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Sobiesław Jan Zasada (born 27 January 1930 in
Dąbrowa Górnicza Dąbrowa Górnicza () is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie, southern Poland, near Katowice and Sosnowiec. It is located in eastern part of the Silesian Voivodeship, on the Czarna Przemsza and Biała Przemsza rivers (tributaries of the Vistula Rive ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
) is a Polish
rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Political demonstration, a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a North American school or college sporting event Sport ...
driver and economist. He won the
European Rally Championship The European Rally Championship (officially FIA European Rally Championship) is an rallying, automobile rally competition held annually on the European continent and organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The champion ...
in 1966, 1967, 1971 and was vice-champion in 1968, 1969, and 1972. In 1967, he was chosen the Polish Sportspersonality of the Year.


Career

Sobieslaw Zasada first raced motorcycles, and in 1951 entered four-wheel racing. After solid racing performances, he received support from the Polish automobile club in Warsaw. Zasada won the European Rally Champion title in 1966 with Steyr-Puch 650 (the smallest vehicle to achieve such victory) and in 1967 with 4-cylinder Porsche 912. In autumn of 1967 he was victorious driving his flat-six Porsche 911 in the Gran Premio Internacional de Turismo, a 2055-mile stage race across Argentina. In next two seasons Zasada with his Porsche 911 was runner-up in European Rally Championship, conquered only by Pauli Toivonen in 1968 and Harry Källström in 1969. Later on Zasada drove a BMW 2002 TI, regaining his European Champion title in 1971 and being surpassed only by
Raffaele Pinto Raffaele "Lele" Pinto (13 April 1945 – 8 December 2020) was a rallying, rally driver, who won the 1974 Rally Portugal. Career Pinto began rallying in 1968. In 1972, he won the European Rally Championship in a Fiat 124 Sport Spider. The followin ...
in 1972. At the time of his successes racing his Porsche 912 in 1967, Zasada owned a four-person auto repair shop in Kraków. By the late 1990s, Zasada was one of the most successful businessmen in Poland. In 1996 Reuters reported that his Polish automotive group Sobieslaw Zasada Centrum SA launched the construction of Mercedes' Vito mini-vans. The launch marked the first production licensee that Mercedes-Benz had granted in eastern Europe. By that time Zasada controlled two utility car factories and several automotive parts plants. Zasada announced that he would make a comeback in the 2021 Safari Rally, making him the oldest driver to compete in the World Rally Championship at 91. He took part in the race, but failed to finish it due to a series of collisions. It still made him the oldest driver ever to take part in a WRC rally.


Honours

For his sport achievements and for his contribution to the development of Polish sport, he received the
Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...
: * Knight's Cross (5th Class); * Officer's Cross (4th Class); * Commander's Cross with Star (2nd Class) in 2000.


References


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Sobiesław Zasada
s e-wrc profile Sportspeople from Dąbrowa Górnicza 1930 births Living people Polish rally drivers European Rally Championship drivers Polish businesspeople World Rally Championship drivers {{Europe-rally-bio-stub