Vatanen badly hurt in crash

Press, 2 August 1985, Page 4

Vatanen badly hurt in crash

NZPA-AFPCordoba, Argentina Ari Vatanen, of Finland, who yesterday crashed out of the Argentine Rally, was in a delicate condition in hospital in Cordoba. “Noticias Argentines,” a private new agency, quoted doctors as saying that Vatanen had broken a vertebra and several ribs as well as his right arm and left leg in several places. He also suffered serious internal injuries, including a ruptured spleen. Vatanen’s Northern Irish copilot, Terry Harryman, was said to have suffered a broken vetebra, and injured his shoulder in the crash, but his condition was not causing concern. Doctors said neither man’s broken vertebrae would result in paralysis. vatanen’s Peugeot 205 Turbo

16 rolled several times before leaving the road on the second of four special sections on the 1120 km first stage from Buenos Aires to Cordoba. “ Vatanen is third in the world championships, and won the Monte Carlo and Swedish rounds this season. Timo Salonen, of Finland, , drove his Peugeot into the lead c after Vatanen, his team-mate, . crashed. Salonen, current leader in the world individual championship with 88 points, finished the first stage of the four-stage J rally with a time of Ihr 29min Is. > He was followed closely by . the defending world champion, ■ Stig Blomqvist, of Sweden in ’ an Audi, Wilfried Wiedner of West Germany in an Audi, Carlos Reutemann of Argen- i tina in a Peugeot, and Shakhar • Mehta of Kenya in a Nissan. ;