Ove Andersson
Ove Andersson at the Monaco Grand Prix 2002
|
|
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |
 Swedish
|
| Born |
3 January 1938 Uppsala, Sweden |
| Died | 11 June 2008 (aged 70) Oudtshoorn, South Africa |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 1973–1982 |
| Co-driver |
 Henry Liddon Paul Phelan Gunnar Häggbom Arne Hertz Martin Holmes Claes Billstam
|
| Teams | Toyota, Toyota Team Europe |
| Rallies | 28 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Rally wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 7 |
| Stage wins | 20 |
| Total points | 32 |
| First rally | 1973 Monte Carlo Rally |
| First win | 1975 Safari Rally |
| Last rally | 1982 Rallye Côte d'Ivoire |
Ove Andersson (3 January 1938 – 11 June 2008), nicknamed Påven ("the Pope"), was a Swedish rally driver and the first head of Toyota's F1 programme.
Andersson was born in Uppsala and grew up on a remote farm. His father bought a 98cc motorbike, and Andersson said this was where he first fell in love with speed and machinery. He went on to begin studying engineering in Uppsala, and also began marshalling ice races. He dropped his engineering course and began working as an apprentice to a blacksmith in the city. He then went on to work in a car repair shop, the owner of which encouraged Andersson to begin racing after showing him his skills with a motorbike.
In 1958, Andersson completed his compulsory military service with the United Nations (UN) peace-keeping force in the Gaza Strip. During this service he survived typhoid and a fire. Upon returning home he attempted to rejoin the UN but with little success. A friend encouraged him to join him in a rally, in which the pairing finished in 6th place. Local rally drivers saw that he had potential, but as he had little money he could not afford to race. His friend Bengt Söderström became a Saab factory rally driver, and Andersson was able to borrow parts to make his car more competitive. The UN eventually offered him the opportunity to serve in the Congo, but he turned it down to concentrate on his rallying career.
In 1963, Andersson raced for the first time as a factory-backed driver in the Swedish Rally, using a Mini. He impressed the team boss, Stuart Turner, for him to be given a Mini Cooper S for the RAC Rally. He went on to race for Saab in 1964 and 1965 but he felt he was in the shadow of Erik Carlsson whom Andersson believed was given better machinery by Saab. In 1965 he raced the first three rounds of the championship with Lancia, finishing third in all of them. He also drove in the Swedish Rally Championship, and won the Swedish World Rally in a Lotus Cortina. In 1967, he won the Monte Carlo Rally with Lancia.
...
Wikipedia