Jari Rantanen (born 31 December 1961 in Helsinki, Finland) is a retired football striker.

During his club career, Rantanen notably played for HJK Helsinki and FinnPa, as well as spells abroad with Estoril Praia, K. Beerschot V.A.C., IFK Göteborg and Leicester City. He also made 29 appearances for the Finland national team, scoring 4 goals.

External links[link]

• Worldfootball.net Profile
• Jari Rantanen at National-Football-Teams.com

This biographical article relating to Finnish football is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Ken Block
Ken Block in 2008.
Nationality	American
Born	(1967-11-21) 21 November 1967 (age 44) Long Beach, California
2012 Rally America
Debut season	2005
Current team	Monster World Rally Team
Best finish	2nd Overall in Rally America in 2006 and 2008
Awards
2004[1] 2005[1] 2009	• One of the most influential people (#17) in Sports Business Journal • Ad Age's Marketing 50 • One of the Fast 50 in Fast Company Magazine • 40 Under 40 Awards, Sports Business Journal • Rally America's Rookie of the Year • Gymkhana 2 was 2009's #4 most viewed viral video

Ken Block (born November 21, 1967, in Long Beach, California)^[2] is a professional rally driver with the Monster World Rally Team. Block is also one of the co-founders and recently appointed Chief Brand Officer of DC Shoes.^[1] Block has also competed in many action sports events including skateboarding, snowboarding, and motocross.

Rallying[link]

2005[link]

In 2005, Ken Block began his national rallying career with the Vermont SportsCar team.^[3] Vermont SportsCar prepared a 2005 Subaru WRX STi for Block to compete. His first event of the rallying season was Sno*Drift, where he ended up finishing seventh overall and fifth in the Group N class.^[4] During the 2005 season, Block had five top five finishes and placed third overall in the Group N class and fourth overall in the Rally America National Championship.^[3] At the end of his first rallying year, Ken Block had won the Rally America Rookie of the Year award.^[5]

2006[link]

In 2006, Ken Block along with his DC rally teammate Travis Pastrana signed a new sponsorship deal with Subaru.^[3] Through this deal with Subaru, the teammates became known as "Subaru Rally Team USA."^[3] With the new rally season, Block also got a brand new Vermont SportsCar prepped 2006 Subaru WRX STi.^[3] He competed in the first ever X Games rally event at X Games XII.^[3] In the competition, Block ended up finishing third to take the bronze.^[3] He went on to compete in the 2006 Rally America National Championship, where he finished second overall.^[3]

2007[link]

In 2007, Ken Block competed in the X Games XIII rally event, where he placed second overall and won a silver medal.^[5] In the 2007 Rally America National Championship, Block finished third overall.^[5] During this season, Block also entered in a few rounds of the World Rally Championship; Rally Mexico and Rally New Zealand.^[4] In Rally New Zealand, Block recorded two top-five stage times in the Group N class.^[4] At the end of 2007, Block had achieved 19 podiums and 8 overall victories in rally events.^[1]

2008[link]

In 2008, Block was provided with a brand new rally prepped 2008 Subaru WRX STi to compete. Block decided to compete in the Rallye Baie-des Chaleurs of the Canadian Rally Championship to gain some experience with his new 2008 rally car and prepare for the World Rally Championships later this year.^[6] Block gained his first Canadian rally win at the event.^[6] This was only the second event for the new car.^[6] Block and his co-driver were unable to get any championship points at the event due to not having a Canadian competition license.^[6] Block competed in the Rally New York USA competition and finished in first place.^[7] In the X Games XIV rally competition, Block finished tied for third place with Dave Mirra.^[8] This occurrence was due to both competitors having issues with their car. Block, who made it to the semi-finals of the event, had a radiator problem after landing the car awkwardly on a jump. With both bronze place competitors in damaged cars unable to compete, the medals were awarded to both of them.^[8]

Block competed in the 2008 Rally America National championship, which concluded on October 17, 2008. In the event, he finished second overall with a strong victory in the last event. In the Lake Superior Performance Rally stage, Block finished over one minute ahead of his next closest competitor and secured the second overall position.^[9] Next up for Block this rally season is three World Rally Championship events.^[4]

2009[link]

Block appeared in a segment of motoring show Top Gear.^[10]

2010[link]

Ken Block testing Ford Fiesta for the 2010 Rally America season

Block driving a Ford Focus RS WRC at the 2010 Rallye de France

On January 6, 2010 the Monster World Rally Team announced Ken as their driver for selected rounds of the World Rally Championship, in which he will be campaigning the Monster/Ford Racing Focus RS WRC 08. His car will be prepared and run by the North of England based M-Sport, who also prepare the official Ford WRC cars. He will be simultaneously running in his sixth season of the Rally America Championship in an open class Ford Fiesta, as well as his fifth X-games. Ken will also be the first ever American driver to campaign for the World Rally Championship. On February 27, Block won the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood (Rally America) for the 5th consecutive time. This broke the record held by John Buffum.^[11] Ken is currently being trained by former Ford factory driver Markko Märtin. At the Spain rally, he won his first 2 points in World Rally Championship.

2011[link]

On March 23, Block and his co-driver Alex Gelsomino were taken to hospital, having rolled their Ford Fiesta RS WRC during the shakedown stage of the 2011 Rally de Portugal in Faro, Portugal.^[12] A representative of the Monster World Rally team later stated that both men were fine.^[13]

Complete Rally America results[link]

(key)

Complete WRC results[link]

* Season in progress.

PWRC results[link]

Other motorsport activities[link]

On October 15, 2009, it was reported that Block was close to a deal to join the World Rally Championship in a new Ford team. Long time co-driver Alex Gelsomino is also reportedly involved in the deal. Former Subaru WRC driver Chris Atkinson has been reported to be lined up as Block's team-mate in the all-new Monster Energy Drink Ford World Rally Team.^[14]

In 2005, Ken Block along with his DC Shoes associates participated in the Gumball 3000 Rally. For the event they sent out three modified 2004 Subaru WRX STi's sponsored by DC Shoes.^[15][16]

In 2006, Ken Block competed in the One Lap of America competition along with Brian Scotto. They were teamed up in a 2006 Subaru WRX STi and finished forty-fifth overall.^[17]

In 2006, for the Discovery Channel show Stunt Junkies, Ken Block jumped his Subaru WRX STi rally car 171 feet (52 m) and a max height of 25 feet (7.6 m).^[3] The whole episode was dedicated to Ken Block attempting this stunt.

In 2007, Ken Block joined the DC Shoes Snowboarding team at New Zealand's Snow Park.^[3] Block did massive jumps and assisted in snowboarding tricks while driving his rally car on the mountain alongside the snowboarders. The session made the cover of the December 2007 issue of Snowboarder Magazine and closed out the MTN.LAB 1.5 DVD.^[3]

In 2009, for the BBC show Top Gear, Ken took James May out for Gymkhana-style driving at Block's stunt course at Inyokern Airport, an operational California airport, also starring Ricky Carmichael, whom Ken describes as 'a good friend'.

In 2010, for the BBC show Top Gear, Ken took the feature car from the previous episode (a Reliant Robin) for a lap of the Top Gear test track. He rolled the car and was unable to complete a lap but was unhurt.

On January 6, 2010, the announcement is made as Ken joins up with Ford and begins his WRC career driving both a Ford Fiesta and Focus RS WRC.

On August 24, 2010, Block released the first of a three part Gymkhana 3 video release featuring his new Ford Fiesta.^[18]

Ken Block also holds the world record for the world's fastest snow cat, a modified Subaru STI called a Trax STI.^{[citation needed]}

On September 14, 2010, Block's third Gymkhana video, featuring a Ford Fiesta, was released on YouTube.^[19] The video got more than seven million views in its first week.

On August 16, 2011, the fourth Gymkhana video, The Hollywood Megamercial was released on YouTube, featuring Block driving around the Universal Studios backlot.^[20]

Involvement In Colin McRae: Dirt 2 and Dirt 3[link]

Ken Block is featured as a driver in Codemasters Colin McRae: Dirt 2, along with his Subaru Rally Team USA Impreza.
In Dirt 3 he is seen as a driver and Gymkhana teacher, his Monster World Rally Team vehicles are available in the game.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ken Block

• Ken Block's Official site
• Monster World Rally Team
• Rally Results and News
• Subaru Rally Team USA
• Rally America Website
• Ken Block Official Merchandise Store
• Ken Block Interview
• Gymkhana racing improved by Ken Block, Video, ~4min
• dirt2game.com

Pasi Pentti Rautiainen (born 18 July 1961 in Helsinki) is a Finnish football manager and former player. He has coached PK-35,^[1] FC Jokerit and FC KooTeePee in Finland and FC Levadia Tallinn and FC Flora Tallinn in Estonia. His last club was TPS.^[2]

Rautiainen was very talented as a young player, and he joined Bayern Munich at the age of just 18 in 1980.^[3] He only made one appearance for the club, but was still named German champion with Bayern in the 1980–81 season. Rautiainen later made 115 appearances in the Bundesliga for Werder Bremen (1981–82) and Arminia Bielefeld (1982–1985), scoring 14 goals. He also played in the 2. Bundesliga for Bielefeld and SG Wattenscheid 09.^[4] In Finland Rautiainen played for HJK Helsinki, winning the Finnish championship in 1978 and 1990. He also earned 25 caps for the Finland national football team, scoring once. 1982 the sports journalists of his home country elected him Finnish Footballer of the Year.

Rautiainen is also a popular football pundit in Finland. Previoisly commenated UEFA Champions League games for the TV channel Nelonen. In the 2003–04 season he promised he'd walk from Helsinki to Porvoo (some 50 kilometres) if Deportivo were able to knock A.C. Milan out in the quarter finals which indeed happened. He never wore socks even when live on TV. He was also featured on the broadcasts of Estonian channel ETV during the 2006 World Cup. Now he works as a studio commentator in Finland's national team matches.

References[link]

Jari Puikkonen (born June 25, 1959 in Lahti) is a former Finnish ski jumper who competed from 1977 to 1991. Puikkonen made his debut internationally in the Four Hills Tournament competition in Oberstdorf on December 30, 1977. He won his first World Cup victory at Innsbruck in 1981. That year he finished third overall in the Four Hills Tournament and he won three more victories in the ski jumping World Cup to finish fifth overall. He also won three medals at the Winter Olympics with a gold in the team large lill (1988 Winter Olympics), and bronze medals in both the individual normal hill (1984 Winter Olympics) and the individual large hill (1980 Winter Olympics).

Puikkonen's biggest successes were at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, where he won seven medals, including four golds (individual large hill: 1989, team large hill: 1984, 1985, 1989), two silvers (individual normal hill: 1982, individual large hill: 1985), and one bronze (team large hill: 1982). He also won a gold medal at the FIS Ski-Flying World Championships 1981.

Puikkonen retired after the 1990-91 season.

References[link]

• Jari Puikkonen at the International Ski Federation

This biographical article relating to Finnish ski jumping is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Jari Sillanpää
Background information
Born	(1965-08-16) 16 August 1965 (age 46) Ludvika, Sweden
Genres	Schlager
Instruments	Singing
Years active	1995–present
Labels	MTV-Musiikki, Bridgehead, Suomen Mediamusiikki, Veijari-tuotanto
Website	http://www.jarisillanpaa.com/

Jari Sillanpää (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈjɑri ˈsilːɑmpæː]; born 16 August 1965, Ludvika, Sweden) a Finnish singer. With over 820,000 records sold, he is the fifth-best-selling music artist and second-best-selling solo artist in Finland.^[1]

He became famous after winning the Seinäjoki Tangomarkkinat tango contest in 1995, receiving full points from all judges.^{[citation needed]}

Sillanpää's 1995 debut album Jari Sillanpää is the best-selling music recording of all time in Finland, with over 270,000 copies sold.^[2][3] He has since represented Finland in Romania's Golden Stag festival in 1997, where his song, "Remember Me", earned him the special award for the best performance of a Romanian song.

In 1998, Sillanpää was awarded the Male Soloist of the Year Emma award.

Sillanpää represented Finland in Eurovision Song Contest 2004 and his song ”Takes 2 To Tango” (which he wrote the lyrics for) received 51 points in the semi-final, taking the 14th place and not qualifying for the final. Sillanpää participated in the Finnish National Final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song "Kirkas kipinä" (Bright spark), making it to the final show, but finishing out of the final three. Since 2006 Sillanpää has publicly identified himself as homosexual.^[4]

Discography[link]

• Jari Sillanpää (1996)
• Hyvää joulua (Merry Christmas) (1996) – Christmas album
• Auringonnousu (Sunrise) (1997)
• Varastetut helmet (Stolen Evergreens) (1998)
• Onnenetsijä (Fortune Seeker) (1999)
• Kuninkaan kyyneleet (Tears of the King) (2000) – Collection
• Maa on niin kaunis (So Beautiful Is Earth) (2000) – Christmas album
• Hän kertoo sen sävelin (He's Telling It By Melodies) (2001)
• Määränpää tuntematon (Unknown Destination) (2003)
• Parhaat (The best ones) (2005) – Collection
• Albumi (Album) (2008)
• Al Ritmo Latino (2008)
• Kuin elokuvissa (Like in Movies) (2009)
• Millainen laulu jää (2011)

See also[link]

• List of best-selling music artists in Finland

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official webpage