco. The rally now takes place along the French Riviera in Monaco and southeast ...

in 1967, the Southern Cross Rally in 1977, and a ''Coupe des Alpes'' at the

Alpine Rally The Alpine Rally, also known by its official name Coupe des Alpes, was a rally competition based in Marseille and held from 1932 to 1971. In the 1950s and the 1960s, it was among the most prestigious rallies in the world and featured an internat ...

in 1963 and 1964. Despite now being remembered as one of the Flying Finns of rallying, Aaltonen started his career on speed boats and later moved on to motorcycles competing in

road racing Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on p ...

, speedway and

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

. Before he became the first Finnish European Rally Champion, he was the first Finn to win a

Grand Prix motorcycle racing Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start of ...

competition. Aaltonen was a proponent of left-foot braking. In 2010, he was among the first four inductees into the Rally Hall of Fame, along with Erik Carlsson, Paddy Hopkirk and Timo Mäkinen. Technique of rotating a car by 360 degrees, while maintaining trajectory, was named after him.

Career results

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Complete Bathurst 500/1000 results

Complete British Saloon Car Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)

Gallery

File:Rauno Aaltonen - 1965 Rally Finland.jpg, Aaltonen at the 1965

File:Mäkinen and Aaltonen - 1965 Rally Finland.jpg, Aaltonen behind Timo Mäkinen at the 1000 Lakes File:Rauno Aaltonen - 1965 Rally Finland 2.jpg, Aaltonen with co-driver Anssi Järvi File:2006FOS BMW2002tiRally.jpg, An ex-Aaltonen BMW 2002tii File:Rauno Aaltonen.JPG, Aaltonen pictured in 2008

References

External links

Aaltonen at RallyBase
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aaltonen, Rauno Finnish rally drivers Finnish motorcycle racers Finnish racing drivers 125cc World Championship riders 1938 births World Rally Championship drivers Living people 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers Bathurst 1000 winners World Sportscar Championship drivers European Rally Championship drivers Sportspeople from Turku Australian Endurance Championship drivers